Update development docs with new module instructions

[infused-kim]

Hi,

I noticed a few missing instructions in the developer docs and wanted to raise them here.

1. zmk-config is a module now

I created a new zmk-config the other day and noticed that the format of it changed a bit.

We discussed it in discord for a bit and I wanted to summerize the results here.

It's now a zephyr module. This means the boards/ directory is in within zmk-config/boards/ now. Previously it was in zmk-config/config/boards/.

This means that if you want to build a firmware with a custom shield, then you need to use -DZMK_EXTRA_MODULES in the command like this now:

west build -d build/tc/right -p -b nice_nano_v2 -- -DZMK_EXTRA_MODULES="/workspaces/zmk-config/" -DZMK_CONFIG="/workspaces/zmk-config/config/" -DSHIELD="think_corney_right nice_view"

Notice that DZMK_EXTRA_MODULES module points to the zmk-config/ directory and the DZMK_CONFIG to the config subdirectory zmk-config/config/.

If you want to include other extra modules, you have to separate them with a semicolon like this: -DZMK_EXTRA_MODULES="/workspaces/zmk-config/;/workspaces/zmk-modules/kb_zmk_ps2_mouse_trackpoint_driver/"

Which leads to the next thing...

No VSCode docker volume point for zmk-modules

Currently, the VSCode container doesn't have a volume for zmk-modules.

In the meantime it can be achieved by creating the volume...

docker volume create --driver local -o o=bind -o type=none -o device="/full/path/to/your/zmk-modules/" zmk-modules

Next, edit in your zmk clone zmk/.devcontainer/devcontainer.json:

{
  "name": "ZMK Development",
  [...]
  "mounts": [
    "type=volume,source=zmk-root-user,target=/root",
    "type=volume,source=zmk-config,target=/workspaces/zmk-config",
+  "type=volume,source=zmk-modules,target=/workspaces/zmk-modules",
    "type=volume,source=zmk-zephyr,target=${containerWorkspaceFolder}/zephyr",
    "type=volume,source=zmk-zephyr-modules,target=${containerWorkspaceFolder}/modules",
    "type=volume,source=zmk-zephyr-tools,target=${containerWorkspaceFolder}/tools"
  ],
  [...]
}

Then, in VSCode press Command + Shift + P and execute the command Dev Containers: Rebuild Without Cache and Reopen in Container.

Once the container is rebuilt, you can delete the above line from your devcontainer.json so that it doesn't pollute your git history.

The container will continue mounting the zmk-modules/ volume as long as you don't rebuild it.

[caksoylar]

Re: point 1, it is documented in https://zmk.dev/docs/development/build-flash#building-with-external-modules. Maybe it can be made clearer that the config repo is a module as well and requires these instructions? If so, that could be done in the next section https://zmk.dev/docs/development/build-flash#building-from-zmk-config-folder with a pointer to the previous section, and perhaps modifying the example to add the module.

[infused-kim]

If so, that could be done in the next section https://zmk.dev/docs/development/build-flash#building-from-zmk-config-folder with a pointer to the previous section, and perhaps modifying the example to add the module.

Yeah I agree. I think that's the best place to put it.

[caksoylar]

Closed by #2380