View source for Thunderbird/Documentation/GettingStartedDocs

= Thunderbird Knowledge Base  =

== Prerequisites ==

Before you start: 

* Install the latest [http://www.mozilla.org/thunderbird/all-beta.html beta version of Thunderbird].
** You can either set up a new, "throwaway" email account to use with Thunderbird, or you can use one or more of your own accounts.
** If you use a real email account, keep in mind that you are using a beta version of Thunderbird which may have serious bugs. (The betas are usually pretty solid but there are no guarantees.) See the Knowledge Base for instructions on [http://support.mozillamessaging.com/kb/Profiles finding and backing up your Thunderbird profile] (which will also back up your messages).

* Set up a screen capture and annotation mechanism. [http://skitch.com/ Skitch] (Mac) is  a free desktop application. Alternatively, you can take screenshots using the operating system or pre-installed software  (for example, Windows Vista and Windows 7 come with a screen capture utility) and then edit the screenshot using an online editor like [http://www.picnik.com/app#/home/welcome Piknik] or [http://pixlr.com/editor/ Pixlr].

* Create an account on the [http://support.mozillamessaging.com/ Thunderbird Knowledge Base].

* Play around with [http://support.mozillamessaging.com/kb/new creating a new article]. Don't worry about making a mistake, and feel free to save it. It won't be visible on the site until approved by an editor.
** Look at other articles to learn from examples.
** Try to get a general sense of what material is already covered on the site, so you know when there might be existing material related to the topic you are writing about. 
*** [http://support.mozillamessaging.com/en-US/kb/category/20 list of how-to articles]
*** [http://support.mozillamessaging.com/en-US/kb/category/10 list of troubleshooting articles]

== Guides and references ==

* [http://support.mozillamessaging.com/kb/how-write-knowledge-base-articles style guide]
* [http://support.mozillamessaging.com/kb/markup markup guide]

== Process  ==

* Pick a topic from the [http://support.mozillamessaging.com/forums/knowledge-base-articles Knowledge Base Articles] forum. (Ask jenzed if you need help deciding on an article.) The thread titles usually include information about the status (for example "[DONE]" or "[In Progress]").
* Add "[In Progress]" to the thread title.
* [http://support.mozillamessaging.com/kb/new Write the article].
* The article will be put in the review queue and jenzed will get an email notification. If you'd like a review done right away, email her at jzickerman @ mozilla.com or ping her in IRC (described below).
* When the article is approved and live, change "[In Progress]" to the thread title to "[DONE]".

=== Description of article fields ===

* '''Title''': self-explanatory
* '''Slug''': becomes the article URL; automatically generated from the Title field
* '''Category''': either "Troubleshooting" or "How to"
* '''Allow translations''': leave checked
* '''Relevant to''': leave "Thunderbird" checked
* '''Topics''': not used; leave blank
* '''Allow discussion...?''': leave checked
* '''Keywords''': enter relevant keywords
* '''Search result summary''': one or two sentences that will be displayed in the search results
* '''Content''': the content of the article

== How to communicate with the team  ==

* The Thunderbird team hangs out in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IRC Internet Relay Chat (IRC)]. There are many [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_Internet_Relay_Chat_clients IRC clients] available. Popular free clients include [http://chatzilla.hacksrus.com/ Chatzilla] (all platforms, runs as a Firefox add-on) and [http://colloquy.info/ Colloquy] (Mac). 
** Connection: server = irc.mozilla.org, channels = vancouver, maildev, tb-support-crew; look for jenzed or rolandtanglao.
** Don't feel obligated to join IRC - it's not necessary

= Thunderbird Developer Documentation =

== Add-ons ==

== Core ==