2022 February, 1
J1 Template is a Bootstrap V5 website template for the static site generator Jekyll.
The Theme J1 has been developed to create simple but fully configurable websites. Jekyll One is a full-featured Theme for Jekyll to create modern websites for free.
2 Minutes to read
Background
Many large companies today, like //docs.docker.com/[Docker, window="_blank"] are using template-based systems to create their documentation web sites. Or like //atlas.oreilly.com/[Atlas, window="_blank"] a writers platform for books or extensive documentation created and managed by the publishing company O’Reilly.
All these platforms are technically different, but they share common ideas:
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the layout of all content is based on a standard skeleton but separated from the content
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content is written using a neutral meta-language
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the final output is not predefined
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the result is automatically generated by engines
To make these real, a lot of things are to be managed. The approaches of Docker or O’Reilly points to a possible solution: a template system based on Bootstrap for the CSS framework, and Jekyll or Liquid for the core engines, and finally Asciidoc for a neutral meta-language writing content.
Next steps
The next thought comes to my mind. Why developing a toolset for only document servers? Documentation webs of today are complex websites. Some features used for general web design may be not needed for documentation systems, but a lot of components are required that are wanted in general:
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a powerful CSS and Javascript framework
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a modular approach for dynamic content and apps
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a configuration system to separate content from the layout and to automate creation processes following the development pattern Model–View–Controller.
A plan was made in 2016, based on Jekyll V3 and Bootstrap V3, to create a template-based robot system that can be used for all types of websites, for all standard formats to create digital content.
Today
I was too optimistic about how long it would take to build such a system:
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easy to use by developers and non-technical people
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modular, powerful and stable
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supporting modern design based on HTML V5 and Bootstrap V5
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usable on common computer hardware
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fully responsible on all devices
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entirely usable on PCs locally as well as on powerful remote systems on the Internet
It took me ages. Now in 2023, I can present the latest version of J1 Template for the public. Hopefully, most of the objectives I had on my mind are achieved.
Happy Jekylling!