add docs for developers

docs/source/for-developers/setup-development-mode.md

@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+# Setup Development Mode
+
+Instructions for setting up development or "editable" mode are given below. This is a way of pip-installing the package from the source code in your local directory which gives you immediate access to your changes, though you may need to re-import the package or re-load the python environment.
+
+When you are ready to publicly release a new version of `pittgoogle-client`, publish to PyPI using the release process described in [issues #7](https://github.com/mwvgroup/pittgoogle-client/pull/7).
+
+See also: [Python Packaging User Guide](https://packaging.python.org/en/latest/).
+
+## Setup
+
+```bash
+# clone the repo and cd in
+git clone https://github.com/mwvgroup/pittgoogle-client.git
+cd pittgoogle-client
+
+# recommended to create a new conda env
+# use the latest python version unless you have a specific reason not to
+conda create --name pittgoogle python=3.12
+conda activate pittgoogle
+
+# install pittgoogle-client in editable mode. use pwd so that the absolute path is registered.
+pip install -e $(pwd)
+```
+
+## Work in development ("editable") mode:
+
+Now you can work with the code in your local pittgoogle-client repo in python:
+
+```python
+import pittgoogle
+
+# make new changes in your local pittgoogle-client repo code
+# then use importlib to reload the package with the new changes
+import importlib
+importlib.reload(pittgoogle)
+# if you don't have access to the new changes at this point, try reloading again
+# if that doesn't work, restart your python interpreter
+```
+
+See also: [Working in “development mode”](https://packaging.python.org/guides/distributing-packages-using-setuptools/#working-in-development-mode).

docs/source/index.rst

@@ -23,6 +23,13 @@
     tutorials/cloud-storage
     tutorials/ztf-figures
 
+.. toctree::
+    :caption: For Developers
+    :maxdepth: 3
+    :hidden:
+
+    for-developers/setup-development-mode
+
 .. toctree::
     :caption: API Reference
     :maxdepth: 3