Help with compiling code from Github

[SandyCrak]

I really need some help and advice as my programming knowledge is minimal, can I build software from Github (source code) on the pi then run it on the pi?
...I'll give you some background to this. I've been trying to make a laser tag host for the Nerf/Hasbro/Tiger laser taggers which use the ltto protocol. I found instructions to build the infra-red transmitter/receiver and used the Lazer Swarm software (http://www.lazerswarm.com/) to succeffully run the host on a windows PC (hooray!)
Every since getting my first Pi, I have been trying to find a way to get the software to run on the Pi3. My understanding is that if I have the source code (I can locate this on Github) then it can be built/compiled (sorry, I don't know the correct term) on the Pi, then run on the Pi.

Is my understanding correct, or am I barking up the wrong tree? Any advice feedback is welcome, just be gentle with me and assume I know practically nothing about building software.

[jamesh]

If the code was written specifically for a Windows machine, then probably no. If it was written for a Linux machine, probably yes. If it was written to cope with both systems, then probably yes.

[DougieLawson]

Give us a URL for the stuff on github and we'll have a better chance of helping you.

[B.Goode]

From the Lazer Swarm website:

System Requirements:

A computer running Windows 7, 8.1, or 10

Your Raspberry Pi does not meet that requirement.

Perhaps you should be seeking support from the developer/maintainer of the software to produce a more portable cross-platform implementation.

(Or perhaps it is portable already but they don't want to advertise the fact because they can't cope with the inevitable requests for support.)

[SandyCrak]

Give us a URL for the stuff on github and we'll have a better chance of helping you.

This is the Github site with the source code: https://github.com/astrospark/LazerTagHost

[DougieLawson]

You might get that running under Mono (if you're lucky) or you're going to have to re-write the C# code as C or C++.

There's an article in an old MagPi magazine about getting Mono running.
https://www.raspberrypi.org/magpi/issues/30/

[SandyCrak]

You might get that running under Mono (if you're lucky) or you're going to have to re-write the C# code as C or C++.

There's an article in an old MagPi magazine about getting Mono running.
https://www.raspberrypi.org/magpi/issues/30/

Thanks Dougie, I did try Mono and the the program ran, started to draw the screen, then failed with a bunch of error messages, which I have interpreted as 'not compatible'.
For your comment about re-writing the C# code: With my very basic programming knowledge, where would I start with this? There doesn't appear to be tons of source code, so I imagine that this would be quite feasible assuming I knew what I was doing. I just don't know where to start...

[DougieLawson]

Go and ask the author.

There's loads of C# code in his/her repo. You just need to understand what it's doing and what messages it exchanges with the Arduino.