# Software and module requirements

## Software

* Depending on how the course has been set up, you will either be using remotely installed sites (e.g. on the GovCMS Lagoon platform), or you’re using a local installation (on your computer). If you’re working locally, we recommend using the GovCMS8 bundled development environment at: <https://github.com/govcms/govcms8-scaffold>. A complete guide for installation is available at <https://github.com/govCMS/govcms8-scaffold/blob/master/README.md>
* You’ll also need a web browser with an inspection tool (e.g. Firebug or Firefox) - you can download Firebug here: [http://getfirebug.com](http://getfirebug.com/). You can also use Chrome’s “Developer tools” or Safari’s “Develop menu”.
* Finally, you’ll need a Lorem Ipsum generator extension such as this one: <https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/dummy-lipsum/>. You can add placement text, by right-clicking on the text area. !\[A screenshot of a cell phone

  Description automatically generated]\(.gitbook/assets/0%20%282%29.png)

## Modules

This course and manual are for GovCMS8, which contains most of the modules you’ll need to build a typical government website.

You can view the additional GovCMS8 modules in “composer.json file”: <https://github.com/govCMS/govCMS8/blob/1.x/composer.json> - see the “require” section lists all “drupal/\[modulename]” modules?

### Themes used:

GovCMS8 comes with a fully-featured base theme:

* GovCMS 8 UI-Kit Starter - based on UI-Kit theme - ships with GovCMS core


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