Getting Started

Here we will discuss tips for starting out with developing in Informatics along with common issues/questions that we have with new developers. If there isn't something covered here that you are having questions on ask the Developer Admin and they will assist you and update this documentation if needed.

FW Search Instructions: Most of the time you will be using our documentation site. Search Instructions

Group Control Documentation All of the apps have documentation that can be found in teams or by clicking on the help menu and documentation. Here is the Group Control documentation that should help for setting up users/groups while you are developing.

Command Line In Informatics we don't use the command line much but you will want to know basic commands to get around it. If you aren't comfortable with the command line make sure to do the codecademy COURSE.

Common Issues

  • Data not updating:
    Whenever we are making changes to the code, gulp watch needs to be running and building for the changes to show on your localhost.
    If your localhost still isn't showing the changes, you can do a hard refresh:
  • Windows: CTRL + Win + R

  • Mac: CTRL + CMD + R
    You can also open your dev tools, go to the Network tab, and check Disable Cache.

  • Localhost not loading:
    When using your localhost, Apache needs to be running. We run Apache through XAMPP using PHP, which allows you to see the apps on your localhost.

Dev Tools

You can open developer tools in any browser with F12 or by right-clicking and selecting Inspect.

  1. Elements: Shows the page’s HTML structure and applied CSS styles.
    Use Inspect Element and Toggle Device Toolbar (usually top left) to inspect a section of the page or change the screen size for mobile testing.

  2. Console: Displays error messages and warnings.
    Most warnings can be ignored while developing, as they are deprecations for future updates.
    Some known errors may appear normally in our apps and should be cleaned up over time.

  3. Network: Displays all files that are loading.
    Useful for measuring load times and viewing server data requests.

IDE (Visual Studio Code)

Integrated Development Environment (IDE):
You can use whatever code editor you prefer, but in Informatics we use Visual Studio Code.

Here’s a list of helpful extensions for Visual Studio Code:
Recommended Extensions

Database

Your database can be accessed here.
This is a web-based tool that lets us manage our databases with MySQL.
You can find your database login credentials in Passwords

For more information on how to use our database see here