Website Development Workflow

Branch Strategy

• main: Production branch - changes here are automatically deployed to the live site
• dev: Development branch for ongoing work and testing
• Feature branches: Create from dev for specific updates (e.g., feature/new-member-page)

Basic Development Process

1. Start in the development branch

   git checkout dev
   git pull origin dev  # Make sure you have the latest changes
   

2. Make your changes

   • Update content files
   • Add new members, publications, or news items
   • Test locally if possible using Jekyll’s local server:

     bundle exec jekyll serve
     

   • View the local site at http://localhost:4000

3. Commit your changes with descriptive messages

   git add .
   git commit -m "Add description of what you changed"
   

4. Push to GitHub

   git push origin dev
   

5. Create a pull request when ready to deploy

   • Go to GitHub repository
   • Create a PR from dev to main
   • Describe your changes
   • Wait for the automated checks to complete
   • Merge after review

Working with Issues

1. Creating an issue

   • Go to the “Issues” tab in GitHub
   • Click “New issue”
   • Choose an issue template (Bug report or Content update)
   • Fill in the required information
   • Submit the issue

2. Working on an issue

   • Assign yourself to the issue
   • Reference the issue number in your commit messages:

     git commit -m "Add new team member photo (fixes #42)"
     

Content Organization

• _data/: Centralized data files (members, publications)
• assets/member_photos/: Team member photos
• assets/gallery/: Gallery images
• _scripts/: Automation scripts

Common Tasks

Adding a New Team Member

1. Add their photo to assets/member_photos/
2. Create or update their data in the appropriate files
3. Add them to the correct navigation list in _includes/

Adding a Publication

1. Add the publication to _bibliography/publications.bib
2. Run the generation script: python3 _scripts/generate_publications.py
3. Commit both the updated BibTeX file and the generated files

Adding a News Post

1. Create a new file in _posts/ with the format YYYY-MM-DD-title.md
2. Add required front matter and content
3. Add any related images to assets/images/

Getting Help

If you encounter issues or need assistance:

1. Check the documentation in the docs/ directory
2. Create an issue on GitHub describing your problem
3. Ask a team member for guidance