Improve README

Author: MrXyfir

README.md

@@ -14,56 +14,82 @@ Built and mantained by **[Ptorx](https://ptorx.com)** and other **[Xyfir](https:
 - Accept popular **c**rypto**c**urrencies like Bitcoin with [**C**oinbase **C**ommerce](https://commerce.coinbase.com)
 - Configurable fiat currency
 - No dependencies other than Node and what npm will install
-  - Older Node versions not actively supported
 - No database needed
-  - Data is saved on disk in simple JSON files
-- Standalone server and web client
-  - Easy integration into new and existing applications of any stack
-- JSON Web Tokens (JWT)
-  - Secure and easy communication between your app and CCashCow
+- Standalone server and web client that integrates into apps of any stack
+- JSON Web Tokens (JWT) for secure and easy communication between your app and CCashCow
 - Easy theming via [Material-UI](https://material-ui.com/style/color/#color-tool)
 
 # Install
 
+From now on we'll assume commands are run from `ccashcow/`.
+
 As simple as CCashCow is, you'll still need to download, configure, build, and integrate it into your app. We've made it just about as easy as it could possibly be.
 
 **Note #1:** If your system does not yet have Node installed, start with [nvm](https://github.com/creationix/nvm#install-script) (or [nvm for Windows](https://github.com/coreybutler/nvm-windows#node-version-manager-nvm-for-windows)).
 
 **Note #2:** You may alternatively download CCashCow through npm (see [here](http://npmjs.com/package/ccashcow)), however this is not currently the recommended installation method. In the future we'll likely have a CLI tool available through npm to make configuring, running, and managing CCashCow instances easier.
 
-## Server
+## Step 0: Clone the repo
 
 ```bash
 git clone https://github.com/Xyfir/ccashcow.git
-cd ccashcow/server
+cd ccashcow
+```
+
+## Step 1: Download npm dependencies
+
+Install npm depencies for each module:
+
+```bash
+cd server
 npm install
-touch .env
+cd ../web
+npm install
+cd ../ # back to ccashcow/
 ```
 
-Now open up `ccashcow/server/.env` in your editor and fill out the values. See the `CCashCow.Env.Common` and `CCashCow.Env.Server` interfaces in [types/ccashcow.d.ts](https://github.com/Xyfir/ccashcow/blob/master/types/ccashcow.d.ts) for expected environment variables. Format is `KEY=VALUE` (`PORT=1234`, `NAME="CCashCow"`, etc).
+## Step 2: Set environment variables
+
+The CCashCow modules are configured via environment variables which are loaded into the applications via `.env` files located in each module's directory.
+
+To understand the syntax of the `.env` files, know that they are first loaded via [dotenv](https://www.npmjs.com/package/dotenv) and then the string values provided by dotenv are parsed by [enve](https://www.npmjs.com/package/dotenv).
+
+### Step 2a: Create `.env` files
+
+First we'll create each file by copying the example `.env` files and then we'll work our way through populating them with values.
 
 ```bash
-npm run build
-npm run start # or launch ./dist/app.js however you like
+cp server/example.env server/.env
+cp web/example.env web/.env
 ```
 
-At this point the setup is based on your environment and what your needs are. Probably you'll run the server with [pm2](https://www.npmjs.com/package/pm2) and put Node behind Nginx or Apache.
+### Step 2b: Edit `.env` files
+
+Edit the files `server/.env` and `web/.env`. Update the config keys with your own values. You can find descriptions for each one under the `CCashCow` -> `Env` namespaces in the [type definitions](https://github.com/Xyfir/ccashcow/blob/master/types/ccashcow.d.ts). Use the appropriate `interface` for each corresponding file.
 
-## Web Client
+## Step 3: Build from source
 
 ```bash
+cd server
+npm run build
 cd ../web
-npm install
-touch .env
+npm run build
+cd ../
 ```
 
-Now open up `ccashcow/web/.env` in your editor and fill out the values. See the `CCashCow.Env.Common` and `CCashCow.Env.Web` interfaces in [types/ccashcow.d.ts](https://github.com/Xyfir/ccashcow/blob/master/types/ccashcow.d.ts) for expected environment variables.
+## Step 4: Start the server
+
+Now you'll need to start the server and serve the built files. The simplest way to do this is:
 
 ```bash
-npm run build
+cd server
+npm run start
+cd ../
 ```
 
-## Integration Into Your App
+If you're in production, you'll probably run the server with [pm2](https://www.npmjs.com/package/pm2) and proxy the server through Nginx or Apache while serving static files through them instead of Node. For you, know that files to be served to the client are located in `web/dist` with `web/dist/index.html` serving as the web client's entry file.
+
+## Step 5: Integrate into your app
 
 This part is largely up to you, so it's important to understand the flow of data between your app and CCashCow:
 
@@ -79,6 +105,12 @@ To be a bit more specific:
 5. At some point the user will be redirected back to your app with the JWT in the url as you configured. Verify and decode this JWT to retrieve the payment information.
 6. Using the JWT's payload, your app will check if the payment as been paid, and if your app has not already fulfilled the user's order it will do so then.
 
-### Payment JWT Payload
-
 Check the [CCashCow.Payment](https://github.com/Xyfir/ccashcow/blob/master/types/ccashcow.d.ts) interface. Your app should only ever send a JWT containing `id`, `amount`, and `methods`; everything else will be added by CCashCow and sent back to your app with the user later. To check if a payment has been paid, all you have to do is check that `paid` is a number, and not `undefined`. Other values sent back to your app like `method` or `squareTransactionId` can be ignored unless you have some other use for them.
+
+# Contribute
+
+If you'd like to help work on CCashCow, the tutorial above will suffice to get you up and running. Certain things however will make your life easier:
+
+- Make sure your `NODE_ENV` variables in the `.env` files are set to `"development"`.
+- Run the web client's dev server via `npm run start` when in `web/`. Connect to it via the `PORT` you set in `web/.env`.
+- Check the `scripts` in each module's `package.json` for helpful scripts.