****************
Making an MDAKit
****************

The MDAKit registry has a number of :ref:`requirements <requirements>`
to ensure that registered packages are FAIR-compliant and hold up to
an ideal scientific standard.


Building a Kit using the cookiecutter
-------------------------------------

Without prior experience, some of the MDAKit Registry requirements
can be daunting. The `MDAKit cookiecutter <https://cookiecutter-mdakit.readthedocs.io/>`_
can be used to aid rapid development of a FAIR-compliant MDAKit
by generating placeholder code for documentation, testing and 
installation. A guided example of creating an MDAKit, from cookiecutter
to registration, is provided below.

.. toctree::
   :maxdepth: 2

   making_a_kit/from-cookiecutter


Building without the cookiecutter (or from an existing project)
---------------------------------------------------------------

If you have an existing package you wish to register as an MDAKit,
or if you wish to develop a Kit without use of the cookiecutter, that's
also okay! For existing code, chances are very little restructuring is 
required before registration - just make sure you meet the core 
:ref:`requirements <requirements>` for registration. 

You may still find the above links helpful, along with the additional
information below.

.. toctree::
   :maxdepth: 1

   making_a_kit/license
   making_a_kit/hosting
   making_a_kit/testing
   making_a_kit/documentation