Development Tools

This section covers development tools and workflows for software development, version control, code editing, and documentation.

Topics

• Git - Version control and collaboration
• Visual Studio Code - Code editor configuration and tips
• Regular Expressions - Pattern matching and text processing
• PowerShell - Scripting and automation
• Python - Python development guides
• Azure DevOps - Project management and CI/CD
• DocFX - Documentation generation
• Windows Terminal - Modern terminal configuration
• DAS (Documentation as Software) - Treating documentation like code

Getting Started

Development Environment Setup

Setting up an efficient development environment is crucial for productivity and collaboration. Follow these steps to get started:

1. Install Core Tools:

   • Code editor: Visual Studio Code
   • Version control: Git
   • Terminal: Windows Terminal (Windows) or preferred terminal app

2. Configure Your Environment:

   • Set up Git with your identity:

     git config --global user.name "Your Name"
     git config --global user.email "your.email@example.com"
     

   • Install essential VS Code extensions:

     • GitLens
     • Prettier
     • ESLint

Common Development Workflows

Version Control with Git

# Clone a repository
git clone https://github.com/user/repository.git

# Create a new branch for features
git checkout -b feature/new-feature

# Make changes and commit them
git add .
git commit -m "Add new feature XYZ"

# Push changes to remote repository
git push origin feature/new-feature

# Create a pull request (via GitHub/GitLab UI)

See the Git documentation for more advanced workflows.

Documentation with DocFX

# Install DocFX
dotnet tool install -g docfx

# Initialize a new documentation site
docfx init -q

# Build documentation
docfx docfx.json

# Serve documentation locally
docfx docfx.json --serve

Explore the DocFX guide for customization options.

Language-Specific Resources

• PowerShell: Automation scripts and module development
• Python: Development best practices and virtual environments

Next Steps

• Set up CI/CD pipelines with Azure DevOps
• Learn about documentation as code principles
• Explore regular expressions for text processing

Additional Resources

• Microsoft Learn - Comprehensive learning resources
• Stack Overflow - Community-driven Q&A
• GitHub Guides - GitHub workflow tutorials