Note: some contents are copied from open source project https://source.android.com/setup/develop, we may need to re organize the contents before publishing it to community.

Working with RDK code requires using Git (an open-source version-control system) and Repo (a Google-built repository-management tool that runs on top of Git). See Gerrit Review Workflow for a summary of regular actions, such as uploading changes for review.

Git

Git is designed to handle large projects that are distributed over multiple repositories. RDK uses Git for local operations such as local branching, commits, diffs, and edits. One of the challenges in setting up the RDK project was figuring out how to best support the outside community—from the hobbyist community to large OEMs building mass-market consumer devices. We wanted components to be replaceable, and we wanted interesting components to have a life of their own outside of RDK. We first chose a Legacy revision control system, then narrowed it down to Git.

For more details on Git, refer to Git Documentation.

Repo

Repo unifies Git repositories when necessary, performs uploads to the Gerrit revision control system, and automates parts of the RDK development workflow. Repo comes in two parts: The Repo Launcher that you download from git-repo-downloads is the first part. It's a Python script that knows how to initialize a checkout and can download the second part, the full Repo tool. The full Repo tool is by default in $SRCDIR/.repo/repo/... and receives forwarded commands from the downloaded Repo Launcher.

Repo isn't meant to replace Git, only to make it easier to work with Git in the context of Android. The repo command is an executable Python script that you can put anywhere in your path. In working with the Android source files, you use Repo for across-network operations, for example, with a single Repo working directory.

In most situations, you can use Git instead of Repo, or mix Repo and Git commands to form complex commands. However, using Repo for basic across-network operations makes your work much simpler. For more details on Repo, see the Repo Command Reference, Repo README, and the Preupload Hooks (tests) that can be enabled in Repo.

Other tools

Gerrit is a web-based code review system for projects that use Git. Gerrit encourages a more centralized use of Git by allowing all authorized users to submit changes, which are automatically merged if they pass code review. In addition, Gerrit makes reviewing easy, displaying changes side by side in the browser and enabling inline comments.

RDK Code Search allows you to search through AOSP without downloading anything. You can use Code Search to view the source code, switch between open source branches, and navigate cross-references. For more information, see the Google Developers site for the Search documentation.