If you have write access to DialogueMaker/plugin, skip to the next step. If you don't, you're going to have to fork the repository. This essentially creates a sandbox environment for you to make your changes without affecting others.
This repository use a git submodule to include the Dialogue Maker Client script in the plugin. This helps if you want to make quick edits to how that script works while also giving you control over the plugin code.
In this case, you should recursively clone the repository using the terminal or your favorite code editor.
Move to a comfortable folder where you can put your repositories, then run this command in your terminal after replacing <REPOSITORY_NAME> and <REPOSITORY_OWNER>.
git clone --recurse-submodules -j8 git://github.com/<REPOSITORY_OWNER>/<REPOSITORY_NAME>.git
This should create a folder for you.
If you're using Visual Studio Code, open the Command Palette (CTRL+SHIFT+P or CMD+SHIFT+P) and press the "Git: Clone (Recursive)" option.
Select "Clone from GitHub".
Select your repository. If you don't have write access to DialogueMaker/plugin, you need to select a fork.
After you select the repository, your file explorer should open for you to choose a place to put your repository.
Tip
If the DialogueClientScript directory shows up empty after cloning the repository, open the terminal in the folder and run this command to populate the DialogueClientScript:
git submodule update --init --recursiveYou may need to run this again later. Submodules are kinda quirky.
To develop with the plugin, you'll have to install some third-party tools. First up, pesde: This is used for installing packzages that the plugin uses, such as Rojo and React Lua. It's also used to install packages that the client uses. Be sure to use v0.7.0-rc3 or above because earlier versions of pesde require admin access. You can learn more about pesde here on their website.
After installing pesde, you can run the following command to install the remaining tools:
pesde installThe Rojo Roblox Studio plugin is used to sync your changes between your code editor and Roblox Studio.
rojo plugin installIf you have the Rojo extension, you can add the Roblox Studio plugin using the GUI.
After installing the tools, you should be able to use Rojo. Serve development.project.json to develop with the plugin.
rojo serve development.project.jsonWarning
You may have an issue with closing and re-opening the server normally with Rojo's extension. Consider using the terminal for the time being.
Save DialoguePluginScript as a local plugin on Roblox Studio to test your changes. You need to do this every time you save changes to the code.
Remember to regularly commit your changes with meaningful messages. This will help you remember what you did, and help others do the same.
Whenever you're ready, make a pull request from your local repository to the DialogueMaker/plugin repository. Mark it as a draft if you aren't finished with it.
Documentation writers: Christian Toney