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Showing posts from August 12, 2025

Structuring Success How to Organize Your Jekyll Project for GitHub Pages

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When you start a Jekyll project, the way you organize your files and folders sets the stage for future success. A well-structured project is easier to navigate, simpler to maintain, and much more scalable as your website grows. It also makes your project more intuitive for anyone else who might need to work on it. This article will provide you with best practices and actionable tips for organizing your Jekyll project effectively, ensuring you build a clean and professional website on GitHub Pages. By following these guidelines, you can avoid common pitfalls and create a site that is a pleasure to work with, both for you and for the Jekyll build system. Table of Contents Organizing Your Content The Right Way Consistent Naming Conventions Separating Posts from Pages Best Practices for Design and Reusability Centralizing Your Layouts and Includes Managing Static Assets Cleanly Keeping Your Project Clean and Professional ...

Inside Jekyll A Comprehensive Guide to its Directory Structure

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If you want to master Jekyll and build a professional website on GitHub Pages, a deep understanding of its directory structure is essential. It's the blueprint that dictates how your website is built. This article provides a comprehensive tour of every significant file and folder in a Jekyll project. We will go beyond the basics to explain the function of each component, from the core configuration files to the advanced data and styling directories. By the end of this guide, you'll have a complete mental map of a Jekyll project, giving you the confidence to manage, expand, and troubleshoot your site effectively. This knowledge is what turns a beginner into a skilled Jekyll user. Table of Contents The Root The Project's Command Center _config.yml The Master Settings File Gemfile and Gemfile.lock Managing Dependencies The Underlined Directories The Core Components _posts The Blog Engine _layouts and _includes The Design System _dat...

Understanding the Jekyll Build Process

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You've seen all the files and folders in a Jekyll project, but have you ever wondered how they all come together to form a final website? The magic happens when you run the build command. Jekyll, as a static site generator, is a program that takes your source files and compiles them into a complete, static website. This process is a straightforward, step-by-step conversion from your raw content and templates into pure HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Understanding this workflow is essential because it helps you debug problems and make sure your files are in the right places. Let's walk through the journey of a file, from its initial creation to its final form in your live website. The entire build process is designed to be automated and predictable. Jekyll follows a set of internal rules that govern how it handles each file type and folder. It knows which files to process, which ones to copy directly, and which ones to ignore completely. This predictable workflow is what mak...

Powering Your GitHub Pages with Jekyll A Deep Dive into the Folder Layout

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If you've ever felt overwhelmed by the files in a Jekyll project, you're not alone. The folder layout might seem complex at first, but it's actually the key to Jekyll’s power. This structure is designed to separate your content from your design and your configuration from everything else. By understanding the purpose of each directory, you can build a more powerful, organized, and scalable website on GitHub Pages. This article will take a deeper dive into the folder layout, explaining not just what each folder is for, but also how it enables you to create a professional and easy-to-maintain website. Think of it as peeling back the layers to see how Jekyll truly works behind the scenes. Table of Contents The Three Layers of Your Jekyll Site Layer 1 The Content Engine Layer 2 The Design Framework Layer 3 The Configuration Core The Assets and the Final Product Managing Static Assets Like a Pro Understanding ...