Files
foldsite/docs/content/explore.md
Tanishq Dubey ad81d7f3db
All checks were successful
Datadog Software Composition Analysis / Datadog SBOM Generation and Upload (push) Successful in 52s
Datadog Secrets Scanning / Datadog Static Analyzer (push) Successful in 1m1s
Datadog Static Analysis / Datadog Static Analyzer (push) Successful in 5m50s
docs refactor
2025-10-09 18:21:23 -04:00

357 lines
8.4 KiB
Markdown

---
version: "1.0"
date: "2025-01-15"
author: "DWS Foldsite Team"
title: "Explore Foldsites"
description: "Real-world Foldsite examples and inspiration"
summary: "Discover websites built with Foldsite - from personal blogs to photo portfolios and documentation sites."
quick_tips:
- "Real sites provide the best learning examples"
- "View source to see how they're built"
- "Steal ideas (with attribution) and make them your own"
---
# Explore Foldsites
See what people are building with Foldsite. These real-world examples demonstrate different approaches, designs, and use cases.
## Featured Sites
### Personal Sites & Blogs
#### Tanishq Dubey's Site
**URL:** [https://tanishq.page](https://tanishq.page)
**Type:** Personal blog + photo gallery
**Highlights:**
- Clean, minimal design
- Mix of blog posts and photo galleries
- Breadcrumb navigation
- Responsive layout
**What you can learn:**
- How to combine blog and gallery in one site
- Sidebar navigation pattern
- Photo organization by folders
---
### Documentation Sites
#### Foldsite Documentation
**URL:** (This site!)
**Type:** Product documentation
**Highlights:**
- Hierarchical content organization
- Sibling page navigation
- Code examples with syntax highlighting
- Comprehensive frontmatter usage
**What you can learn:**
- Documentation site structure
- Template organization
- Content hierarchy best practices
---
## Community Showcase
*This section is community-curated. Add your site below!*
### How to Add Your Site
Built something with Foldsite? Share it with the community!
**To add your site:**
1. Fork the Foldsite repository
2. Edit `docs/content/explore.md`
3. Add your site using this template:
```markdown
#### Your Site Name
**URL:** https://your-site.com
**Type:** Blog / Portfolio / Gallery / Docs / Other
**Highlights:**
- Key feature 1
- Key feature 2
- Key feature 3
**What makes it special:**
Brief description of unique aspects or interesting implementation details.
```
4. Submit a pull request
**Guidelines:**
- Your site must be publicly accessible
- Must be built with Foldsite
- Keep description concise
- No commercial promotion (personal/hobby sites only)
- Family-friendly content
---
## Inspiration Gallery
### Blog Designs
**Minimalist Blog**
- Clean typography
- Lots of whitespace
- Focus on content
- Tag-based navigation
**Magazine Style**
- Grid layout
- Featured images
- Multi-column
- Category sections
**Tech Blog**
- Syntax highlighting
- Code-focused
- Dark mode
- Technical diagrams
### Photo Galleries
**Travel Photography**
- Location-based organization
- EXIF data display
- Lightbox viewing
- Map integration (possible)
**Portfolio Site**
- Project-based galleries
- About/contact pages
- Custom landing page
- Client testimonials
**Photo Blog**
- Mix of photos and text
- Chronological posts
- Photo series
- Behind-the-scenes content
### Documentation Styles
**API Reference**
- Code examples
- Parameter tables
- Return value documentation
- Search functionality
**User Guide**
- Step-by-step tutorials
- Screenshots/diagrams
- Prerequisites sections
- Troubleshooting guides
**Knowledge Base**
- FAQ style
- Search by category
- Related articles
- Quick answers
## Design Patterns
Common patterns seen across successful Foldsites:
### Navigation
**Sidebar Navigation** (Like example_site)
```
┌─────────────┬──────────────────────────┐
│ │ │
│ Sidebar │ Main Content │
│ Nav │ │
│ │ │
│ - Home │ Page content here... │
│ - About │ │
│ - Blog │ │
│ - Photos │ │
│ │ │
└─────────────┴──────────────────────────┘
```
**Top Navigation**
```
┌────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Logo Home About Blog Contact │
├────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ Main Content │
│ │
└────────────────────────────────────────┘
```
**Breadcrumb Navigation**
```
Home / Blog / 2024 / My Post
────────────────────────────────────────
Post Content
````
### Layouts
**Single Column**
- Best for reading
- Focus on content
- Mobile-friendly by default
**Two Column**
- Content + sidebar
- Related posts/navigation
- Additional information
**Grid**
- Photo galleries
- Post previews
- Portfolio items
## Learning from Examples
### View Source
All Foldsites are just HTML, CSS, and markdown. View source to learn:
1. **Right-click → View Page Source** - See rendered HTML
2. **Check `/styles/` URLs** - View CSS files
3. **Look at URL structure** - Understand content organization
### Clone and Experiment
For open source Foldsites:
```bash
# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/user/their-site.git
# Copy their templates
cp -r their-site/templates my-site/templates
# Customize and make it your own
```
### Adaptation Guidelines
**Do:**
- Study patterns and techniques
- Adapt ideas to your needs
- Give credit for inspiration
- Make it your own
**Don't:**
- Copy entire sites wholesale
- Use someone else's content
- Steal unique designs exactly
- Claim others' work as yours
## Themes & Templates
### Official Examples
**example_site/** (in repository)
- Typical blog/gallery site
- Shows common patterns
- Breadcrumb navigation
- Sidebar layout
### Community Themes
*Coming soon! Community-contributed themes will be listed here.*
Want to contribute a theme? See [Theme Gallery](theme-gallery.md).
## Case Studies
### From Idea to Site
**Case Study 1: Personal Blog**
**Goal:** Simple blog to share thoughts
**Time:** 2 hours
**Approach:**
1. Started with `example_site` templates
2. Customized colors and fonts
3. Added personal branding
4. Deployed to GitHub Pages
**Lessons learned:**
- Start simple, iterate
- Templates cascade saves time
- Custom homepage makes it special
---
**Case Study 2: Photography Portfolio**
**Goal:** Showcase travel photography
**Time:** 4 hours
**Approach:**
1. Organized photos by location/trip
2. Used `__folder.image.html` template
3. Added EXIF data display
4. Integrated lightbox library
**Lessons learned:**
- Folder structure = site structure
- EXIF data adds context
- Thumbnail generation is automatic
---
**Case Study 3: Project Documentation**
**Goal:** Document open source project
**Time:** 6 hours
**Approach:**
1. Mirrored code structure in content
2. Created hierarchical docs
3. Added code examples
4. Set up sibling navigation
**Lessons learned:**
- Mirror mental model in folders
- Breadcrumbs essential for deep hierarchies
- Code blocks need good syntax highlighting
## Tips from the Community
> "Start with one template and iterate. Don't try to build everything at once."
> — Early Foldsite user
> "The folder structure IS the site structure. Once I understood that, everything clicked."
> — Documentation writer
> "Use hidden files (`___`) for drafts. Game changer for my workflow."
> — Blogger
> "Template helpers like `get_recent_posts()` saved me so much time. No database needed!"
> — Former WordPress user
## Your Site Here
Built something with Foldsite? We'd love to feature it!
**Submission criteria:**
- Publicly accessible
- Built with Foldsite
- Demonstrates interesting pattern or design
- Well-executed (doesn't have to be perfect!)
**How to submit:**
1. Open issue on GitHub with "Showcase" label
2. Include URL, description, and what makes it special
3. We'll review and add to this page
## Explore More
- **[Recipes](recipes/)** - Template code you can copy
- **[Theme Gallery](theme-gallery.md)** - Downloadable themes
- **[Templates Guide](templates/)** - Learn the system
- **[Support](support.md)** - Get help building your site
**Ready to build?** [Get Started](index.md#quick-start)
*Remember: Every great Foldsite started as an empty folder. Your site could be featured here next!*