How to be Keeper (Tester)
Hello! Here we are going to explain how to test and review upcoming features, bugfixes and etc. Don't forget that testers do not only find bugs, but also give feedback. Feel free to share everything with us!
First, you need to make sure you have the current version of the mod on your desktop. You can learn how you can get it in This Manual. Remember how to switch branches and view PRs (Pull Requests), it's very important for Keepers to know this.
So, you have a GitHub account, the early version and you're ready for testing! Most likely, someone already requested your review. If it's not, ask developers where they need your review. You can check review requests in Pull requests > Review requests.
Here you can see Pull Requests where your review is needed. Clicking on them will open a PR (Pull Request). Do it!
The first comment (see the screenshot below) is the most important part. It explains all the changes and how to quickly test them. Respect your time! If the first comment isn't clear, write a comment on the PR asking for clarifications. Comment writing is available at the bottom of the PR page.
After the changes are clear to you - it's time to switch your branch to the branch of the PR. The branch name (see screenshot below) is mentioned right after the name of the PR itself.
Let's open Github Desktop and switch to a branch by selecting one in the list. Do not forget to Fetch and Pull the branch before testing by clicking on the Fetch or Pull button. Fetch means that Github checks for updates while Pull will download said update. It's extremely important to keep your local branch updated.
The preparations are finished. It's time to start the game and run the early version.
After testing, it's time to write your feedback and mention found bugs.
Let's open the page of the PR we're testing and notice a button called Add review.
It will move you to the page called Files changed. In addition to the Add review button, you can get here by clicking on Files changed on the main page of the PR.
So, what do we see here? First of all, the comment section and the 3 types of reviews: Comment, Request changes and Approve. Use Approve comment only if you think everything is balanced and unbuggy. Otherwise, leave either Comment (if it's a general feedback) or Request changes (if it's buggy or really unbalanced).
We strongly recommend you to check These Text Tricks. They will make communication with the developers easy and beautiful.
If you're experienced in modding, you can even check the files yourself. They're visible on the Files changed page. By clicking on + and dragging it down (if you want to select more than one line), you can mention the lines of code in your review.
That's all! If something isn't clear, DM Zumbak! Good luck with testing!