Getting started with XWiki for extension developers

This is supposed to be a Getting Started guide for developers that want to work on the XWiki.org project or that just want to build a project on top of XWiki.

It is just a collection of already existing documentation resources, but gathered in one reference place and structured in an order that should reflect a good flow for the learning process.

For the record, there also already exist a Getting Started guide for users.

A. XWiki Product presentation

• wiki model (page, space, wiki) (objects, classes)
  • http://enterprise.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/GettingStarted/WhatIsAWiki
  • http://platform.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/DevGuide/Architecture
  • http://platform.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/DevGuide/DataModel
• major features we have (document lifecycle [CRUD, versioning], comments, attachments, EM, AWM, livetable, Administration, Rights, Import/Export, Users/Profile, Dashboard, Annotations, REST, Panels, AS, SOLR, WYSIWYG, Syntax, Macros [Content/Code], Skins/Themes, Internationalisation, Extensions)
  • http://enterprise.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/UserGuide/WebHome
  • http://enterprise.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Main/Features
    • can be compared with http://platform.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Main/WebHome to understand how the XWiki Enterprise product is built on top of the platform and adds default applications
• what is the future vision (flavours, design.xwiki.org, cycle theme)
  • http://design.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Main/WebHome

B. XWiki Product Development Process

• http://www.slideshare.net/Enygma2002/development-process-the-xwiki-way
• http://dev.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Community/DevelopmentPractices#HGeneralDevelopmentFlow
• http://dev.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Main/WebHome
• what happens in the community development area
• development cycle: release, roadmap, tools we use: mailinglists, irc, issue tracker, ci, l10n, etc.

C. Finding documentation and reporting issues

• how to find documentation (about the features, about the development platform) (user, developer, admin guides)
  • http://www.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Main/Documentation
  • http://enterprise.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Main/Features and http://extensions.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Main/WebHome
  • http://enterprise.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/UserGuide/WebHome
  • http://platform.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/AdminGuide/WebHome
  • http://platform.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/DevGuide/WebHome
• how to know if something is broken (across skins, release notes, blaming)
  • http://www.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/ReleaseNotes/
  • http://dev.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Community/SourceRepository
  • Jira's "Commits" tab for each issue. Example: https://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XWIKI-10568?page=com.atlassian.jira.plugins.jira-bitbucket-connector-plugin:dvcs-commits-tabpanel
• how to report an issue on these features or knowing that your problem is already fixed
  • https://jira.xwiki.org/secure/BrowseProjects.jspa#all
  • https://jira.xwiki.org/issues/?jql=

D. Contributing an extension

• Finding extensions on e.x.o
  • http://extensions.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Main/WebHome
• Installing extensions with/without EM
  • http://platform.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/AdminGuide/ImportExport
  • http://extensions.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Extension/Extension+Module+Architecture
  • http://extensions.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Extension/Extension+Manager+Application
• Creating new extensions with/without AWM
  • http://platform.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/DevGuide/FAQTutorial
  • http://platform.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/DevGuide/FAQTutorialAWM
  • http://platform.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/DevGuide/FAQTutorialManual
• Publishing an extension on e.x.o:
  • publish a XAR
  • contrib.xwiki.org
    • creating a repo, a jira project, e.x.o page for your extension
    • releasing the extension 
    • http://contrib.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Main/WebHome
• Contributing to an existing extension
  • creating a pull request
    • https://help.github.com/articles/using-pull-requests

E. Contributing back to the product

• Comparison with contrib (repos layout, pull requests, reviewing process, discussions, etc.)
• Ways you can help
  • http://dev.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Community/Contributing
• Guidelines and Best Practices
  • http://dev.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Community/DevelopmentPractices
  • http://dev.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Community/CodeStyle
  • http://dev.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Community/ApplicationDevelopmentBestPractices
    • alternative draft (not official for the product): http://dev.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Drafts/Best+Practices+XWiki+Application+Organization