Required software you will need to install

Before getting started on a Smile project, you will need to install a few items on your local computer.

1. Install the latest Node.js

You will need to install Node.js on your computer. You can download the latest version here. After the installation completes, verify that you have the npm command in your terminal program of choice. If you already have Node installed, verify that the version of Node.js is greater than or equal to 20.18.1. You can check your installed version by typing node -v.

2. Create a GitHub account if you haven't and install the command-line tool

You will also need a GitHub account (a free account is fine). Next, you will need to install the GitHub Command Line Interface (CLI). You can download it here using the installer or Homebrew. Finally, allow CLI access to your GitHub account by typing in your terminal:

gh auth login --web

3. Install a web browser (or two or three)

Install Safari, Chrome, Arc, and/or Firefox. You may want to install multiple browsers to try out your code in each of them. However, for developing/testing your code, Arc/Chrome is particularly recommended because of the wide range of available extensions.

4. Install VSCode, Vue Extension for VSCode, and Prettier

It is highly recommended that you use VS Code, the Vue extension, the Tailwind CSS IntelliSense, and the Prettier extension. These tools will help you write and debug your code more easily.