Guys how to get engaged in projects that contains lots of files (either source code or other data's).

The size scares me. So I always procrastinate to get involved in it.

Help me guys !!!

wk64

@jAsE

I am using eclipse.

Once I downloaded the files from GitHub or other website. I don't know from where the execution begin how the code(project/software) is constructed, how things are interrelated.... Like that.

At the initial phase itself I am thinking in terms of big picture.

Give me an idea , how to approach while dealing with large chunks of code.

Thanks !!

Documentation is your friend, that's where you start.

start with the file structure and finding out what frameworks that might affect it the project uses. understanding this will give you the ability to know where entry points to anything the app does are.

then find the main entry point and trace whatever you wish from there.

if it's too opaque, breakpoint the first line in main entrypoint and "step into" through the app's workings like mad. not even necessary to really see what it's doing, just get a feel for which parts and roughly how control the execution flow, direct stuff to business logic, etc...

if the code is not a complete piece of shit, it should kinda start making sense after a while ( == few hours to few days)

but then, you sait you downloaded it from github, meaning open source, so i'm not sure about the "it should start making sense" part =D

mainly: ignore not knowing what you don't need to know, that feeling is needlessly exhausting and distracting.