Installation

The two most common ways of installing this theme is either using the git clone command, or the gem-based approach.

Either way will work just fine.

If this theme is the basis for your own theme, then it seems prudent to use the clone command. The cloned repository can then serve as the master repository for your websites.

If the only purpose is to create a website, then the gem command will result in less clutter in the website directory.

This installation description presupposes that Jekyll is already installed. If not, please check out the Jekyll website for more information.

No matter which installation method is chosen it is always prudent to make sure the Jekyll environment is up to date by updating the gems:

gem update

Using the Git clone command

Preparing for Installation

The theme uses a pluging called ‘jekyll-data’.

This is installed with the command:

gem install jekyll-data

At the time of writing jekyll-data is at version 1.0.0. The developper of jekyll-data has announced that all versions below 2.0.0 should be compatible.

Install

Create a new repository with:

git clone https://github.com/Balancingrock/classic-jekyll-theme repository-name

of course the repository-name should be replaced with the name of new local repository.

If the theme will be modified and used in more than one website, it may be advantageous to use the local repository only for theme related work. And use the local repository as the master repository for other website development. If you know your way around git, we would even advise to create a separate branch for your own development efforts. That makes it more manageable to merge future changes from the classic theme.

Setup

There is 1 change that should be made first: in _config.yml and _sass/classic-jekyll-theme.scss change the definition of baseurl from “classic-jekyll-theme” to "”.

Now start the jekyll server with the command:

bundle exec jekyll serve

Next point your browser to: localhost:4000 and you will see the same site as this one, but hosted on your own computer.

If the baseurl was not changed, then point the browser to localhost:4000/classic-jekyll-theme/index.html.

To stop the jekyll server use the key combination: CTRL-C.

It is recommended to explore the files _config.yml, _data/setup.yml and _sass/classic-jekyll-theme.scss before making changes to the theme itself. In general it is save to change any setting in these files and check the results of a modification in the browser. Note that any changes to _config.yml require a restart of the server as above. Changes to setup and classic-jekyll-theme can be seen bij saving the file and reloading the browser. Note that some changes may require a few seconds before the compilation is ready.

Always check the output of the compilation in the terminal (command line) window! Error messages will appear in that window, not the browser!

And finally: When using git clone you will end up with files in the pages and _posts directory that you don’t need (or want!) Simply delete what you cannot use from any of these directories (the pages directory can be deleted completely)

Gem based

Install the theme with the command:

gem install classic-jekyll-theme

Since you will need to copy some files from the gem directory, check where that directory is with:

bundle show classic-jekyll-theme

For convenience you can create an alias to the gem directory at the same level as the root of your website directory.

Create a new site & Setup

Create a new website with:

jekyll new mysite

Change to the new directory mysite.

Copy the file _sass/classic-jekyll-theme.scss from the gem directory to mysite/_sass/classic-jekyll-theme.scss Copy the file _data/setup.yml from the gem directory to mysite/_data/setup.yml

In the file mysite/_config.yml change theme: minima to theme: classic-jekyll-theme. In the file mysite/Gemfile change gem “minima”, “~> 2.0” to gem “classic-jekyll-theme”. In the file mysite/_sass/classic-jekyll-theme.scss change $baseurl: “classic-jekyll-theme” to $baseurl: ““.

Optional:

• Remove the mysite/about.md file.
• Copy the folder icons from the gem directory to mysite/icons (to be used as examples, replace them later with icons of your own)
• Copy the file banner-area.md from the gem directory to mysite/banner-area.md (needed when using a separate banner file, which is not used by default)

Now you are ready to start the jekyll server:

bundle exec jekyll serve

(Note: depending on what was done before, the Gemfile.lock may cause problems. If so, simply delete that file. Anytime the bundle command is run it will be recreated when its is not present, and on recreation it will also be filled with the correct data)

It is recommended to explore the files _config.yml, _data/setup.yml and _sass/classic-jekyll-theme.scss before making changes to the theme itself. In general it is save to change any setting in these files and check the results of a modification in the browser. Note that any changes to _config.yml require a restart of the server as above. Changes to setup and classic-jekyll-theme can be seen bij saving the file and reloading the browser. Note that some changes may require a few seconds before the compilation is ready.

Always check the output of the compilation in the terminal (command line) window! Error messages will appear in that window, not the browser!

To stop the jekyll server use the key combination: CTRL-C.