The CentOS Artwork Repository is supported by Subversion (http://subversion.tigris.org/), a version control system which allows you to keep old versions of files and directories (usually source code), keep a log of who, when, and why changes occurred, etc., like CVS, RCS or SCCS.  When using Subversion there is one source repository and many working copies of that source repository. The working copies are independent one another, can be distributed all around the world and provide a local place for designers, documentors, translators and programmers to perform their works in a descentralized way.  The source repository, on the other hand, provides a central place for all independent working copies to interchange data and the information required to permit extracting previous versions of files at any time.

Repository policy
-----------------

The CentOS Artwork Repository is a collaborative tool that anyone can have access to. However, changing that tool in any form is something that should be requested in centos-devel@centos.org mailing list.  Generally, people download working copies from CentOS Artwork Repository, study the repository organization, make some changes in their working copies, make some tests to verify such changes work the way expected and request access to commit them up to the CentOS Artwork Repository for others to benefit from them.

Once you've received access to commit your changes, there is no need for you to request permission again to commit other changes from your working copy to CentOS Artwork Repository as long as you behave as a good community citizen.

As a good community citizen one understand of a person whom respects the work already done for others and share ideas with authors before changing relevant parts of their work, specially in situations when the access required to realize those changes has been granted already. Of course, there is a time when conversation has taken place, the paths has been traced and changing the work is so obvious that there is no need to talk about it; that's because you already did, you already built the trust to keep going. Anyway, the mailing list mentioned above is available for sharing ideas in a way that good relationship between community citizens could be constantly balanced.

The relationship between community citizens is monitored by repository administrators. Repository administrators are responsible of granting everything goes the way it needs to go in order for the CentOS Artwork Repository to comply its mission which is: to provide a colaborative tool for The CentOS Community where The CentOS Project Corporate Identity is built and maintained from The CentOS Community itself.

It is also important to remember that all source files inside CentOS Artwork Repository should comply the terms of GNU General Public License in order for them to remain inside the repository. See file trunk/Scripts/COPYING (file:///home/centos/artwork/trunk/Scripts/COPYING), for a complete license description.

Repository organization
-----------------------

The CentOS Artwork Repository uses a trunk, branches, and tags organization.

trunk

     The trunk directory organizes the main development line of CentOS Artwork Repository. See Directories trunk, for more information.

branches

     The branches directory oranizes intermedaite development lines taken from the main development line.  See Directories branches, for more information.

tags

     The tags directory organizes frozen development lines taken from the main or the intermediate lines of development. See Directories tags, for more information.

Repository file names
---------------------

For name concistency in CentOS Artwork Repository, file names are all written in lowercase (01-welcome.png, splash.png, anaconda_header.png, etc.) and directory names are all written capitalized (e.g., Identity, Themes, Motifs, TreeFlower, etc.).

Repository work lines
---------------------

Inside CentOS Artwork Repository there are four major production work lines which are: graphic design, documentation, localization and automation.  These work lines describe different areas of content production. Content production inside these specific areas may vary as much as persons be working on them. Producing content in too many different ways may result innapropriate in a collaborative environment like CentOS Artwork Repository where content produced in one area depends somehow from content produced in another different area. To produce content in a syncronized but descentralized way, it is required to define a content production standard that lead everyone work in order for the content produced in each different work line to gear correctly once it is put together.

The standard way of producing content inside CentOS Artwork Repository is implemented through centos-art.sh script and described in trunk/Scripts documentation entry (see Directories trunk Scripts).

Graphic design
..............

The graphic design work line exists to cover brand design, typography design and theme design. Additionally, some auxiliar areas like icon design, illustration design for documentation, brushes design, patterns designs and definition of palettes of colors could be included here for completeness.

Inside CentOS Artwork Repository graphic design is performed through Inkscape (http://www.inkscape.org/) and GIMP (http://www.gimp.org/).  Inkscape is used to create and manipulate scalable vector graphics and export them to PNG format; it also provides a command-line interface that we use to perform massive exportation from SVG files to PNG files through automation scripts. On the other hand, GIMP is used to create and manipulate rastered images, create brushes, patterns and palettes of colors.

     Tip You can combine both Inkscape and GIMP specific functionalities and possibilities to produce very beautiful images.

Another area covered by graphic design is that related to visual manifestations The CentOS Project Corporate Identity is made of. Visual manifestations implement the corporate identity concepts by mean of images placed in key areas of their visual space.  To produce these images, we've decomposed image production in design models and artistic motifs.

Design models provide the structural information of images (i.e., dimension, position of common elements, translation markers, etc.) and they are generally produced as scalable vector graphics to take advantage of the inclusion feature supported by that standard which let us load different background images for the same design model changing path information. On the other hand, artistic motifs provide the visual style (i.e., the background information, the look and feel) and are generally produced as rastered images.

Design models are created for each visual manifestation the CentOS Project is made of. This way it is possible to describe the visual manifestation and provide a template system for it.

Artistic motifs are created with design models in mind, not the visual manifestation those design models are built for.

The result produced by combining one design model with one artistic motif is what we know as a theme. Inside themes directory structure (see Directories trunk Identity Themes), you can find several design models and several artistic motifs, apart one another, that can be albitrarily combined one another through theme rendition, a flexible way to produce images for different visual manifestations inside CentOS Artwork Repository. Inside themes directory structure, theme rendition is performed in trunk/Identity/Themes/Motifs directory structures and required design models are taken from trunk/Identity/Themes/Models directory structure.

In addition to theme rendition you can find direct rendition, another way of image production where there is no artistic motif at all but design models only. Direct rendition is very useful to produce simple content that doesn't need specific background information like brands, icons and illustrations.  Direct rendition takes place in trunk/Identity/Images and the required design models are taken from trunk/Identity/Models directory structure.

See Directories trunk Identity, for more information on graphic design.

Documentation
.............

The documentation work line exists to describe what each directory inside the CentOS Artwork Repository is for and how to produce content inside them.

The CentOS Artwork Repository documentation is supported by Texinfo, a documentation system that uses a single source file to produce both online information and printed output. The repository documentation is organized under trunk/Manual directory structure using repository directories as reference. Directories inside CentOS Artwork Repository are created based on conceptual idea, so one documentation entry exists for each directory inside the repository in order to describe the conceptual ideas such directory is based on.

Directory documentation entries are stored under trunk/Manual/Directories directory structure and controlled by the help functionality of centos-art.sh script. Using the help functionality you can create, edit and remove directory documentation in a way you don't need to take care of updating menus, nodes and cross reference information inside the manual structure; the functionality takes care of it for you. However, if you need to write repository documentation that have nothing to do with repository directories (e.g., Preface, Introduction and similar) you need to do it manually, there is no functionality to automate such process yet.

See Directories trunk Manual, for more information on documentation.

Localization
............

The localization work line exists to provide the translation messages required to produce content in different languages. Among these contents are: image files, documentation and automation scripts.

Most of localization tasks have been grouped inside the locale functionality of centos-art.sh script which make use of gettext and xml2po programs.

The procedure used to localize content is taken from gettext standard specification. Basically, translatable strings are retrived from source files in order to create Portable Objects and Machine Objects.  Portable Objects are editable files that contain the information used by translators to do their work. On the other hand, Machine Objects are produced to be machine-redable, as its name implies, and are produced from Portable Objects.

Since gettext needs to extract translatable strings form source files in order to let translators to localize them, the type of source files we can use inside the repository is limitted to the file types supported by gettext program. Most of the source files supported by gettext are those of programming languages like C, C++, Bash, Python and Perl just to mention a few ones from the long list of supported formats. However, formats like SVG, XHTML and Docbook don't figure as supported in the long list of gettext supported source files.

To translate XML based source files like SVG, XHTML and Docbook we use the xml2po program instead. This program comes with gnome-doc-utils package and reads one XML based file to extract translatable strings from it. As result it creates one Portable Object that is used by xml2po itself to create the translated XML based file with the same definition of the source file where translatable strings were taken from (e.g., if we extract translatable strings from a SVG file, as result we get the same SVG file but with translatable strings already localized ---obviously, for this to happen translators need to localize translatable strings inside the Portable Object first, localization won't appear as art of magic---). When using xml2po, the Machine Object file is used just temporally to produce the final translated XML based file.

     Tip If you want to have your content localized inside CentOS Artwork Repository be sure to use source files supported either by gettext or xml2po programs.

See Directories trunk Locales, for more information.

Automation
..........

The automation work line exists to standardize content production inside CentOS Artwork Repository. There is no need to type several tasks time after time if they can be programmed into just one script that groups them all.

The automation work line takes place under trunk/Scripts directory structure. Here is developed the centos-art.sh script, a bash script specially designed to automate most frequent tasks inside CentOS Artwork Repository. Basically, the centos-art.sh script is divided in several functionalities that perform specific tasks inside the repository. Such functionalities relay on repository organization to work as expected.

     Tip If you need to improve the way content is produced, look inside automation scripts and make your improvement there for everyone to benefit.

See Directories trunk Scripts, for more information on automation.

Connection between directories
------------------------------

In order to produce content correctly inside CentOS Artwork Repository, it is required that all work lines be connected somehow. This is the way automation scripts can know what design model and what translation files to use when specific contents are produced, also where to save the content produced as result.  This connection between directories takes place through two path constructions named The Master Paths and The Auxiliar Paths.

The master paths point to directories which contain the source files (e.g., SVG files) required to produce base content (e.g., PNG files). Each master path inside the repository has several auxiliar paths associated.

The auxiliar paths can point either to directories or files. When an auxiliar path points to a directory, that directory contains information that modifies somehow the content produced from the master path (e.g., through translation messages) or provides the output information of where to store the content produced from master path. When an auxiliar path points to a file, that file has no other purpose but document the master path it refers to.

The relation between auxiliar paths and master paths is realized taking one unique master path as reference.  Master paths define how auxiliar paths are constructed.  Master paths can have several auxiliar paths associated, but auxiliar paths can have only one master path associated.  For example, consider the following path relation and note how there are constant and variable values in them:

trunk/Identity/Models/Brands

     This directory contains source files (e.g., SVG, XCF, etc.) used to produce the brand images of The CentOS Project.

     Here is where you, as graphic designers, define design models used to produce the brand images of The CentOS Project.

     The path to this directory is considered a master path because it contains the most critical information (i.e., the information that can't be absent) required to produce the brand images of The CentOS Project.

trunk/Manual/Directories/trunk/Identity/Models/Brands.texi

     This file contains documentation, in Texinfo format, for design models used to produce the brand images of The CentOS Project. The path to this file is made of three parts:

                 A                         B                C
     |-----------------------|----------------------------|---|
     trunk/Manual/Directories/trunk/Identity/Models/Brands.texi
     |-----------------------|----------------------------|---|

     A = The documentation manual source location.
     B = The master path we are building documentation for.
     C = The file extension used by Texinfo documentation files.

     Here is where you, as documentor, describe construction of desing models used to produce the brand images of The CentOS Project. In this description you can include image dimensions, color information, image location inside CentOS Distribution filesystem, packaging and similar things.

     The path to this directory is considered auxiliar path of trunk/Identity/Models/Brands master path.

trunk/Locales/Identity/Models/Brands

     This directory contains translation files, as gettext portable objects, for design models used to produce the brand images of The CentOS Project. The path to this directory made of two parts:

           A                 B
     |------------|---------------------|
     trunk/Locales/Identity/Models/Brands
     |------------|---------------------|

     A = The translation messages source location.
     B = The master path we are building translation messages for.

     Here is where you, as translator, localize translatable strings retrived in English language from design models used to produce the brand images of The CentOS Project. If no portable object is found here the translation tasks are skipped to produce no translation at all, obviously there is no portable object to retrive translation messages from.

     The path to this directory is considered auxiliar path of trunk/Identity/Models/Brands master path.

trunk/Manual/Directories/trunk/Locales/Identity/Models/Brands.texi

     This file contains documentation, in Texinfo format, for translation messages retrived from design models used to produce brand images required by The CentOS Project. The path to this file is made of three parts:

                 A                              B                   C
     |-----------------------|------------------------------------|---|
     trunk/Manual/Directories/trunk/Locales/Identity/Models/Brands.texi
     |-----------------------|------------------------------------|---|

     A = The documentation manual source location.
     B = The master path we are building documentation for.
     C = The file extension used by Texinfo documentation files.

     Here is where you, as documentor, describe localization of those desing models used to produce brand images required by The CentOS Project. In this description you can include image dimensions, color information, image location inside the file system of CentOS Distribution, packaging and similar things.

     The path to this file is considered auxiliar path of trunk/Identity/Models/Brands master path.

trunk/Identity/Images/Brands

     This directory contains the final brand images produced from brand design models used by The CentOS Project.

     Here is where you, as packager, can find the brand images you need to rebrand the CentOS Distribution.

     The path to this directory is considered auxiliar path of trunk/Identity/Models/Brands master path.

trunk/Manual/Directories/trunk/Identity/Images/Brands.texi

     This file should contains documentation, in Texinfo format, about how to implement final brand images of The CentOS Project.  However, this documentation entry is rarely used because the related design model documentation entry already covers implementation of brand images. The only reason to create this documentation entry is to put in an admonition that redirect people up to the correct place (i.e., the related design model coumentation entry).

The configuration described above for organizing brand component inside the repository is the one used by direct rendition and can be used as reference to organize other components inside the repository that are produced through direct rendition too. Just change the component name from Brands to a different one without changing the path structure around it.

The file organization used by theme rendition, however, is a bit different from that used by direct rendition. In theme rendition, both the master paths and the auxiliar paths are built dynamically based on one design model and one artistic motif specified by you at rendition time.  As a mnemotechnic resource, you could consider theme rendition as two independent lists, one of design models and one of artistic motifs, which are arbitrary combined between themselves in order to render images in specific ways. For example, consider the organization used to produce Anaconda images; for CentOS distribution major release 5; using Default design models and version 3 of Flame artistic motif:

trunk/Identity/Themes/Models/Default/Distro/5/Anaconda

     This directory contains source files used to produce Anaconda images for CentOS distribution major release 5. This specific information has been named the Default design model. The path to this directory is made of three parts:

                   A                 B           C
     |---------------------------|-------|----------------|
     trunk/Identity/Themes/Models/Default/Distro/5/Anaconda
     |---------------------------|-------|----------------|

     A = The theme model source location.
     B = The theme model name.
     C = The visual manifestation the theme model is created for.

     Here is where you, as graphic designers, define Default design models for Anaconda images in major release 5 of CentOS distribution.

     The path to this directory is considered the master path because it contains the most critical information (i.e., the information that can't be absent) required to produce Anaconda images for major release 5 of CentOS distribution.

trunk/Manual/Directories/trunk/Identity/Themes/Models/Default/Distro/5/Anaconda.texi

     This file contains documentation, in Texinfo format, for Default design models used to produce the Anaconda images required by major release 5 of CentOS distribution.

                  A                                     B                             C
     |-----------------------|------------------------------------------------------|---|
     trunk/Manual/Directories/trunk/Identity/Themes/Models/Default/Distro/5/Anaconda.texi
     |-----------------------|------------------------------------------------------|---|

     A = The documentation manual source location.
     B = The master path we are building documentation for.
     C = The file extension used by Texinfo documentation files.

     Here is where you, as documentor, describe construction of Default design models used to produce the Anaconda images required by major release 5 of CentOS distribution. In this description you can include image dimensions, color information, image location inside the file system of CentOS distribution, packaging and similar things.

     The path to this directory is considered auxiliar path of trunk/Identity/Themes/Models/Default/Distro/5/Anaconda master path.

trunk/Locales/Identity/Themes/Models/Default/Distro/5/Anaconda

     This directory contains translation files, as gettext portable objects, for Default design models used to produce the Anaconda images used inside CentOS distribution major release 5.

     Here is where you, as translator, localize translatable strings retrived in English language from Default design models used to produce the Anaconda images of CentOS distribution major release 5 to your own language. If no portable object is found here, content is produced in English language.

     The path to this directory is considered auxiliar to trunk/Identity/Themes/Models/Default/Distro/5/Anaconda master path because provides the language-specific information required to produce Anaconda Default design models in different languages.

trunk/Manual/Directories/trunk/Locales/Identity/Themes/Models/Default/Distro/5/Anaconda.texi

     This file contains documentation, in Texinfo format, for translation messages retrived from Default design models used to produce the Anaconda images used inside CentOS distribution major release 5.

     Here is where you, as documentor, describe localization of Default desing models used to produce the Anaconda images used in CentOS distribution major release 5. In this description you can include image dimensions, color information, image location inside distribution filesystem, packaging and similar things.

     The path to this file is considered auxiliar to trunk/Identity/Themes/Models/Default/Distro/5/Anaconda master path because provides the language-specific information required to produce Anaconda Default design models in different languages.

     Each master path has its own auxiliar path to store their specific documentation and whatever the artistic motifs used to produce images be is somthing irrelevant.

trunk/Identity/Themes/Motifs/Flame/3/Distro/5/Anaconda

     This directory contains Anaconda final images produced from Anaconda Default design models used by CentOS distribution major release 5 and Flame 3 artistic motif.

     Here is where you, as packager, can find the images you need to rebrand Anaconda in CentOS distribution major release 5.

     The path to this directory is considered auxiliar to trunk/Identity/Themes/Models/Default/Distro/5/Anaconda master path because it provides the final images produced from Anaconda Default design models.

trunk/Manual/Directories/trunk/Identity/Themes/Motifs/Flame/3/Distro/5/Anaconda.texi

     This directory should contain documentation about how to implement Anaconda component in CentOS distribution major release 5 would be. However, since all artistic motifs are produced based on one design model (trunk/Identity/Themes/Models/Default/Distro/5/Anaconda, in this case) we may end up duplicating the same documentation in all artistic motifs documentation entries and there is no need of that.

     To avoid duplicating information, all documentation related to theme components like Anaconda is put in design model documentation entires (trunk/Manual/Directories/trunk/Locales/Identity/Themes/Models/Default/Distro/5/Anaconda.texi in this case).  The only reason to create documentation entries inside artistic motifs is to put a redirection admonition to link design model related information.

The Anaconda component is part of CentOS Distribution visual manifestation. Inside CentOS Distribution visual manifestation there are other components Syslinux, Grub, Rhgb, Gdm, Kdm, Gsplash and Ksplash that share a similar file organization to that described for Anaconda component. The way each of these components is produced is described in their own documentation entry.

When one master path is changed, it is required to change the related auxiliar path related to it, too. This is required in order for master paths to retain their relation with their auxiliar paths. This way, automation script are able to know where to retrive translation messages, where to store final output images and where to look for documentation. If relation between master paths and auxiliar paths is lost, there is no way for automation scripts to know where to retrive the information required by for task automation.

The auxiliar paths should never be modified under no reason but to satisfy the relation to their master paths.  Liberal change of auxiliar paths may suppress the conceptual idea they were initially created for; and certainly, things may stop working the way they should.

Syncronizing path information
-----------------------------

The master and auxiliar paths concept is very useful to keep repository organized but introduce some complications.  For instance, consider what would happen to functionalities like help, that rely on master paths to create documentation entries, through auxiliar paths, if one of those master paths suddenly change after the documentation entry has been already created for it?

In such cases, functionalities like help may confuse themselves if path information is not updated to reflect the appropriate path relation.  Such functionalities work with master paths as reference; if a master path is changed, the functionalities won't even note it because they work with the last master path available in the repository, no matter what it is.

In the specific case of documentation (the help functionality), the problem mentioned above provokes that older master paths, already documented, remain inside documentation directory structures as long as you get your hands into the documentation directory structure (trunk/Manual) and change what must be changed to match the new master path information.

There is no immediate way for help and similar functionalities that use master paths as reference, to know when and how the path information is changed inside the repository. Such information is available only when files or directories are moved in the repository. So, is there, at the moment of moving files, when we need to syncronize paths information between master paths and auxiliar paths and rename old paths to new paths inside all the files which includes them (e.g., scalalble vector graphics, documentation files and translation files files) and commit everything to keep the central repository up to date.

     Warning Even Subversion can perform some operations using URLs, there is not support for URLs inside centos-art.sh script.  The centos-art.sh script is designed to work with local files inside the working copy only. If you need to work on URLs directly, use Subversion command-line interface instead of centos-art.sh script.

File movement inside the repository is considered a repository change and it should be recorded as such. In order for this to happen, we need to add directories and files into the version control system to make them part of it, commit them, perform the file movement using version control system commands and finally commit all files related in the operation. This configuration makes possible for everyone to know about changes details inside the repository; and if needed, revert or update them back to a previous revision.

Once all path information has been updated in the filesystem, it is time to update path information inside all the files involved in the operation. Considere what would happen to documentation entries defined in the documentation manual when the target locations they point to are removed from filesystem. Certainly, that would make Texinfo to produce an error message when documentation manual is exported to output files. Something similar could happen to scalable vector graphics that include artistic motifs background images and translation messages with path information inside.

So, in order to keep path information syncronized, the centos-art.sh script needs to know when such changes happen, in a way they could be noted and handled without producing errors (e.g., replacing old path information to new path information inside all the files that may include any kind of path information inside).

Extending repository organization
---------------------------------

Occasionly, you may find that new corporate visual identity components need to be added to the repository. If that is your case, the first question you need to ask yourself, before start to create directories blindly all over, is: What is the right place to store it?

The best place to find answers is in The CentOS Community (see page http://wiki.centos.org/GettingHelp), but going there with hands empty is not good idea. It may give the impression you don't really care about. Instead, consider the following suggestions to find your own comprehension in order to make your own propositions based on it.

The best advice we probably could offer you, when extending respository structure, is to bear in mind The CentOS Project Corporate Identity Structure (see Directories trunk Identity). The rest is just matter of choosing appropriate names.

To illustrate this desition process let's consider the trunk/Identity/Themes/Motifs/TreeFlower directory structure as example.  It can be read as: the trunk development line of TreeFlower artistic motif; artistic motifs are part of themes; and themes part of CentOS corporate visual identity.

When building parent directory structures, you may find that reaching an acceptable location may take some time, and as it uses to happen most of time; once you've find one, that may be not a definite solution.  There are many concepts you need to play with, in order to find a result that match the conceptual idea you try to implement in the new directory structure. To know which these concepts are, split directory structures and read their documentation entry from less specific to more specific.  The concepts used in trunk/Identity/Themes/Distro/Motifs/TreeFlower directory structure are described in the following documentation entries, respectively:

centos-art help --read turnk
centos-art help --read turnk/Identity
centos-art help --read turnk/Identity/Themes
centos-art help --read turnk/Identity/Themes/Motifs
centos-art help --read turnk/Identity/Themes/Motifs/TreeFlower

The trunk/Identity/Themes/Motifs/TreeFlower location has evolved through several months of contant work and there is no certain it won't change in the future, even it fixes quite well the concept we are trying to implement.  Other location concepts can be found in the same way described above, just change the directory structure to the one you are trying to know concepts for.