Documentation

Current Version: v0.9.0-beta (March 2026) This documentation covers Telar v0.9.0-beta. See the Telar CHANGELOG for release notes.

Welcome to the Telar documentation. This guide will help you create visual narrative exhibitions using IIIF images and scrollytelling.

Getting Started

New to Telar? Start here:

• Quick Start - Build your first exhibition step by step
• Plan Your Narrative - Understand the narrative model
• Add Your Content - Upload images, create stories
• Review and Refine - Polish your exhibition

Set Up Your Site

• Manual Setup - Google Sheets + GitHub, no installation required
• Local Development - CSV + Jekyll for full control
• Upgrading - Keep your site up to date

Configure Your Site

• Config Generator and Editor - Create or edit your _config.yml
• Configuration Reference - Complete list of settings
• Config Validator - Check for errors before committing

Your Content

• Objects - Define objects in your spreadsheet with metadata like title, creator, and period
• Self-Hosted Images - Upload images and Telar generates zoomable IIIF tiles automatically
• External IIIF Images - Use images from museums, libraries, and other IIIF providers
• Stories & Panels - Step-by-step narratives with detail panels
• Rich Content - Markdown files for richer panels
• Markdown Syntax - Formatting reference
• Widgets - Carousels, tabs, accordions

Your Data

• Google Sheets - Spreadsheet setup and workflow
• Project Columns - project.csv reference
• Object Columns - objects.csv reference
• Story Columns - Story CSV reference
• Glossary Columns - glossary.csv reference

Site Features

• Objects Gallery - Browse, search, and filter your collection
• Glossary - Terms viewers can look up inline
• Private Stories - Encrypt stories with a key
• Custom Pages - Standalone pages outside stories
• Embedding in Canvas - Embed in LMS platforms

Customization

• Themes - Choose or create visual themes
• Home Page - Customize the landing page
• Navigation Menu - Configure the nav menu
• Demo Content - Built-in demo stories

For Developers

• Local Dev Setup - Ruby, Jekyll, and Python setup
• GitHub Actions - CI/CD workflow reference
• Demo System - How the demo content system works
• Embedding System - LMS embedding architecture
• Advanced Styling - Custom CSS and layouts
• Mobile Optimization - Responsive design guidelines