# Integration Guide - Technical Writing Expansion Pack How to integrate the Technical Writing Expansion Pack with BMad core, other expansion packs, and development tools. ## BMad Core Integration ### When to Use Technical Writing vs Core Agents **Use Technical Writing Expansion**: - Writing technical books with code examples - Creating tutorial-based content - Need publisher-specific formatting - Require learning objectives and pedagogical structure **Use BMad Core**: - Software project planning (PRD, architecture) - Application development (coding, testing, deployment) - Non-book technical documentation **Use Both Together**: - Writing a book about your software product - Creating comprehensive documentation for your project ### Workflow Combination Example **Scenario**: Writing a technical book about your software product ``` 1. BMad Core: PM creates PRD for software 2. BMad Core: Architect designs system 3. BMad Core: Dev builds product 4. Technical Writing: Instructional Designer creates book outline 5. Technical Writing: Tutorial Architect writes chapters about the product 6. Technical Writing: Code Curator uses actual product code as examples 7. Technical Writing: Book Publisher prepares manuscript ``` ### Agent Coordination **PM (Core) → Instructional Designer (TW)**: - PM's product requirements inform book learning objectives - User stories become tutorial sections **Architect (Core) → Tutorial Architect (TW)**: - Architecture diagrams become book visuals - System design informs chapter structure **Dev (Core) → Code Curator (TW)**: - Product code becomes book examples - Tests become tutorial verification --- ## Multi-Expansion Usage ### Technical Writing + Creative Writing **Use Case**: Fiction with technical appendices, or technical books with narrative elements **Example**: - Creative Writing agents for engaging story-based introductions - Technical Writing agents for code examples and tutorials - Both expansions for mixed-format content **Workflow**: ``` 1. Creative Writing: Narrative Designer creates engaging scenarios 2. Technical Writing: Tutorial Architect builds tutorials using scenarios 3. Creative Writing: Beta Reader reviews narrative flow 4. Technical Writing: Technical Reviewer validates code ``` ### Technical Writing + Infrastructure **Use Case**: DevOps and cloud infrastructure books **Example**: - Infrastructure agents for cloud architecture examples - Technical Writing agents for tutorial structure and publishing **Workflow**: ``` 1. Infrastructure: Platform Engineer creates deployment examples 2. Technical Writing: Code Curator integrates infrastructure code 3. Technical Writing: Tutorial Architect explains deployment processes 4. Infrastructure: DevOps specialist validates configurations ``` --- ## Git Integration ### Managing Book Manuscripts in Git **Recommended Structure**: ``` my-technical-book/ ├── .git/ ├── .bmad-core/ │ └── core-config.yaml ├── docs/ │ ├── planning/ │ │ ├── book-outline.md │ │ └── chapter-outlines/ │ ├── sections/ │ │ ├── chapter-01/ │ │ │ ├── section-1.1.md │ │ │ └── section-1.2.md │ │ └── chapter-02/ │ ├── chapters/ │ │ ├── chapter-01.md │ │ └── chapter-02.md │ └── reviews/ ├── code-examples/ │ ├── chapter-01/ │ └── chapter-02/ └── README.md ``` ### Branch Strategies **Feature Branch per Chapter**: ```bash git checkout -b chapter-03-dictionaries # Develop chapter 3 git commit -m "feat: complete section 3.1" git commit -m "feat: complete section 3.2" git checkout main git merge chapter-03-dictionaries ``` **Section-Based Commits**: ```bash # Commit after each section completes git add docs/sections/chapter-01/section-1.1.md git commit -m "feat(ch01): complete section 1.1 - Lists Introduction" git add code-examples/chapter-01/section-1.1/ git commit -m "feat(ch01): add code examples for section 1.1" ``` ### Collaboration Workflows **Multiple Authors**: ```bash # Author 1: Chapters 1-5 git checkout -b author1/chapters-1-5 # Author 2: Chapters 6-10 git checkout -b author2/chapters-6-10 # Merge completed chapters git checkout main git merge author1/chapters-1-5 git merge author2/chapters-6-10 ``` --- ## CI/CD Integration ### Automated Testing of Code Examples **GitHub Actions Example**: ```yaml name: Test Code Examples on: push: paths: - 'code-examples/**' jobs: test: runs-on: ubuntu-latest steps: - uses: actions/checkout@v2 - name: Set up Python uses: actions/setup-python@v2 with: python-version: '3.10' - name: Test Chapter 1 Examples run: | cd code-examples/chapter-01 pytest -v - name: Test Chapter 2 Examples run: | cd code-examples/chapter-02 pytest -v ``` ### Continuous Deployment to Leanpub **Auto-publish on merge**: ```yaml name: Publish to Leanpub on: push: branches: - main jobs: publish: runs-on: ubuntu-latest steps: - uses: actions/checkout@v2 - name: Trigger Leanpub Build run: | curl -d "api_key=${{ secrets.LEANPUB_API_KEY }}" \ https://leanpub.com/your-book/preview.json ``` --- ## Tool Integration ### Markdown Editors **VS Code**: - Markdown All in One extension - Markdown Preview Enhanced - Code Spell Checker **Typora**: - WYSIWYG markdown editing - Export to multiple formats - Math equation support ### Diagram Tools **Mermaid**: ```markdown ```mermaid graph TD A[Start] --> B[Process] B --> C[End] ``` ``` **PlantUML**: - UML diagrams - Sequence diagrams - Class diagrams ### Screenshot Tools **Snagit**: - Screen capture - Annotations - Video capture **macOS Built-in**: - Cmd+Shift+4 for selection - Cmd+Shift+5 for options ### Code Repository Hosting **GitHub**: - Host book code examples - CI/CD integration - Issue tracking **GitLab**: - Built-in CI/CD - Container registry - Pages for previews --- ## Integration Examples ### Example 1: Technical Book About Your Product **Tools**: - BMad Core (for product development) - Technical Writing Pack (for book authoring) - GitHub (for code hosting) - GitHub Actions (for CI/CD) **Workflow**: 1. Develop product with BMad Core agents 2. Plan book with Instructional Designer 3. Write chapters using real product code 4. Automatically test code examples in CI 5. Publish to self-publishing platform ### Example 2: Multi-Author Collaboration **Tools**: - Technical Writing Pack (for authoring) - Git (for version control) - Discord (for communication) - Leanpub (for publishing) **Workflow**: 1. Authors claim chapters 2. Each author works in feature branch 3. Sections committed as completed 4. Technical Reviewer reviews PRs 5. Merged chapters auto-deploy to Leanpub preview ### Example 3: Continuous Publishing **Tools**: - Technical Writing Pack (for authoring) - GitHub Actions (for automation) - Leanpub (for publishing) - Manning MEAP (for early access) **Workflow**: 1. Complete chapter triggers CI tests 2. All tests pass → auto-format for publisher 3. Auto-submit to Leanpub preview 4. Manual review → submit to Manning MEAP 5. Continuous updates published automatically --- ## Best Practices ### Version Control - Commit sections individually for granular history - Use conventional commits (`feat:`, `fix:`, `docs:`) - Tag releases (`v1.0`, `v1.1`) ### CI/CD - Test all code examples automatically - Validate markdown formatting - Check spelling and grammar - Auto-generate previews ### Collaboration - Clear chapter ownership - Regular sync meetings - Shared style guide - Code review for technical content ### Publishing - Automate format conversion - Test on multiple platforms - Version control submission packages - Maintain changelog --- ## Questions? - 📖 [User Guide](user-guide.md) - System overview - 🔧 [Troubleshooting](troubleshooting.md) - Common issues - 💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/gk8jAdXWmj) - Community support --- *Integration Guide - Technical Writing Expansion Pack v1.1.0*