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+# Instructions for creating distribution for the OpenDA course
+
+For use with the OpenDA course a custom OpenDA Windows distribution is created.
+
+## Requirements
+
+- OpenDA Win64 build
+- Java JRE x64 
+- Visual Studio Code portable mode
+
+## Directory structure
+
+Create the following directory structure:
+
+    - course_distribution
+        - openda
+        - course
+        - jre
+        - visual studio code
+
+## OpenDA build
+
+
+
+
+## Java JRE
+
+Download the custom Windows 64 JRE which is created for use with OpenDA from the [Teamcity Build server](https://build.deltares.nl/project.html?projectId=OpenDA_OpenjdkJreBuild_Win64&tab=projectOverview). Unzip the ` openda-jre-windows-*.zip` and copy the contents to ` course_distribution\jre`. Make sure the `jre` directory directly contains the `bin`, `conf`, etc subdirectories.
+
+## Visual Studio Code portable mode
+
+Visual Studio Code supports a [Portable mode](https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/editor/portable). This mode enables all data created and maintained by VS Code to live near itself, so it can be moved around across environments.
+
+Follow the instructions provided by Microsoft on https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/editor/portable. When unzipping Visual Studio Code make sure that target location is `course_distribution\visual studio code`.
+
+After setup install the following useful extensions (`File -> Preferences -> Extensions`):
+
+- Log File Highlighter `emilast.logfilehighlighter`
+- Rainbow CSV `mechatroner.rainbow-csv`
+- Edit csv `janisdd.vscode-edit-csv`
+- Data Preview `randomfractalsinc.vscode-data-preview`
+- XML `redhat.vscode-xml`
+- Python `ms-python.python`
+
+For the the XML plugin a JRE is required. Configure `xml.java.home` in the Visual Studio Code `settings.json` file like
+```json
+{
+    "xml.java.home": "..\\jre",
+}
+```
+In this way we use the JRE that is inside the course distribution.