02 Working on the data

Files and File-format

The authoritative data is in the comma-separated-values (.csv) spreadsheets in the /data folder.

You can edit these directly in the browser in gitHub (good for quick fixes) or in the spreadsheet application of your choice. However, to ensure that non-roman data remains readable.

!!! The csv files must: !!!

• be stored in UTF-8 encoding,
• and use commas as separators

That also means you should avoid using , when inputting data.

Issues and Branches

Please help everyone involved to keep the work flowing smoothly. Before creating a new working branch, check the names of other open branches to see if somebody is already doing what you were planning to do. In return, adapt a sensible name for your branch so other can see what you are doing, without having to check your files. If you want to, e.g. input 50 more placenames into the place table. Checkout a branch and give it a meaningful name, such as:

places-P0150-P0199

Secondly, if you notice that something will need to get done, but you can't do it right away. Open an issue describing what needs to get done. You can assign yourself or someone to take on an issue. This makes it even more visible who is working on what. It is also a great way to assign a more senior team member to a task, that you feel ill-equipped to deal with. To show that your work is connected to a certain task simply add the following to a commit message:

see #[issue-number]

You can do the same from the comments section of a pull-request. If you have solved an issue the keyword becomes:

close #[issue-number]

This will automatically close the issue once the change is merged into the master branch.