New Onboarding Doc for Future URA Student

[zyf265600]

Pull Request Description

Summary

Adds onboarding documentation for future URA students joining the Checker Framework project.

What's Added

• Java Compilation Deep Dive: Detailed explanation of javac phases (PARSE → ENTER → ANALYZE → GENERATE)
• Annotation Processor Tutorial: Step-by-step analysis of how Checker Framework integrates with javac
• Real Code Examples: Concrete walkthrough using NewObject.java compilation process

Key Documentation Sections

1. Introduction: Project overview and learning objectives
2. Processor Fundamentals: Java annotation processing concepts and lifecycle
3. Checker Framework Mechanics: Detailed analysis of initialization, registration, and type checking phases

Files Changed

• docs/manual/ura-onboarding.md
• docs/examples/NewObject.java

[thisisalexandercook]

Thanks for submitting this! My sense is that it would be a big ask to have URA students work through this doc and it may not be applicable depending on the specific project.

I think a lot of this content may be available in the Checker Framework manual and/or other java resources. I wonder if this could be condensed into a 'helpful resources' doc that could aid in discoverability?

[zyf265600]

Thanks for submitting this! My sense is that it would be a big ask to have URA students work through this doc and it may not be applicable depending on the specific project.

I think a lot of this content may be available in the Checker Framework manual and/or other java resources. I wonder if this could be condensed into a 'helpful resources' doc that could aid in discoverability?

Thanks for the feedback! I agree that the current draft might be too detailed for an onboarding doc and that not every URA project will need this level of depth. My original intent was to provide a deeper reference for students who want to understand the internals more thoroughly, but I see how this could be better positioned as an optional resource rather than mandatory onboarding material.

I’ll refactor this into a “Helpful Resources” document instead, so that new students can easily discover and consult it when needed, without being overloaded during onboarding.