#1. My Journey!

My first lecture for the Fab Academy program took place on January 22, 2025. With over 200 Fab Lab communities joining the call, I felt a wave of nervousness. But as the session began, a playful puppet song filled the screen, narrating the journey ahead— six months of learning, making, and documenting and as I watched the video, my nerves melted away. Professor Neil then guided us through the fascinating history of Fab Labs and the vast global network we were now part of. It felt special—like stepping into a world of endless creativity. One by one, Fab Labs from across the world introduced themselves. We marveled at the incredible projects crafted by those who came before us. When it was our turn, we proudly introduced riidl India Fab Lab, sharing our space, our work, and our dreams with the Fab Academy family.

Exploring Lecture Notes and Understanding GitLab

After the long three-hour lecture, I felt overwhelmed by the depth of study and the tasks ahead. Everything was so new to me. To ease my mind, I sketched a plan to navigate the topic before meeting my mentors for guidance. I started by revisiting the project management site to understand, debrief the words and sketch the weeks structure for smoother workflow. Later I referred to the lecture notes breaking it down piece by piece, to understand the basics of Git for which I used ChatGPT to undestand various terminologies like:

Project workflows: A project workflow is a structured process from planning to finalization, ensuring efficiency. A key learning was spiral development, where continuous prototyping and testing led to gradual improvements.

Version control: Version Control is a system that tracks changes to files over time, allowing multiple people to collaborate efficiently while keeping a history of all modifications.

Git : Git is a version control system that tracks changes in code, allowing multiple people to collaborate, revert to previous versions, and manage updates efficiently.

Git Lab: GitLab is a web-based Git platform that provides repositories, issue tracking (to manage bugs, tasks, and features. You can create, assign, and track progress of each issue.) and CI/CD pipelines (Continuous Integration (CI) and Continuous Deployment (CD) in GitLab automate the process of testing and deploying code, ensuring smoother updates and faster delivery.) To learn more refer to the video: Git Lab and Version Control

Repository : A repository is a storage space for your project files and their version history. It can be hosted online (like on GitHub or GitLab) or stored locally on your computer. In a local repository, changes are tracked on your machine before you sync them with the remote version

Git Essentials:These are the core Git commands:
1. Clone: Clone a repository to your local machine.
2. Pull: Fetch and integrate changes from a remote repository.
3. Status: Check the state of your working directory and staging area.
4. Add: Stage changes for commit.
5. Commit: Record staged changes to the repository.
6. Push: Send commits from your local repository to a remote one.
7. Merge: Integrate changes from another branch into your current branch.
8. Branch: List, create, or delete branches.
9. Fork: Create a copy of someone else's repository to work on.

GUI and CUI::GUI (Graphical User Interface) and CUI (Command User Interface) are two ways of interacting with software.
GUI: Allows interaction through visual elements like buttons, icons, and menus (e.g., GitHub Desktop, GitKraken for Git).
CUI: Involves using text-based commands in a terminal or command prompt (e.g., Git commands like git clone, git commit).
In Git, both GUI and CUI can be used to perform the same tasks, like managing repositories, commits, and branches. GUI is more user-friendly, while CUI offers greater control and flexibility.

Learning Coding Basics: HTML and MkDocs

On Git, you can use various coding languages some common ones are: HTML, MkDocs, Python-Used for scripting, web development (Django, Flask), and data science. Often documented with Jupyter Notebooks or Sphinx. JavaScript- Powers front-end (React, Vue) and back-end (Node.js) development. Java- Common for enterprise applications, Android development, and backend services. C/C++- Used in system programming, game development, and embedded systems. TypeScript, Shell Scripting (Bash) etc. and many other.

After consulting from my professors I went forward with learning two of the above ways to building and structuring my website i.e, Mkdocs and HTML

MkDocs(Markdown Language) is a static site generator designed specifically for creating project documentation. It uses Markdown for content and automatically generates a clean, navigable HTML website with minimal effort. MkDocs is ideal for technical documentation, knowledge bases, and project wikis, offering quick setup, responsive themes, and an easy-to-use configuration file. It requires no extensive coding knowledge, making it a great choice for non-developers or those focused primarily on content.
Some basic coding example for mkdocs is:
# Welcome to MkDocs
site_name: My Project Docs
theme:
name: material
palette:
primary: red

HTML is the foundational markup language used to build all types of websites. It offers full control over the structure, design, and functionality of a site, but it requires knowledge of web technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. HTML is best suited for complex, interactive websites or applications that require custom layouts and dynamic features, giving developers complete flexibility but demanding more effort to create and maintain.
You can click CNTR+U or Rightclick on the mouse and inspect to understand the coding used on this page. I started understanding the basics of both languages. As a designer both the languages were new for me. I was very confused on selecting the preferred language. The confusion led me to take a decision to practicing both the languages and choosing the best option for me in the later 2-3 weeks.

GitLab and its Web IDE

I then started exploring GitLab and its Web IDE. Refer to the GitLab Page here. By experimenting with small code changes, I added my name to my web page by which I familiarized myself with the platform. For doing so I perfomed the following steps: Open the GitLab page from the link above.

Select the Public Domain.



Select the Final Project domain/ domain of your choice.



This opens the GitLab and its Web IDE, make changes as needed.

Changes on the Fab site after making changes on the Web IDE on Gitlab.

Learning Coding

As I was not very familiar with coding, I decided to start with HTML basic, the foundational tool for building and documenting projects. The topic was exciting and engaging for me. I referred to the W3 HTML schools HTML guide to learn and practiced some HTML syntax. Practising this gave a hands on experience on understanding the very basics of the lecture and the expectations of the week.






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Setting Up Git Locally: A Hands-On Adventure

The most critical and adventurous part of my learning was setting up Git. As mentioned earlier in my documentation, I needed to install Git on my computer to clone my repository from the GitLab platform to my local device. I began by downloading and installing Git, ensuring it was properly configured.
Here’s how I approached it step by step:

1.Install Git
Installed Git on my system to enable local repository management.For downloading Git click here
1. Download for windows. Incase you want to download for Mac refer to Mihir's page , my fellow Fab Academy friend.
2. Then git set up will ask multiple questions, for most of which you click over next. However there were a few questions on which u will have to change the default settings.
Adjusting the name of the initial branch in new repositories: would u like Git to name the initial branch after "git init"- LET GIT DECIDE.
3. Configuring the terminal emulator to use with Git Bash: which terminal emulator do u want to use with your Git Bash? USE WINDOWS DEFAULT CONSOLE WINDOW.



2.Generate SSH Key
An SSH key is like a digital passkey used to securely connect to computers over the internet without needing a password. It comes in two parts:
Private Key (your secret key, stored on your computer)
Public Key (shared with the server you want to access)
When you try to connect, the server checks if your private key matches the public key. If they match, you get access! It's used for secure logins, especially for servers and cloud services. In GitLab, an SSH key is used to securely connect your computer to a GitLab repository without needing a username and password every time you push or pull code.
I got help from my mentor Jesal Mehta ,who guided me to generate the SSH Keygen code from GIT Lab Website .



To understand the further steps:
1) Use the command prompt( You can find it in your system explorer panel). Command Promt: A Command Prompt is a command-line interface (CLI) in Windows that allows users to execute text-based commands to perform system tasks, manage files, and configure settings.
2) Copy SSHKey gen: Copied The SSH KEYGEN-ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 2048 -C "" from above mentioned Git Lab website.
3) Paste to Command Prompt: Git+ Key+ Enter.This Connect Git to my local machine. Using the command prompt, I generated the SSH key.
4) Add to my account: Added the generated key to my GitLab account under Preferences.



3.Authorize Git
Once the SSh key is set, I used the command promt to authorize Git by cloning: In Git, cloning refers to creating a copy of a remote repository on your local machine. It includes all project files, branches, and commit history.



Thus to clone the repository from GitLab into my local system using the command prompt I used the following steps on Command Prompt: 1) Authorizing: Git+ Enter (This command shows the current state of your repository, including changes that are staged, unstaged, or untracked.)
2) Authorizing Local drive: Cd(Change directory)+ enter (cd path/to/your/directory); he command prompt will navigate to the specified local directory.
3) Git clone: git clone + repository url ie.

SSH Key Authentication Warning:
Git displayed a security warning:
The authenticity of gitlab.fabcloud.org (IP: 13.59.248.79) cannot be verified. It provided the SSH key fingerprint which the system did not recognize this key from any previous connections. Thus, an user confirmation was required.

Git asked: Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no/[fingerprint])?
This is a security check to prevent man-in-the-middle attacks. If the user types yes, Git will save this fingerprint and continue cloning. If no is entered, the connection will be aborted. I typed "Yes" and the cloning continued.

4.Set Up VS Code
I downloaded and installed Visual Studio Code, (VS Code)-VS Code (Visual Studio Code) is a code editor that integrates with Git, allowing you to manage your Git repositories directly within the editor. Download VS Code to open and manage your local files. This helped me view and edit the repository files, including HTML files. In the repository open the file directory which will be the local folder ie. repository for your Global Website.



VS Code Interface


5. Install MkDocs
Install here After installing Mkdocs, I authorized it to my device along with vs code with the following setps:
1)Install PIP(Python’s package installer): Pip+ Enter, this helps to authorize the pip language.
2)Pip Install Mkdocs: Pip Install Mkdocs+ enter, Pip will download the MkDocs package from the Python Package Index (PyPI) and install it on your system. Once installed, you can use MkDocs to generate and serve project documentation locally or deploy it to a server.
3) Change Directory: CD+ Enter: This helps to define the specific local directory.



I created a trial project using MkDocs and customized the default template. I manipulated the text, edited project files, and removed unnecessary content. Additionally, I installed the MkDocs Material theme to enhance the design and improve the visual appeal of the documentation.

Mkdocs Coding:


Mkdocs Material:


6.Experimenting with HTML and MkDocs
After setting up MkDocs, I wanted to deepen my understanding of HTML. To do so, I copied the MkDocs site files, zipped them for backup, and began experimenting with HTML-based structures separately. This approach allowed me to maintain two local files—one for MkDocs and another for HTML—while exploring how different HTML elements and styles can be integrated into the documentation. This hands-on experimentation helped me strengthen my grasp on web design and gain a deeper understanding of both static site generation and web development fundamentals

Vs Code Local zipped folder for Mkdocs and global folders for html:


Local built different folder for Mkdocs and global folders for html:


7.Version Control Workflow
I practiced essential version control commands, including:
git add: Stages specific changes for the next commit, preparing them to be recorded in the repository.
git add . :stages all modified and new files in the current directory for the next commit..
git commit -m "Week1 v6": creates a commit with the staged changes and assigns the message "Week1 v6" (to describe the update).
git push: Uploads committed changes from the local repository to a remote repository (e.g., GitHub, GitLab).



8. Oops: File exceed over limit. On my first attempt, I uploaded all the PNG files without compressing them, causing the file size to exceed the 10MB limit, reaching 11MB. When I tried to git push, the error highlighted the importance of optimizing file sizes for efficient version control. This experience taught me the importance of compressing images and managing file sizes to avoid push errors and improve overall project efficiency.

I reduced the image sizes and pushed the code, however the same error occured. On debugging I found the solution from the fab lab documentation page of my senior, Himanshi Jain.
The solution to which was
1) git status: Shows the current state of your working directory and staging area (e.g., changes to be committed, untracked files).
2) git reset head ~x: x= no of status errors. Unstages files that were added to the staging area, but keeps the changes in the working directory.
3) git push: Uploads local commits to a remote repository, updating the remote branch with your changes.

#3. Final Project: Documentation

I first learned about the Fab Lab final project from my seniors, Siddharth Agarwal. Himanshi Jain. Tejas Dandge. Their impressive projects left me in awe and motivated me to create something that truly reflected my own vision. To gain deeper insights, I began exploring projects by Fab Academy graduates.Projects like: The Witches Antler and Chinese Calendar. are some of the projects that particularly caught my attention. I carefully studied the processes behind these creations, which helped me understand the weekly courses taught in Fab Lab thus shaped my approach to building and making.

After a Thorough research I came up with with 3 ideas. I defined the structure and overview of the three ideas and used chatgpt to generate iamges and descriptions to describe my inital ideas as a reference to move forward with and deciding the final idea:

Responsive Furniture: Furniture that interacts with users based on their presence, movement, or actions. This could include chairs, tables, or shelves that change shape, light up, or adjust their form dynamically.



Wall Mounted Responsive Cubism art: A dynamic, interactive wall art piece inspired by cubism, where geometric shapes shift, change colors, or move based on external inputs like touch, sound, or proximity.



Story telling model: A physical storytelling device that responds to user input to reveal different narratives, either through mechanical movement, projection, or sound.



After analyzing, all the three options that i decided, I personally thought that the Story telling model would reflect me and my personality the most. My favourite memory of my childhood is listening to grandma stories narrated to me by my parents and how beautifully they would associate a life lesson to it. I explored the ancient method of story telling in India: Kavaad



Thus, I finalzed my idea to a BOOK NOOK. The process to which i went furthur

I went back to my childhood day, recalling The Indian Original stories of Panchatantra (The Panchatantra is a series of inter-woven fables, many of which deploy metaphors of anthropomorphized animals with human virtues and vices.) and Jataka (Sanskrit for "Birth-Related" or "Birth Stories") are a voluminous body of literature native to the Indian subcontinent which mainly concern the previous births of Gautama Buddha in both human and animal. While browsing through these stories, I reflected on adding a feminine touch to my building story would enhance the purpose and motivation. Thus, I studied Indian Woman authors: Arundhati Roy, Mira Bai, chitra banerjee. Finally I came across this beautiful peom: In the Bazaars of Hyderabad, by Sarojini naidu. "In the Bazaars of Hyderabad" by Sarojini Naidu is a vibrant poem that vividly captures the colors, sounds, and lively atmosphere of an Indian marketplace. It celebrates the cultural richness and artistry of local vendors, emphasizing the traditional crafts and diverse wares. Sarojini Naidu, known as the "Nightingale of India," was a poet and freedom fighter whose works often highlighted India's heritage and beauty. Her poems reflect lyrical grace and patriotic fervor. This particular poem showcases her ability to paint a vivid picture of India's traditional life through words. After finalizing my story I came across these beautiful references, Book nook and Treasure box

Sketch:

#4. Student Agreement

To complete the student agreement, I accessed the text from my senior's Fab Academy account, downloaded, and copied it into a Google document. After formatting it, I printed the document, signed it, and scanned the completed version. Finally, I uploaded the signed agreement to the Fab Academy site as part of the required submission process.

Samrudhi Rovalekar - Signed Student Agreement