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Getting Started

Welcome to Steam Stats! If you've just completed the installation, you're ready to understand how Steam Stats works and what you can do with it.

What You've Just Set Up

Steam Stats is now configured to automatically fetch your Steam data and generate cards for your GitHub profile. Here's what happens behind the scenes:

The Process

  1. Scheduled Trigger - Your GitHub Action runs every Monday at midnight IST (default)
  2. Data Fetching - Steam Stats connects to Steam's API using your credentials
  3. Card Generation - Creates PNG cards with your gaming statistics
  4. README Update - Automatically embeds cards between your comment markers

What Gets Created

  • Steam User Card - Profile summary with image and account details
  • Recently Played Games - Last 2 weeks of gaming activity with playtime and game logo
  • Workshop Stats (Optional) - Aggregated statistics from your created content

Verify Your Setup

Check Your First Run

After running the workflow manually or waiting for the scheduled run:

  1. Visit your repository - Your README should now display the generated cards
  2. Check for new files - PNG files are created in your repository
  3. Review the workflow logs - Ensure no errors occurred during generation

What Success Looks Like

Your README will show cards similar to these examples:

Steam Stats Example Recent Games Example When Log Scale is Enabled

Workshop Stats Example

Understanding Your Cards

Steam User Summary

  • Profile Information - Username, avatar, and Currently Playing
  • Account Status - Online state and profile visibility
  • Others - Account creation date and country

Recently Played Games

  • Game Selection - Shows games played in the last 14 days
  • Playtime Data - Hours played with the game name
  • Visual Design - Game artwork and clean layout

Workshop Statistics (If Enabled)

  • Subscriber Count - Total subscribers across all your items
  • Favorites - Total number of users who favorited your content
  • Unique Visitors - Total unique visitors to your workshop items

Customization Options

Update Frequency

Your Steam Stats currently update every Monday. You can modify this schedule:

  • Daily updates - For active streamers or content creators
  • Weekly updates - Balanced approach (current default)
  • Manual only - Update on-demand when needed

Learn more about scheduling

Card Positioning

You control where cards appear by placing comment markers in your README:

  • Above or below other sections
  • In specific order (Steam Stats must come before Workshop)
  • With custom spacing and surrounding content

Workshop Integration

Workshop cards are entirely optional:

  • Remove Workshop comments if you don't create content
  • Keep comments but leave empty if you plan to add content later
  • Add Workshop content to showcase your creations

Project Structure & Files

Steam Stats creates and manages several files in your repository: 

your-repository/
├── .github/
├────── workflows/
├──────────── steam-stats.yml # GitHub Action workflow
├── README.md # Your profile with embedded cards
├── assets/
├────── steam_summary.png # Generated user summary card
├────── recently_played_games.png # Generated recent games card
└────── steam_workshop_stats.png # Generated workshop card (optional)

For developers interested in the complete project structure, see the project layout documentation for Steam Stats.

What's Next?

Now that Steam Stats is working, here are your next steps based on what you want to accomplish:

New Users (Just want it to work)

Customizers (Want to modify behavior)

Explorers (Want to see possibilities)

Contributors (Want to help improve)

Detailed Getting Started Topics

This section covers specific aspects of getting started with Steam Stats:

  • Prerequisites

    System requirements, account setup and what you need before starting

  • Steam API Setup

    Detailed guide to obtaining and configuring your Steam Web API key

  • GitHub Action Setup

    Deep dive into workflow configuration and GitHub Actions integration

  • README Integration

    Advanced comment placement, formatting and README best practices

Common First-Time Questions

"When will I see my first stats?"

  • Manual trigger: Results appear within 2-3 minutes
  • Scheduled run: Next Monday at midnight IST (default)
  • GitHub Actions: Check the Actions tab for workflow status

"What if I don't have recent gaming activity?"

  • Cards will still generate with your profile information
  • Recent games card may show "No recent activity"
  • Workshop card only appears if you have published content

"Can I use this with multiple Steam accounts?"

  • Currently supports one Steam account per repository
  • You can set up separate repositories for different accounts
  • Enterprise use cases can be discussed in GitHub issues

"What data is collected and stored?"

  • Your Steam Web API key and IDs stay in your own repository secrets never in code or logs.
  • Steam Stats fetches public data from the Steam API at build time and does not store it anywhere after the job ends.
  • The only permanent files it adds are the generated PNG cards committed to your repository.

Need Help?

If you encounter issues or have questions:

  1. Check specific guides - Use the detailed topic pages above
  2. Review troubleshooting - Common solutions
  3. Search existing issues - GitHub Issues
  4. Ask the community - Open a new issue for help

Congratulations! You're now ready to showcase your Steam gaming statistics alongside your code contributions. Your GitHub profile just got a lot more interesting!