Getting Started¶

Tip

We recommend students and teachers to use their Github accounts with Github's free Student/Teacher packages. This includes Github Pro and other beneficial software. However, this is not mandatory.

Fork the Simmate repository to your Github profile (e.g., yourname/simmate). The button to fork is at the top right of Simmate's home github page, near the "star repo" button.
Clone yourname/simmate to your local desktop. We recommend using GitKraken and cloning to a folder named ~/Documents/github/. GitKraken is free for public repositories (including Simmate), but is also part of Github's free Student/Teacher packages. Their 6-minute beginner video provides a quick start guide.
Navigate to the cloned Simmate repository:
```
cd ~/Documents/github/simmate
```
Create your conda environment using our conda file. This will install Spyder and name your new environment simmate_dev. We highly recommend using Spyder as your IDE for consistency with the rest of the team.
```
conda env update -f envs/conda/dev.yaml
conda install -n simmate_dev -c conda-forge spyder -y
conda activate simmate_dev
```
Install Simmate in development mode to your simmate_dev environment.
```
pip install -e .
```
When resetting your database, refrain from using the prebuilt database. It is best practice to have an empty database when developing.
```
simmate database reset --confirm-delete --no-use-prebuilt
```

Confirm everything is functioning correctly by running our tests

# you can optionally run tests in parallel 
# with a command such as "pytest -n 4"
pytest

In GitKraken, you will start with main branch of your repository (yourname/simmate) checked out. Create a new branch and name it according to the changes you will make (e.g. fix-example-app).
In Spyder, navigate to Projects > New Project.... Select existing directory, choose your ~/Documents/github/simmate directory, and then create your Project!
You're now set to explore the source code and modify or add files! Continue to the next section for guidance on formatting, testing, and submitting your changes to our team.