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Fork & Clone

Get your own copy of TheRSGuide to work on.

What This Means

  • Fork: Create a copy of TheRSGuide under your GitHub account
  • Clone: Download your copy to your computer
  • Result: You can make changes without affecting the original

Step 1: Fork the Repository

1. Go to TheRSGuide

2. Click Fork

  • Look for the "Fork" button in the top right
  • Click it to create your copy

3. Choose Location

  • Select your GitHub account
  • Click "Create fork"

Result: You now have github.com/your-username/thersguide

Step 2: Clone Your Fork

1. Get the URL

  • On your forked repository page
  • Click the green "Code" button
  • Copy the HTTPS URL (or SSH if you set that up)

2. Clone to Your Computer

# Replace 'your-username' with your actual GitHub username
git clone https://github.com/your-username/thersguide.git

# Move into the directory
cd thersguide

3. Verify the Clone

# Check what you have
ls

# Check Git status
git status

# Check remote origin
git remote -v

Step 3: Set Up Upstream

Connect your fork to the original repository:

# Add the original repository as upstream
git remote add upstream https://github.com/original-owner/thersguide.git

# Verify both remotes
git remote -v

What this does:

  • origin → Your fork (where you push)
  • upstream → Original repository (where you pull updates)

Step 4: Install Dependencies

# Install project dependencies
npm install

# Verify installation
npm list --depth=0

Step 5: Start Development Server

# Start the development server
npm start

What happens:

  • Site opens at http://localhost:3000
  • You see TheRSGuide running locally
  • Changes you make appear in real-time

Verify Everything Works

Check the Site

  • Open http://localhost:3000 in your browser
  • Navigate around to ensure it loads properly
  • Check that all pages and components work

Check Git Status

# Should show clean working directory
git status

# Should show your fork as origin
git remote -v

Common Issues

Fork Button Not Visible

  • Make sure you're logged into GitHub
  • Check if you already forked the repository
  • Look in your profile → Repositories

Clone Fails

  • Verify the URL is correct
  • Check your internet connection
  • Ensure you have Git installed

Dependencies Won't Install

  • Check Node.js version: node --version
  • Try clearing npm cache: npm cache clean --force
  • Check for error messages in the output

Site Won't Start

  • Check if port 3000 is already in use
  • Look for error messages in the terminal
  • Verify all dependencies installed correctly

Next Steps

Once your fork is set up:

  1. Create & Edit Content - Start writing guides
  2. Test & Commit - Save your work
  3. Submit Changes - Share your contributions

Keeping Your Fork Updated

# Fetch latest changes from original
git fetch upstream

# Switch to main branch
git checkout main

# Merge latest changes
git merge upstream/main

# Push to your fork
git push origin main

Getting Help

Your fork is now ready for development! 🎉