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Make Your First Edit

Ready to make your first contribution? This guide will walk you through editing a file directly in your web browser - no special software needed!

What You'll Do

We'll make a simple change to practice the process. Don't worry about breaking anything - there are safeguards in place.

Step 1: Choose a File to Edit

For your first edit, let's improve a page that already exists:

  1. Go to the project homepage on Gitea
  2. Navigate to mkdocs → docs
  3. Find a page you'd like to improve (maybe faq.md or create a small edit to any .md file)

Step 2: Open the Editor

  1. Click on the file you want to edit
  2. Look for the pencil icon (✏️) and click it
  3. You're now in the web editor!

Step 3: Understand Markdown

The files use "Markdown" - a simple way to format text. Here are the basics:

# This is a big heading
## This is a smaller heading
**This text is bold**
*This text is italic*
- This is a bullet point
[This is a link](https://example.com)

Step 4: Make Your Edit

Let's practice with a small change:

  1. Find a paragraph you want to improve
  2. Make a simple edit like:
  3. Fix a typo
  4. Add a sentence
  5. Improve wording
  6. Don't make huge changes for your first edit - keep it simple!

Step 5: Preview Your Changes

  1. Click the "Preview" tab to see how your changes will look
  2. Switch back to "Edit" if you want to make more changes
  3. Review your work carefully

Step 6: Save Your Changes

At the bottom of the page, you'll see a "Commit Changes" section:

  1. Commit message: Write a brief description of what you changed
  2. Good: "Fixed typo in FAQ section"
  3. Good: "Added information about voting rights"

  4. Not helpful: "Updated file"

  5. Choose commit type:

  6. Select "Create a new branch for this commit and start a pull request"

  7. This lets others review your changes before they go live

  8. Click "Propose Changes"

Step 7: Create Your Pull Request

After clicking "Propose Changes":

  1. You'll see a "Pull Request" form
  2. Add a title that describes your change
  3. In the description, explain why you made the change
  4. Click "Create Pull Request"

Congratulations! You've submitted your first contribution!

What Happens Next?

  • A team member will review your changes
  • They might suggest improvements or ask questions
  • Once approved, your changes will appear on the live website
  • You'll get notified by email about any updates

What's Next?

Now that you've made your first edit, learn more about Git Basics to understand what just happened behind the scenes.

Video Tutorial

[Administrator: Add a video tutorial showing the complete process of making an edit through the web interface]

Troubleshooting

Can't find the pencil icon? Make sure you're viewing a file (not a folder) and that you're logged in.

Preview looks wrong? Check your Markdown syntax - missing spaces or symbols can cause formatting issues.

Nervous about breaking something? Don't worry! Your changes won't go live until they're reviewed and approved.