Customizing the Home Page

The homepage of your Telar site is controlled by a simple markdown file (index.md) in the root of your repository. This makes it easy to customize your welcome message, section headings, and introductory content.

File Location

index.md must be in the root directory of your repository (not in a subdirectory). Jekyll automatically serves this file as your homepage.

Basic Structure

Here’s the default index.md structure:

---
layout: index
title: Home
stories_heading: "Explore the stories"
stories_intro: ""
objects_heading: "See the objects behind the stories"
objects_intro: "Browse {count} objects featured in the stories."
---

Your custom content goes here...

Frontmatter Options

stories_heading

The heading displayed above the story grid. Default: "Explore the stories"

stories_intro

Optional introductory text displayed between the heading and story grid. Leave blank ("") if you don’t want intro text.

objects_heading

The heading displayed above the objects section teaser. Default: "See the objects behind the stories"

objects_intro

Introductory text for the objects section. Use {count} as a placeholder for the number of objects.

Default: "Browse {count} objects featured in the stories."

The {count} placeholder will be automatically replaced with the actual number of objects.

Adding Custom Content

Any markdown content you add below the frontmatter will appear above the stories section. This is perfect for:

• Welcome messages
• Exhibition overviews
• Important notices
• Custom calls-to-action

Example: Custom Welcome

---
layout: index
title: Home
stories_heading: "Explore the stories"
stories_intro: ""
objects_heading: "See the objects behind the stories"
objects_intro: "Browse {count} objects featured in the stories."
---

## Welcome to the Colonial Textiles Project

This digital exhibition explores the hidden stories woven into
colonial-era textiles from the Andean region.

Navigate through our curated stories to discover the techniques,
patterns, and cultural significance of these remarkable artifacts.

Example: Alert Box

Use Bootstrap alert classes for styled messages:

---
layout: index
title: Home
stories_heading: "Explore the stories"
stories_intro: ""
objects_heading: "See the objects behind the stories"
objects_intro: "Browse {count} objects featured in the stories."
---

{: .alert .alert-warning}
> **🚧 Exhibition in Progress**
>
> This exhibition is being actively developed. New stories and objects
> are added regularly. Check back soon for updates!

Demo Site Notice

The template includes a demo site notice by default that links to the GitHub repository and documentation.

To Customize

Edit the markdown content to match your project.

To Remove

Simply delete the demo notice block from index.md.

Examples

Minimal Homepage

---
layout: index
title: Home
stories_heading: "Explore the stories"
stories_intro: ""
objects_heading: "See the objects behind the stories"
objects_intro: "Browse {count} objects featured in the stories."
---

No custom content - just displays stories and objects.

With Introductory Text

---
layout: index
title: Home
stories_heading: "Explore the stories"
stories_intro: "Each story reveals a unique perspective on our shared cultural heritage."
objects_heading: "See the objects behind the stories"
objects_intro: "Browse {count} objects featured in the stories."
---

## About This Exhibition

{: .lead}
The **Colonial Landscapes Project** uses digital storytelling to explore
the complex histories embedded in material culture.

Best Practices

• Keep homepage content concise to get visitors into your stories quickly
• Use ## (second-level) or ### (third-level) headings for custom content
• Test your homepage on different screen sizes
• Update notices and introductory text as your exhibition evolves

Technical Notes

• The layout: index setting is required and should not be changed
• The title setting controls the page <title> tag
• All markdown features are supported (see Markdown Syntax Guide)

Next Steps

• Learn about themes to style your homepage
• Explore advanced styling for custom CSS
• See the markdown reference for formatting options