# Set up Repositories

To develop in the API, both the Elentra ME and Elentra API repositories will need to be cloned on to your local computer, and then linked via composer so that changes made to the API will immediately appear in your Elentra ME local installation.

### Clone the Elentra API Github Repository

The Elentra API is a separate Git repository from other application repositories (e.g., ME, CPD, Admissions). You will need to check this out from your Institutional Fork of `elentra-1x-api`. If your Institutional Fork does not have an `elentra-1x-api` repository, create it by forking the main [ElentraProject/elentra-1x-api](https://github.com/ElentraProject/elentra-1x-api) repository.

{% hint style="warning" %}
Be aware that if you clone the main elentra-1x-api repository, you will not be able to push any changes. Updates can only be made through pull requests from your Institutional Fork.
{% endhint %}

If you also have a Branded Edition of the API, clone that as well and set it up in the same way as the instructions below. You will need the ability to merge commits from the Institutional Fork into your Branded Edition to keep it up to date.

```
cd ~/Sites
git clone git@github.com/<your organisation>/elentra-1x-api elentra-1x-api
git checkout develop
```

If you are using [Sourcetree](https://www.sourcetreeapp.com/) as a GUI for git repositories, add both the ME and API repositories so that you can manage the branches in each repository.

### Link the ME and API repositories

When installing composer dependencies in release 1.13 or higher, composer will install the release version of the Elentra API at the version number stored in the `composer.lock` file. For development of new API endpoints, this is not what we want.

To link the repositories together, create a file in the elentra-1x-me top level folder called `composer-api-dev.json` with content:

```
{
    "repositories": [
        {
            "name": "elentrapackages/elentra-1x-api",
            "type": "path",
            "url": "../elentra-1x-api",
            "options": {
                "symlink": true
            }
        }
    ],
    "require": {
        "elentrapackages/elentra-1x-api": "dev-develop"
    }
}
```

If you cloned the `elentra-1x-api` repository as a different name on your local machine, update the `url` path on line 6 so that it will be `../<folder_name>`. All other references to elentra-1x-api should remain the same.

{% hint style="info" %}
A note about branches. If you want to work on a feature branch in the API, check it out in the repository and also put the branch name in place of `dev-develop`. If the branch name checked out in the repository does not match the branch name in `composer-api-dev.json`, then composer will check out the requested branch from your local repository and none of the changes you make on the API repository will be visible to the application

If you are developing a new feature that will include Elentra ME and Elentra API changes, you will need a branch in each repository and will have to create separate pull requests for ME and the API. Best practice is to name the branches identically, and reference the other repository in each pull request, to ensure that both will be code reviewed and merged at the same time.
{% endhint %}

Once you have set up the file and validated that the branch names are the same, run composer in the Elentra ME repository to update the dependencies. These instructions assume you are using Docker, if not adjust the initial path to your Elentra ME install

```
docker exec -it elentra-developer bash

cd /var/www/vhosts/elentra-1x-me
composer install
composer update elentrapackages/elentra-1x-api

git checkout -- composer.lock
```

{% hint style="warning" %}
For Elentra ME 1.13+, `composer install` should be used to load the initial dependencies based on the `composer.lock` file supplied with Elentra ME.

The `composer update` that follows is just to pick up the local api via `composer-api-dev.json`

The final `git checkout` step is to abandon any changes to the composer.lock that were made when updating the API. You should not commit any changes to `composer.lock`
{% endhint %}

After running the second composer command you should see a message like the following

```
Loading composer repositories with package information
Updating dependencies (including require-dev)
Package operations: 0 installs, 1 update, 0 removals
  - Removing elentrapackages/elentra-1x-api (v1.2.4)
  - Installing elentrapackages/elentra-1x-api (9999999-dev): Symlinking from ../elentra-1x-api
Writing lock file
Generating autoload files
```

{% hint style="warning" %}
If you do not see "Symlinking from ../elentra-1x-api", check that the branch checked out in the API repository matches the branch name in `composer-api-dev.json`
{% endhint %}

At this point, you have linked the Elentra API repository to the Elentra ME application, and you can begin to make changes to the API.


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.elentra.org/api/developers/quickstart-guide/untitled.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.