QUICK-START.md

Quick Start Guide

A concise guide to get you started with the Project Notes repository structure.

📋 For New Projects

Step 1: Choose a Category

Place your project in the appropriate category:

Category	Path	Use For
Electronics	01 Electronics/	Hardware, IoT, embedded systems
Web	02 Web Based/	Web apps, websites, APIs
Linux	03 Linux/	Linux tools, configurations
AI & ML	04 AI & ML/	Machine learning, AI projects
Robotics	05 Robotics/	Robotics projects
Others	06 Others/	Miscellaneous projects
Software	07 Software/	General software, CLI tools

Step 2: Create Project Directory

# Navigate to category
cd "01 Electronics"  # or your category

# Create project directory (use Title Case)
mkdir "Your Project Name"
cd "Your Project Name"

Step 3: Use a Template

Copy the appropriate template:

# For Electronics
cp ../../templates/Electronics-Project-Template.md "Your Project Name.md"

# For Web
cp ../../templates/Web-Project-Template.md "Your Project Name.md"

# For AI/ML
cp ../../templates/AI-ML-Project-Template.md "Your Project Name.md"

# For Software
cp ../../templates/Software-Project-Template.md "Your Project Name.md"

Step 4: Create Directory Structure

# Basic structure
mkdir -p attachments/images
mkdir -p attachments/diagrams
mkdir -p code  # if you have code

# For versions (optional)
mkdir -p versions

Step 5: Update Frontmatter

Edit your project file and update the frontmatter:

---
id: Your_Project_Name  # Use underscores, no spaces
tags:
  - project
  - electronics  # or website, ai, ml, linux, robotics, software
dg-publish: true
---

Step 6: Start Documenting!

Fill in the sections as you work on your project:

1. Overview - What is it?
2. Objectives - What are you trying to achieve?
3. Technical Details - How does it work?
4. Implementation - How did you build it?
5. Add images, diagrams, code as you go

📝 Quick Reference

Naming Conventions

✅ Good:

• Project directories: Solar Battery Monitor
• Files: Solar Battery Monitor.md
• Images: circuit-diagram-v2.png

❌ Bad:

• solar_battery_monitor (use spaces, not underscores)
• SolarBatteryMonitor (not CamelCase)
• IMG_1234.png (not descriptive)

Required Tags

Always include these tags in frontmatter:

tags:
  - project           # REQUIRED for all projects
  - [category]        # electronics, website, ai, ml, etc.
  - [custom tags]     # Optional: add more descriptive tags

File Organization

Your Project/
├── Your Project.md           # Main documentation
├── attachments/
│   ├── images/              # Photos, screenshots
│   ├── diagrams/            # Excalidraw, draw.io files
│   └── docs/                # PDFs, datasheets, bills
├── code/                    # Source code (if applicable)
│   ├── firmware/            # For electronics
│   ├── frontend/            # For web
│   └── backend/             # For web
└── versions/                # Version history (optional)

🎯 Essential Sections

Minimum Required Sections

Every project should have at least:

1. Frontmatter - Metadata (id, tags)
2. Title - # Project Name
3. Overview - Brief description
4. Technical Details - Components/tech stack
5. Resources - Links and references

Recommended Sections

Add these for complete documentation:

6. Objectives - Goals and requirements
7. Implementation - How you built it
8. Challenges & Solutions - Problems faced
9. Future Improvements - Enhancement ideas
10. Photos/Screenshots - Visual documentation

🖼️ Adding Images

In Obsidian

![[image-name.png]]
![[diagram.excalidraw.md]]

Standard Markdown

![Description](attachments/images/image-name.png)

Where to Store

• Photos/Screenshots → attachments/images/
• Diagrams → attachments/diagrams/
• Documents → attachments/docs/

🔗 Linking Projects

Link to Other Projects

See also: [[Related Project Name]]
Based on: [[Earlier Project]]

Link to Resources

[External Link](https://example.com)
[Datasheet](attachments/docs/datasheet.pdf)

📊 For Obsidian Users

Install Recommended Plugins

1. Dataview - For dynamic queries
2. Excalidraw - For diagrams
3. Tasks - For task management

Use Dataview Queries

List all projects in a category:

TABLE file.name as "Project", file.mtime as "Last Modified"
FROM #project and #electronics
SORT file.mtime DESC

🚀 Quick Commands

# Check what category you're in
pwd

# List all projects in current category
ls -1

# Create basic structure
mkdir -p "New Project"/{attachments/{images,diagrams,docs},code,versions}

# Copy template
cp ../../templates/Electronics-Project-Template.md "New Project/New Project.md"

# Open in Obsidian (if installed)
open "New Project/New Project.md"

💡 Tips

1. Start Simple: Don't try to fill everything at once
2. Document as You Go: Update while building
3. Use Checklists: Track your progress
4. Add Visuals: Pictures are worth 1000 words
5. Link Related Content: Connect related projects
6. Update Regularly: Keep documentation current

📚 Common Patterns

For Electronics Projects

Must include:

• Block diagram
• Component list
• Circuit explanation
• Code (if applicable)

For Web Projects

Must include:

• Tech stack
• Setup instructions
• Screenshots
• Deployment info

For AI/ML Projects

Must include:

• Dataset description
• Model architecture
• Training results
• Evaluation metrics

For Software Projects

Must include:

• Installation instructions
• Usage examples
• Configuration options
• API docs (if library)

🆘 Common Issues

Issue: Don't know where to start

Solution:

1. Choose closest template
2. Fill in Overview first
3. Add sections as needed

Issue: Template has too many sections

Solution:

• Remove sections you don't need
• Mark others as "TBD" to fill later

Issue: Project doesn't fit any category

Solution:

• Put in 06 Others/ or closest match
• Tag appropriately for search

📖 Full Documentation

For detailed information, see:

• README.md - Repository overview
• STRUCTURE.md - Detailed structure guidelines
• CONTRIBUTING.md - How to contribute
• templates/ - Project templates

🎬 Example Workflow

Here's a complete example of starting a new electronics project:

# 1. Navigate to category
cd "01 Electronics"

# 2. Create project
mkdir "LED Cube"
cd "LED Cube"

# 3. Create structure
mkdir -p attachments/{images,diagrams} code

# 4. Copy template
cp ../../templates/Electronics-Project-Template.md "LED Cube.md"

# 5. Edit the file
# - Update frontmatter (id: LED_Cube, tags: project, electronics)
# - Fill in Overview: "An 8x8x8 LED cube display"
# - List Objectives
# - Add component list as you go
# - Document build process
# - Add photos to attachments/images/
# - Add circuit diagrams to attachments/diagrams/

# 6. As you code, add files to code/
# code/led-cube.ino

# 7. Update documentation regularly

✅ Checklist for New Project

Use this checklist when starting a new project:

• Choose appropriate category
• Create project directory (Title Case)
• Create subdirectories (attachments, code, etc.)
• Copy appropriate template
• Update frontmatter (id, tags)
• Write overview section
• List objectives/goals
• Document as you build
• Add images and diagrams
• Include code/snippets
• Document challenges faced
• List resources used
• Link to related projects
• Update project index if needed

🤝 Need Help?

• Check existing projects for examples
• Read STRUCTURE.md for details
• Look at templates in templates/ directory
• Open an issue if you have questions

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Remember: The goal is documentation that helps you and others understand the project. Don't stress about perfection - start simple and improve over time!

Last Updated: 2025-10-23