for instance if the hansa decided to start up a salter in Visby would they send up craftsmen who know how to do it or did they send up books with instructions, or a combination of both?
I don't think the Hansa was that centralised, but I'm not sure. What I do know is you generally didn't apply specifically to be a Hansa trader. You was counted as a member if you acquired the right to be a burger in a city that was a Hansa. So if you got the right to citizenship in Visby as a salter, you were a Hansa salter by default.