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Understand the codebase structure: First, browse the directory structure of the entire codebase and understand what each directory and file does. This will help you understand how the whole project is organized and divided into modules.
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Identify modules to focus on: Based on your needs and interests, identify modules or features you want to delve into. This can be audio and video processing, signaling protocols, network transmission, etc.
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Read high-level documentation: Browse official documentation, technical specifications, and design documents before reading the source code. This will provide a high-level understanding of the overall architecture and key components of the codebase, and help you better understand the goals and principles the code implements.
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Start from the entry point: choose a module as your starting point, find the entry point of the module (such as the main function, initialization function, etc.). From here, start to trace the code execution process, and gradually deepen.
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Read comments and documentation: Look for comments and documentation in the code, and read them carefully. These comments and documents usually explain the function of the code, design ideas, algorithm implementation, etc.
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Trace function calls and data flow: Understand the execution flow of code and the processing of key data structures by tracing function calls and data flow. Stepping through with a debugger can be a useful tool.
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Research dependencies and interfaces: View dependencies and interface calls in your code. This can help you understand how modules collaborate and how information is exchanged.
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Test and verify the code: run related test cases to verify the correctness of the code and whether the function implementation meets expectations. Test cases can usually be found in the corresponding directory in the code repository.
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Refer to other resources: In addition to the source code of WebRTC, you can also refer to other resources such as developer blogs, technical forums and articles for deeper understanding and practical experience.
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Communicate with the community: If you encounter difficulties or have questions, don't hesitate to ask the WebRTC developer community. They are usually happy to help you with questions and provide guidance.
When reading source code, be patient and persistent, and don't expect to fully understand the code in one go. Through in-depth reading and practice, gradually accumulate understanding and mastery of the code base.