portfolio-template

Welcome to the Portfolio Template repository! This template provides a simple starting point for students to create their own personal portfolio websites using Jekyll and GitHub Pages. Follow the instructions below to fork the repository, customize it, and publish your site. This repo is just a starting place. Feel free to make your own modifications, or use different tooling entirely for your own portfolio site.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following:

• A GitHub account
• Basic knowledge of Git and GitHub
• Ruby and Bundler installed on your local machine

Getting Started

1. Fork the Repository

   • Click the "Fork" button at the top right of this page to create a copy of this repository in your GitHub account.
   • Remove "-template" from your new repo name so that the repo name is just "portfolio", or whatever you'd like to name it.

2. **Enable GitHub Actions **

   • Browse to your forked repository on GitHub.
   • Navigate to the Actions tab.
   • Confirm that you'd like to use the GitHub Actions copied over from the fork defined in the .github/workflows directory.

3. Clone Your Fork

   • Open your terminal and run the following command, replacing YOUR_USERNAME with your GitHub username and YOUR_REPO_NAME with your chosen repo name:

     git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/YOUR_REPO_NAME.git
     

4. Navigate to the Project Directory

   cd YOUR_REPO_NAME
   

5. Install Dependencies

   • Run the following command to install the required gems:

     bundle install
     

Customizing Your Site

1. Modify the Configuration Files

   • Open the _config.yml file in your favorite text editor.
   • Update the fields with your own personal info.

2. Add Your Content

   • You can add your own new sections in the _data directory, and/or modify the existing ones.

3. Run the Site Locally

   • Use the following command to serve your site locally and see the changes:

     jekyll serve

Deploying Your Site

1. Push Your Changes to GitHub

   • After making your changes, commit and push them to your forked repository:

    git add .
    git commit -m "Customize site"
    git push origin main

2. Visit Your Site

   • Your site should be live at https://YOUR_USERNAME.github.io/YOUR_REPO_NAME.
   • You can check your GitHub Pages status and settings under Settings > Pages in your repo.

(Optional) Choosing a Different Jekyll Theme

By default this repo uses this theme: https://github.com/byanko55/jekyll-professional-resume

If you want to use a different Jekyll theme, follow these steps:

1. Find a Jekyll Theme

   • Browse Jekyll Themes or GitHub Pages Themes to find a theme you like.

2. Update the Gemfile

   • Open the Gemfile and replace the existing theme with your chosen theme. For example:

     gem "your-chosen-theme"
     

3. Update the Configuration

   • Modify the _config.yml file to include the new theme name

(Optional) Using a CNAME File for Custom Domain

If you want to use a custom domain for your GitHub Pages site rather than using the free github.io domain, follow these steps:

1. Purchase a Domain

   • Buy a domain from a domain registrar of your choice.

2. Create a CNAME File

   • In the root of your repository, create a file named CNAME (no file extension).
   • Inside the CNAME file, add your custom domain (e.g., www.yourcustomdomain.com).

3. Configure DNS Settings

   • Go to your domain registrar's website and configure the DNS settings to point to GitHub Pages. You will typically need to set up an A record pointing to GitHub's IP addresses and/or a CNAME record pointing to your GitHub Pages URL. See the docs for more info.

4. Update GitHub Pages Settings

   • Go to your repository on GitHub.
   • Navigate to Settings > Pages.
   • Ensure your custom domain is listed under "Custom domain."

5. Wait for DNS Propagation

   • It may take some time for the DNS changes to propagate. Once complete, your site should be accessible via your custom domain.