In 2023 I wanted an easier to manage website so started working on a static site generator. I've used it to build this site since early 2024 and continue develop it as one of my ongoing side projects. Weighing around 120KB and written in vanilla JavaScript, it runs offline in any browser. It has a few optional and easy to edit settings, and a simple drag and drop interface. Given a folder of text and image files, it builds a website written in plain HTML and CSS. The program saves the build as a zip file ready to run locally or upload to any host. It currently handles a folder of ~500 files in under a second.
The program has all custom features, some unique to me, and some commonly found in site generators. It:
Turns each text file in a folder into a site page.
- Converts wikilinks in text files to internal links.
- Formats Markdown as HTML.
- Processes footnotes as popover elements.
- Links each page to all others that mention it.
- Adds images to any page that shares the same file name.
- Shows where each page sits on the site via breadcrumbs.
- Builds a site map that diagrams the site structure.
- Makes a page index and sorts it by recently changed.
- Runs custom checks on the input and reports findings.
- Captions images based on their file name.
- Lets user supply a custom thumbnail per page or folder.
- Makes unprovided thumbnails from a page's cover image.
- Dates HTML files to match the source text file dates.
- Codes a site that works without needing JavaScript.