Getting Started with LATTS Development

A guide for new team members to set up their development environment and understand our workflows.

Overview

Welcome to LATTS! This guide will help you get set up with our development environment and familiarize you with our team workflows.

Prerequisites

Access to the LATTS GitHub organization
A computer with admin privileges for software installation
Basic familiarity with Git and command line tools

Development Environment Setup

1. Install Required Tools

Git

# On macOS
brew install git

# On Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt-get install git

# On Windows
# Download from https://git-scm.com/download/win

Node.js and npm

# Install Node.js LTS version from https://nodejs.org
# Verify installation
node --version
npm --version

Visual Studio Code (Recommended)

Download from https://code.visualstudio.com/
Install recommended extensions:
- GitLens
- Prettier
- ESLint

2. Clone Team Repositories

# Clone this documentation repo
git clone https://github.com/latts-ie/wiki-internal.git

# Clone other team repositories as needed
# (specific repos will be shared by your team lead)

3. Set Up SSH Keys

Generate an SSH key if you don’t have one:

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your-email@latts.ie"

Add the key to your GitHub account:
- Copy the public key: cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub
- Go to GitHub Settings → SSH and GPG keys
- Click “New SSH key” and paste your public key

Team Workflows

Code Review Process

Create feature branches from main
Make your changes with clear, descriptive commits
Open a pull request with a detailed description
Request review from at least one team member
Address feedback and merge when approved

Communication Channels

Slack: Daily communication and quick questions
GitHub Issues: Bug reports and feature requests
Pull Requests: Code reviews and technical discussions
Team Meetings: Weekly sync-ups and planning

Documentation Updates

Update relevant documentation when making changes
Use this internal wiki for team-specific procedures
Keep README files up-to-date in individual repositories

Next Steps

Join the team Slack workspace
Attend the next team meeting
Review existing projects and ask questions
Set up 1-on-1 meetings with key team members

Troubleshooting

Git push fails with permission denied

Verify your SSH key is added to GitHub
Check that you’re using the SSH URL for the repository

npm install fails

Clear npm cache: npm cache clean --force
Delete node_modules and package-lock.json, then retry

Need help with a specific tool or process?

Check the Tools documentation
Ask in the team Slack channel
Schedule time with a team member for pairing