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URL Variables

This section of “_config.yml” is used to define the location where you will host the site on the live web. These values are optional for GH/Sheets users when deploying on GitHub Pages!

Having url and baseurl configured correctly is essential for final deployment to get all your links and markup pointing to the right places.

url:

  • url represents the url where the generated site will eventually reside on the web. It will be used to generate links when you build the site at the end of your customization process. Generally this matches your host domain or subdomain. The value should not end in a slash /.
  • Setting a url value is optional for GH/Sheets users using default GitHub Pages hosting–the value will be commented out in the template’s “_config.yml”. When hosting on GitHub Pages, url will follow the pattern of <your github user name>.github.io
    url: https://dcnb.github.io
    
  • If self hosting, the url will be the domain or subdomain where you will be placing the site.
    url: https://www.lib.uidaho.edu
    

baseurl:

  • baseurl indicates the folder / path where your site will be located on your web server and always starts with a slash /. The value should not end in a slash.
  • Setting a baseurl value is optional for GH/Sheets users using default GitHub Pages hosting–the value will be commented out in the template’s “_config.yml”. When hosting on GitHub Pages, baseurl will be the name of your project repository.
    baseurl: /example-collection
    
  • If self hosting, the baseurl will be the folder where you would like to host the site (if applicable). For example, if you have a project called “pink-poodle” that you plan to put in the “projects” folder on your website, you’d put /projects/pink-poodle down for baseurl.
    # for site to be at https://www.lib.uidaho.edu/digital/boxing
    url: https://www.lib.uidaho.edu
    baseurl: /digital/boxing
    
  • If you site lives at the root of a domain (without a path), comment out baseurl or leave blank.

source-code:

  • source-code is the full URL for the GitHub repository containing your CollectionBuilder project code. It is used to add a link back to your project repository.
    source-code: https://github.com/exampleuser/interesting-project