⚠️ WARNING

This guide assumes no prior knowledge and aims to help new Koha testers and developers on Linux get started using Koha Testing Docker and VSCode.

Don't forget to refer to the official Koha Testing Docker README too.

Windows users refer to Installing dependencies - Windows 🦾🤖

MacOS users refer to Installing dependencies - MacOS 🦾🤖

• Required software
  • Now Let's Bash some commands
  • Some basic commands
• Install Docker server
  • Some basic docker commands
• Install VSCode

Required software

• 💻 Terminal
• 🐳 Docker
• 🆚 VSCode

🔧 TIP

The terminal is an essential tool. Get used to entering commands and take note of the different parts that make up this command. command --flags argument

It's important to get comfortable with the command line interface because through the course of this guide you may need to open multiple shells or kind of like in Inception open up shells inside of shells. 🐰🕳️

Check out this excellent Command Line Bootcamp by Eric Phetteplace.

To get started we will use the termianl to run some commands. Enter the following commands at the prompt that looks like this:

user@machine:~$

~ is the path for the user's home directory.

$ indicates the begining of the command prompt. If you see commands in guides that include the $ remember not to include that in your commands.

Now Let's Bash some commands

Update the systems package manager and install upgrades to installed software. Depending on which Linux version you're running, apt might not be the correct command.

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

While you are doing this you might as well install Git too. You're gonna need it later.

sudo apt install git-all

Some basic commands

Show the path of your present working directory

pwd

/home/user/directory

Make a directory

mkdir myProject

cd myProject

You can also chain commands together if you like

mkdir myProject && cd myProject

List files in the current directory

ls

Install Docker server

🌈 INFO

Docker's Install Guide

Now when you launch the Terminal Docker will be available,

Some basic docker commands

Check Docker version

docker -v

Docker version 26.1.1, build 4cf5afa

List Docker images

docker image ls

In the future when you have ktd setup you will get something like this:

REPOSITORY          TAG       IMAGE ID       CREATED        SIZE
koha/koha-testing   main      cfd51aaa102f   13 days ago    4.06GB
memcached           <none>    ec8c94e66592   2 weeks ago    99.7MB
memcached           latest    a4274125721c   2 weeks ago    84.9MB
koha/koha-testing   <none>    f8f95851bfcb   2 weeks ago    4.05GB
koha/koha-testing   <none>    508d761224d7   2 weeks ago    4.05GB
memcached           <none>    10895cbae220   6 weeks ago    84.9MB
mariadb             10.5      c65b1e141932   3 months ago   394MB

Clean up old docker images

docker system prune -a

This will remove all unused containers, networks, images and optionally, volumes if specified with the -v flag. Useful for troubleshooting sometimes.

Install VSCode

🌈 INFO

VSCode's Install Guide

VSCode is a highly configureable text editor optimized for reading and writing code. It's pretty chill. ❄️

⌨️ TIP

non-clicky way

Launch VSCode

• Press Super key, type term and press Enter

cd $PROJECTS_DIR
code .

⌨️ TIP

non-clicky way

• crtl + shift + ~ Open a new terminal inside VSCode

• ctrl + pgup or pgdn Switch between terminals in VSCode

• ctrl + j Show or hide the terminal window in VSCode