title: J1 Template tagline: first version is out

categories: [ Knowledge ] tags: [ J1, Template ]

image: /assets/images/modules/attics/runner-1920x1200.jpg

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      - url:                          /assets/images/modules/attics/runner-1920x1200.jpg
        alt:                          Photo by Alex Holyoake on Unsplash
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// Page Initializer // ============================================================================= // Enable the Liquid Preprocessor :page-liquid:

// Set (local) page attributes here // —————————————————————————– // :page–attr: <attr-value> :badges-enabled: false

// Place an excerpt at the most top position // —————————————————————————–

role=“dropcap”

The template system was initially developed to create a simple but fully configurable website creation toolset for document servers. Document servers provide websites or other content formats like PDF, projects, software documentation, or similar approaches.

excerpt__end

// Load Liquid procedures // —————————————————————————– {% capture load_attributes %}themes/{{site.template.name}}/procedures/global/attributes_loader.proc{%endcapture%}

// Load page attributes // —————————————————————————– {% include {{load_attributes}} scope=“global” %}

// Page content // ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

// Include sub-documents // —————————————————————————–

ifeval::[{badges-enabled} == true] {badge-j1–license} {badge-j1–version-latest} {badge-j1-gh–last-commit} {badge-j1–downloads} endif::[]

Many large today's companies like {url-docker–docs}[Docker, {browser-window–new}] are using template-based systems to create their documentation sites. Or like {url-oreilly-atlas–home}[O'Reilly Atlas, {browser-window–new}], to provide a fully-featured writers platform for writing books or extensive documentation.

All these platforms are technically different, but they share common ideas:

  • the layout of all content (pages) is based on a standard skeleton but separated from the content

  • content is written using a neutral meta-language

  • the final output is not predefined

  • the result is automatically generated by engines (robots)

To make these real, a lot of things are to be managed. You can imagine. The approaches of Docker or O'Reilly points to a possible solution: a template system based on Bootstrap for the CCS framework, Jekyll and Liquid for the core engines, and Asciidoc (Asciidoctor) for a neutral meta-language writing content.

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:

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.

I was too optimistic about how long it would take to build such a system:

  • easy to use by developers and non-technical people

  • modular, powerful and stable

  • supporting modern content design

  • usable on common computer hardware, available to the public

  • less in components, using well-known software

  • entirely usable on small PCs locally as well as on powerful remote systems on the Internet

It took me nearly four years. Now, in early 2021, I can present the first version of J1 Template for the public. Hopefully, most of the objectives are achieved.

Have fun!