Local authoring & builds
Local authoring means editing your exhibition's source files on your computer and generating a preview there. You work with CSV and Markdown files in your preferred editor and use Telar's tools to turn them into a website.
Choose this approach if you want direct access to the files, want to customise the site or need control over building and hosting it. The result is a static site you can publish on GitHub Pages or another web server.
The files you work with
- CSV: plain-text tables for the object catalogue, story list, steps and glossary.
- Markdown: text files for longer panels, glossary entries and supporting pages.
- Media files: images and other materials hosted by your site. You can also reference IIIF objects and media hosted by other collections.
- Configuration: files that define the site's title, language, theme and navigation.
How it works
- Set up a local copy. Get the Telar source files and install the tools needed to build the site.
- Edit and preview. Add your sources, write stories and build a preview in your browser. Repeat as you check framings, text and links.
- Publish. Send changes to your GitHub repository to build the public site, or host the generated files on your chosen server.
The local preview lets you review the work before publishing. Keep your editable source files: they are the starting point for revisions and future editions of the site.
Before you begin
You should be comfortable working with folders, editing text files and running commands in a terminal. The installation guide covers the tools you need: Ruby, Python, Node.js and Git. If you are still developing the narrative, begin with Plan an exhibition.
In this manual
- Install and run Telar locally
- Edit objects, stories and text files
- Rebuild and inspect the local site
- Publish and maintain a local project