[GSoC 2021] Student's guidelines/FAQ for Google summer of code 2021

Hey there, you’re here means you are interested in participating with us(Synfig-studio) in GSoC 2021 that’s awesome.
It’s easy to get overwhelmed so don’t worry we are here to help :smiley:
I’ll recommend you read the following so you already know most of the things

  1. Step zero is you read about what GSoC is? what is the eligibility criteria? timelines etc.
    I highly recommend that you go through the program website beforehand.
  1. Please introduce yourself on the forum first
    here → [GSoC 2021] Google Summer of Code 2021

and let us know about you, which idea you will be willing to work with.
Idea list for 2021 → Ideas List — Synfig developers docs documentation

  1. Ask for anything regarding the project on the forum. Most of the information is already there however you can also ask your silly doubt over here :wink:

  2. Done with step 1?

Welcome onboard!

I will recommend that you try to build Synfig from sources
Read this → https://synfig-docs-dev.readthedocs.io/en/latest/common/building.html
If you encounter any issues while building synfig on your machine let us know.

Note: It is recommended however not mandatory that you use a Linux based operating system for development as most people use them for development here.

You can set-up NetBeans IDE using these instructions → https://synfig-docs-dev.readthedocs.io/en/latest/common/Setting%20up%20netbeans%20IDE.html

PS: people do ask where is the _debug folder mentioned in docs?
You need to build Synfig from sources first before setting up IDE

Um… actually I missed it during writing the docs. And yes If you found anything confusing about the docs please feel free to ask or make a PR regarding your edit. (yes doc contribution is also important and will be counted as a valid contribution)

Also, read the contribution guidelines and you’re all set to rock!!

  1. After you are done with building do look for issues related to your project. In case you find none ask the respective Mentors (tag them use @)

Best of luck!

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Done with an introduction? Knows which project you will be working on? Read all the docs?

Awesome!!

After you are done with building synfig on your machine successfully you are now ready to code and do some action.

Did I mentioned you must know git?

If you’re not familiar with git/GitHub, we strongly recommend following a tutorial, such as this one as you will be using it over the course of few months in your GSoC journey.

What now?

You can always pick a good first issue from our issue tracker and start working on it.

DO NOT WORK ON ANY ISSUE WITHOUT ASSIGNMENT! If you do, someone else might work on it as well, and we might have no choice but to reject one of your Pull Requests. We hate it if someone’s time is wasted.

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Greetings @ankit ! Thank you for sharing all the GSoC guidelines and all the important points in this forum. I found all the links really helpful :slightly_smiling_face:.

Kindly tell me how to learn more about ETL as I am unable to find some good resources for the same which is for the project Move ETL library code to synfig-core .

( PS : Everytime i search about ETL , google keeps showing me STL :cry: )

Also do me a favour and Kindly recommend me some issues related to the same project as I am having difficulties in finding them so that I can get familiar with ETL itself.

Thanks and Regards :slightly_smiling_face: :pray:

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You may starting learn about ETL by reading the synfig source code: there’s an ETL folder :wink:
Looking the classes it declares, looking for some similarities or equivalencies to ‘modern’ C++ (C++11).

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@rodolforg Thank You for the tip :pray:. I will do it this way ! Kindly do me a favor and suggest me some issues related to the same and I will learn more about ETL by solving them as I was finding it quite difficult to find issues related to the same :cry:.

Thanks and regards :pray::blush:

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@dhairya_bahl From what I read on google stack exchange is a good resource to read more about ETL. I suggest you try that! :slight_smile:

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@riya1606 Thank You for the suggestion ! I will definitely try that :blush:

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Yep!Thank you for guiding so much . I am already trying to resolve the good first issues available in the synfig github . I am also going through synfig codebase for getting hands upon ETL. I have structured my idea for this project . Would be great if you guide me further through this !

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I wanted to work on some issues , but those were already assigned . Never the less , there is a lot to contribute and I am looking forward to exploring the issues so as to contribute to them.

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@ankit Kindly tell me if I can make more than one proposals for the same organization ?

The reason I am asking this is there is another project in the idea list i.e. Replacement of deprecated Gtk classes which I also find interesting ! So, I want to confirm if I can make two proposals for two ideas for same organization or I should I just stick to one project ?

Kindly confirm.

Thanks and Regards :pray:

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As per official FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions  |  Google Summer of Code  |  Google for Developers
Yes, each student may submit up to three proposals. However, only one per student may be accepted. No more than one proposal per student will be accepted, no matter how many proposals you submit.

So I believe you can. (However, what I personally suggest is to stick to a single idea given the proposal dates are approaching but if you think you can manage that then hell yeah!)

In case the issue you are looking into does have a PR attached to it and have discussion/comments older than a month you can always ask if someone else(or whoever is assigned to that issue) is currently working. If no one is working you will be assigned the issue

Cheers!

@ankit Understood ! I will try to stick at one project. Thank you for the suggestion :blush:

Regards

@ankit Kindly tell me when should we start submitting our draft proposals to respective project mentors ? I am asking because according to the gsoc timeline, students have to submit the final proposals from 30th march to 13th april .

Thanks and regards :slight_smile:

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Writing a proposal | Google Summer of Code Guides

You can submit your draft proposal on the official website(from what I remember they allow students to submit draft proposal well in advance) or you can share them with your respective mentors.
Since different mentors have different time availability I recommend start submitting at least 5 days earlier i.e 25 march so you can buy enough time for your pre-submission review/corrections.

ping @aradhana_kund @riya1606 FYI

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@ankit Thank You for the information :slight_smile: Till 25th, I will improve my proposal and make some more contributions to synfig.

Regards :slight_smile:
Happy Learning :pray:

Thank you so much , will definitely submit draft proposal by 25th

Hi everyone,

Just a gentle reminder that the proposal period starts in 2 days.
few points I would like to add:

  • Please use consistent font colour, size and type all over your proposal let’s keep it professional.
  • For the format please refer → https://summerofcode.withgoogle.com/organizations/5300949549056000/
  • How many pages?
    It depends there is no minimum or maximum page sizes or per section pages you have to include. For some it can be 12 pages for others it can be 21.
  • While making the proposal mention any past contribution to synfig. let us know what you worked upon slight_smile:
  • Also there is no minimum number of issues you must solve to submit the proposal however consistency and performance before and after the proposal will surely help you.
  • Please break down your task into sub-tasks and milestones mentioning timelines for those milestones.
  • Also mention “What is the bare minimum you wish to achieve at the end of this program?”
    When I say bare minimum I mean minimum milestones you believe you can achieve by end of the coding period.

Most important
Ask your mentors for help if you are stuck at any point or in case of any doubt!!

Cheers!

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All GSoC enthusiasts ! Applications are open Now :slight_smile:

@ice0 @ankit @rodolforg I was having a doubt that who will verify the proof of enrollment ? Will the organization verify that ? or GSoC themselves check and verify that ! and do we get a second chance if the document is rejected in the first try ?

Kindly confirm these points.
Thanks and regards :slight_smile:

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Google will do that

Yes, you will get a second chance.

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