GSoD Workspace: Reorganize the contributor guide of WasmEdge

Start by reviewing the existing documentation structure and content in the WasmEdge docs repository; the issue does not name specific files or tests. The work spans planning and writing a broad contributor guide, updating the Docusaurus site, and potentially adding search and other site improvements. Done means coordinating with mentors to publish the requested guide and documentation updates; the issue's progress notes are years old, so confirm what remains before starting.

Project

• Title: Reorganize the contributor guide of WasmEdge
• Description: This project aims to create a contributor guide for WasmEdge to help new contributors develop plug-ins. The project involves reviewing the existing documentation and creating new guides and references for the C, C++, and Rust plug-in SDKs. The project will also update the documentation on the new Docusarus-based site, wasmedge.org/docs/. The required content for the contributor guide includes an architectural overview, getting started with contributing, building WasmEdge, testing WasmEdge, fuzzing, building a plug-in, reporting an issue, and proposing a feature request.

Detailed Description:

• Review existing documentation: The first step is to review the existing contributor documentation to identify gaps and improvement areas. This will involve understanding the current documentation structure and content, identifying any outdated or irrelevant information, and making notes on what needs to be updated or added.
• Create an outline: Based on the review, create an outline for the new contributor guide. This outline should cover all the required content mentioned above, with clear headings and subheadings that make it easy for new contributors to navigate and find the information they need.
• Develop new guides and references: For each section of the outline, create new guides and references that provide clear, concise, and actionable information for new contributors. This will involve researching best practices for each topic, providing step-by-step instructions where necessary, and using clear language and visuals to make the information easy to understand.
• Update the documentation: Once the new guides and references are complete, update the documentation on the new Docusarus-based site, wasmedge.org/docs/. This will involve creating new pages for the contributor guide, linking to relevant sections of existing documentation, and making sure that the new content is integrated seamlessly with the existing site design and structure.
• New Features: Add a search field to the documentation through, https://docusaurus.io/docs/search such that users and visitors of the site can easily access the information that they need without going through the whole website.
• Test and refine: Finally, test the new contributor guide with a group of new contributors to identify any remaining issues or areas for improvement. This feedback can be used to refine the guide and make it as effective as possible for new contributors.

Overall, the key to tackling this problem is to focus on creating clear and actionable information that is easy for new contributors to understand and use. By taking a structured approach to review, outlining, developing, and testing the new contributor guide, it should be possible to create a valuable resource that helps WasmEdge attract and retain new contributors.

Project Details

• Contributor: @adithyaakrishna
• Mentor: @yiying, @juntao, @alabulei1

How does it help?

• Easier Project Management
• Clearer Communication
• Maintaining Consistency
• Easier Transfer of Knowledge
• Easier Project Evaluation

Milestones

• Setup basic CI and CD | Migrate to TS
• Upgrade Docusaurus and Add Workflows
• Add Linting Capabilites and Build Checks
• Add Netlify which requires mentors' admin permissions
• Gather Information and Expectations from Mentors
• Gather information from books site to be migrated to docs site
• Migrate books site to docs site.
• Improve SEO
• Remove Old Docs from https://github.com/WasmEdge/WasmEdge/tree/master/docs/book
• Gather content to be updated across the new docs site
• Work with mentors to add new content for the contribution guide
• Work with mentors to add new content to the docs site
• Add versioning capability to the project

Detailed Outline

• Review PRs related to Docs changes: Collaborate with reviewers to review and provide feedback on PRs related to documentation changes in the WasmEdge project.
• Theme customization: Change the overall theme of the Docusaurus site to align with the WasmEdge project colors, ensuring a consistent visual identity.
• Contribution Guide for WasmEdge projects: Collaborate with mentors to create a comprehensive contribution guide for WasmEdge projects. Include the following sections in the contribution guide:
  • Getting started with the project
  • Cloning/Forking the project
  • Local setup
  • Contribution workflow
  • Creating PRs and working on requested changes
  • Documenting new features
  • Testing and fuzzing
• Contributor Guide Outline:
  • Architectural overview
  • Getting started with contributing
  • Building WasmEdge
  • Testing WasmEdge
  • Fuzzing
  • Reporting an issue
  • Proposing a feature request
• Enhancements to Documentation:
  • Add a Bots page to inform users about the bots used in the WasmEdge community.
  • Incorporate screenshots and images to make the documentation more visually appealing, particularly in sections with lengthy text-based content.
  • Include flowcharts or architecture diagrams to enhance the visual clarity of the documentation.
  • Update the landing page to improve user understanding and navigation.
• Standardization and Compliance:
  • Add Contributing guides, License, and Code of Conduct to all WasmEdge projects, aligning them with CNCF Standards.
  • (Optional - Extended Scope) Add Interactive Video for the whole contributing flow.
• Netlify Setup and Streamlined Workflow: Work with mentors and reviewers to set up Netlify for deploy previews, enabling a streamlined process for merging MRs related to documentation changes. (@alabulei1 Would need your help with this)
• GitHub Actions and Automation:
  • Implement new GitHub actions to automate the labeling of PRs and issues, reducing the workload of maintainers.
  • Ensure that any content changes trigger the CI workflow, excluding the readme.md file.

Progress

• Pre-GSoD Tasks - Before May 10th 2023 - https://github.com/WasmEdge/docs/issues/93#issuecomment-1577926246
• GSoD Period - May 10th to May 22nd 2023 - https://github.com/WasmEdge/docs/issues/93#issuecomment-1577932620
• GSoD Period - May 23rd to June 10th 2023 - https://github.com/WasmEdge/docs/issues/93#issuecomment-1577932620
• GSoD Period - June 11th to June 27th - https://github.com/WasmEdge/docs/issues/93#issuecomment-1591563360
• GSoD Period - June 27th to July 10th - https://github.com/WasmEdge/docs/issues/93#issuecomment-1618866558