Deployment & Usage Guide: Discord Alternatives Wishlist

1. Prerequisites

Python 3.6+ (script uses f-strings and pathlib; test with python --version)
Git (to clone the repository)
Optional but recommended: virtualenv or venv for isolated Python environment

No external Python packages are required—the script uses only the Python standard library.

2. Installation

Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/DukePantarei/discord-alternatives-wishlist.git
cd discord-alternatives-wishlist

(Optional) Create and activate a virtual environment:

python -m venv venv
# On Linux/macOS:
source venv/bin/activate
# On Windows:
venv\Scripts\activate

3. Configuration

No environment variables or configuration files are needed. The script reads data from platforms.json (included in the repository) and writes output to COMPARISON.md.

Important: Ensure platforms.json exists in the repository root. This file contains the single source of truth for all platform data and feature flags.

4. Build & Run

Generate the comparison table:

python generate_table.py

What it does:

Reads platforms.json
Processes feature groups defined in FEATURE_GROUPS (Privacy, Pricing, Platform Support, etc.)
Applies emoji mapping (yes → ✅, no → ❌, partial → ⚠️, etc.)
Writes a formatted Markdown table to COMPARISON.md

Output files:

COMPARISON.md — Main feature comparison table (auto-generated)
All other documentation files (FEATURES.md, BACKGROUND.md, etc.) are static and already included—do not require generation.

Development workflow:

Edit platforms.json to update platform data or add new entries.
Run python generate_table.py to regenerate COMPARISON.md.
Commit both platforms.json and updated COMPARISON.md to preserve the generated table.

5. Deployment

This project produces static documentation (Markdown files). Deployment means hosting the generated files as a static website.

Recommended deployment platforms:

GitHub Pages (simplest): Host directly from the repository.
1. Push the repository to GitHub.
2. Go to Settings → Pages.
3. Set source to main branch, root (/) folder.
4. Access site at https://<username>.github.io/discord-alternatives-wishlist/
Netlify / Vercel: Drag-and-drop the repository folder or connect Git repository.
Any static web host: Upload all Markdown files (and optionally use a Markdown-to-HTML converter like mkdocs or Jekyll if HTML is desired).

Note: The repository is designed to be viewed on GitHub directly or via GitHub Pages. No server-side code is required.

6. Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
`python: command not found`	Install Python 3.6+ from python.org or use package manager (`apt`, `brew`, etc.).
`FileNotFoundError: [Errno 2] No such file or directory: 'platforms.json'`	Run the script from the repository root where `platforms.json` is located.
`JSONDecodeError` in `platforms.json`	Validate JSON syntax (use `python -m json.tool platforms.json`). Fix any trailing commas or invalid characters.
Generated table looks misaligned	Ensure your terminal/editor uses monospace font. The script outputs fixed-width Markdown table.
Permission denied writing `COMPARISON.md`	Check write permissions in the directory (`chmod u+w .` on Unix). Avoid running as root/sudo.
Emojis not displaying correctly	Use a Markdown viewer that supports Unicode emojis (GitHub, modern browsers).

Updating data: Only edit platforms.json. Do not edit COMPARISON.md manually—it will be overwritten on next script run. Add platform notes in the notes field of platforms.json; they will appear in the table's tooltip column.

Contributing back: After updating platforms.json and regenerating COMPARISON.md, submit a Pull Request with both files changed.

How to Deploy & Use discord-alternatives-wishlist