Jekyll websites always use a _config.yml file to keep site wide settings such as title or description. The values set here are available from from within your markdown or html using ` `. You will see and use this often as you work. You can also add your own settings as needed.

The _config.yml is commented with more detailed instructions. To get started we’ll just change the most important ones. Make the changes below.


    title: <your workshop name>
    
    description: <describe your workshop>
    
    # Multiple authors go on the same line, just format how you like.
    # Same with companyies
    author:
      name: <your name(s)
      # url:  http://example.com/
      company:
          name: < your orgnization(s)
          # url:  http://example.com/
    
    # Any value is ok, Beginner|Intermediate|Advanced are recommended, required 
    level: Beginner
    
    # This needs to be set to your repository name, or it won't work on GitHub.
    # If you are deploying elsewhere it may not be necessary.
    # It is overridden if you are working locally when you start the server
    baseurl: "/repo_name"

If you are working locally restart your server to see the changes, which should be evident on your workshop homepage. If you are working directly on GitHub pages, there server restarts automatically and may take a few minutes.

Some of the other settings will be dealt with in future units.

Apprentice also comes with a config_dev.yml file. This is useful if you are working locally (on your own computer) and want some different settings when you run your project locally vs in GitHub. The two most useful changes you can make are the baseurl and title. GitHub needs to use your repo name for the baseurl, but your local environmoent probably does not. Using a different title is a good way to know you are looking at your local development version rather than the version that might be up on GitHub. This is especially useful when both applications are running in your browser.

Below is the version that comes with Apprentice.


    # This allows overriding the defult _config.yml file. Use 
    # jekyll serve --host $IP --port $PORT --baseurl '' --config _config.yml,_config_dev.yml to run this 
    # on a local server. Then GitHub will not use the _config.dev.yml file so the settings
    # there will take over. SEe https://github.com/jekyll/jekyll/issues/958 .
    
    supporting_files_path: "supporting_files/"
    
    # Where the bibliography data is comment out or set to blank to disable.
    title: NCSU Apprentice (DEV)
    
    baseurl: ""

Then to run your application locally using config_dev.yml you would enter something like this into your command line.

    # This will run the application using the local host IP addres 127.0.0.1 on
    # the 4000 port. 
    > jekyll serve  --config _config.yml,_config_dev.yml 
    
    # If you need ot use a different IP address or port you can do this. In this example
    # the IP address and port are environmental variables but you could enter them in the
    # command instead.
    > jekyll serve --host $IP --port $PORT --config _config.yml,_config_dev.yml 
    
    # or 
    > jekyll serve --host 127.0.0.1 --port 5000 --config _config.yml,_config_dev.yml

The --config option specifies the order the configuration files are used. In this case config.yml is read first then config_dev.yml is read second and any settings in config_dev.yml override equivalent settings in config.yml.