godot-docs/getting_started/step_by_step/learning_new_features.rst

.. _doc_learning_new_features:

Learning new features
=====================

This page explains how to learn more about things you do not know.

The Manual and Class Reference
------------------------------

What you are reading now is the manual. It provides an overview of each of the
engine's concepts. When learning a new topic, start with the manual to see if
it already has an official explanation. If a page exists for a topic, it will
often link to more related content.

Godot provides most of its features through its scripting API ("Application
Programmer Interface"). This is the collection of Nodes, Resources, and other
classes available to your scenes and scripts. The
:ref:`Class Reference <toc-class-ref>` provides detailed explanations of
every class. This includes...

1. Where the class exists in the inheritance hierarchy.

2. An explanation of the class's properties, methods, signals, enums, and
constants.

3. Links to manual pages further detailing the class.

4. A summary of the class's role and use cases in the Godot API.

If the manual or class reference is missing or has insufficient information,
please open an Issue in the official
`godot-docs <https://github.com/godotengine/godot-docs/issues>`_ GitHub
repository to report it.

In the top-left corner of the documentation, you can search the manual and
class reference for anything.

You will also find an offline Godot API reference within the Godot Editor.
Click F4 to begin searching the Godot API, or go to Help > Search Help in the
main toolbar. Ctrl-clicking the name of a class, property, method, signal, or
constant will also open its description.

Tutorials
---------

The manual and class reference do not cover basic programming concepts.
For this, please use external learning resources such as the free
and open `CS50 courseware at Harvard <https://cs50.harvard.edu/x/2020/>`_
or
`Al Sweigart's Automate The Boring Stuff With Python <https://automatetheboringstuff.com/>`_
series.

Besides the 2D and 3D getting started series, they also do not cover tutorials.
For more detailed breakdowns of how to use Godot for specific tasks, please
see :ref:`doc_community_tutorials` for content made by the Godot community.

Questions
---------

If you have specific questions, please ask them in your preferred
:ref:`doc_community_channels`.

Please submit your questions to the official Q&A site. Share links to your
questions on other social platforms as needed. Q&A responses show up in
search engine results and the core Godot developers maintain them.

Before asking a question on other platforms, be sure to look for existing
questions that might serve your needs using your preferred search engine.

To get immediate help with live people, try the various chat-based
communities such as IRC, Matrix, and Discord.

When asking questions, please include the following information:

1. Which version of the engine are you using?

   The available solutions may differ based on which version it is.

2. What is your goal?

   If you are having trouble figuring out how to make a solution work, then
   there may be a different, easier solution that accomplishes the same goal.

3. If there is an error involved, what is the exact error message you see?

   Users sometimes share an inaccurate paraphrase of their errors. The exact
   error message in the debugger or console is precise in what it states went
   wrong. Knowing what it says can help community members better identify how 
   you triggered the error.

4. If there is code involved, can you share a code sample?

   Seeing what code is causing the problem can provide more context for
   community members to better assist you. A screenshot of the scene hierarchy
   where the code is executing also helps.

Bug Reports
-----------

If you think you have found a bug but are unsure, then go ahead and open a bug
report on `GitHub <https://github.com/godotengine/godot/issues>`. Be sure to
check through previous issues to see if you can find a similar one.

If you do, please upvote the post to show that you too want to see the bug
fixed. If you have more information or context to add to the bug report, please
add a comment to it.

If you do not find any similar past issues, then please follow the template to
submit a new bug report.

If you ask in a community platform and someone informs you that it is a bug, 
then please remember to submit the bug report. Without it, there is little
chance the Godot contributors will fix it.