---
title: Digital Garden Jekyll Template
---

_This is the sample note that comes with [@maximevaillancourt's theme for Jekyll](https://github.com/maximevaillancourt/digital-garden-jekyll-template)._

### Welcome!

This is your first note. You'll find it in the [`notes/`](https://github.com/maximevaillancourt/digital-garden-jekyll-template/tree/master/_notes) directory.

### Link syntax

To link to another note, you can use multiple syntaxes. The following four use the "double-bracket" notation ([view the Markdown source file](https://github.com/maximevaillancourt/digital-garden-jekyll-template/blob/master/_notes/your-first-note.md#link-syntax) to see the underlying syntax).

- Using the note title: [[a note about cats]]
- Using the note's filename: [[cats]]
- Using the note's title, with a label: [[A note about cats|link to the note about cats using the note title]]
- Using the note's filename, with a label: [[cats|link to the note about cats using the note's filename]]

In all cases, if the double-bracket link does not point to a valid note, the double brackets will still be shown, like this: [[there is no note that matches this link]].

Alternatively, you can use regular [Markdown syntax](https://www.markdownguide.org/getting-started/) for links, with a relative link to the other note, like this: [this is a Markdown link to the note about cats](/cats){: .internal-link}. Don't forget to use the `.internal-link` class to make sure the link is styled as an internal link (without the little arrow).

Since the Web is all about HTML, you can always use plain HTML if you want, like this: <a class="internal-link" href="/cats">This is a link to the note about cats with HTML</a>.

Of course, you can also link to external websites, like this: [this is a link to Wikipedia](https://wikipedia.org/). Again, you can use plain HTML if you prefer.

### Site configuration

Some behavior is configurable by tweaking the `_config.yml` file.

**`use_html_extension`**: if you use a static host that doesn't support URLs that don't end with `.html` (such as Neocities), try changing the `use_html_extension` value to `true` in the `_config.yml` file and restart the Jekyll server (or re-build the site). This adds a `.html` extension to note URLs and may resolve issues with links. If you're still having trouble, I recommend using Netlify to host your digital garden: it's free, easy to use, and fully supports this template's features out of the box.

**`open_external_links_in_new_tab`**: when set to `true`, this makes external links open in new tabs. Set to `false` to open all links in the current tab.

### Automatic bi-directional links

Notice in the "Notes mentioning this note" section that there is another note linking to this note. This is a bi-directional link, and those are automatically created when you create links to other notes.

### Link previews

If you're on a device with mouse support, try hovering your mouse on internal links to preview the notes: [[a note about cats]].

### Images and other Markdown goodies

Finally, because you have the full power of Markdown in this template, you can use regular Markdown syntax for various formatting options.

Lists work as expected:

- List element A
- List element B
- List element C

1. List element
2. List element
3. List element

If you'd like to quote other people, consider using quote blocks:

> Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet

And of course, images look great:

<img src="/assets/image.jpg"/>

### Code syntax highlighting

You can add code blocks with full syntax color highlighting by wrapping code snippet in triple backticks and specifying the type of the code (`js`, `rb`, `sh`, etc.):

```js
// Here's a bit of JavaScript:
console.log('hello!')
```

```rb
# And now some Ruby
def foo(bar)
  "baz"
end
```

```sh
$ cat /dev/urandom | grep "the answer to life" # shell scripts look nice too
```


### Next steps

**If this template is useful to you in any way, consider [donating](https://ko-fi.com/maximevaillancourt) to support my work**. ☕

This digital garden template is free, open-source, and [available on GitHub here](https://github.com/maximevaillancourt/digital-garden-jekyll-template).

The easiest way to build your own digital garden based on this template is to read this [step-by-step guide explaining how to set this up from scratch](https://maximevaillancourt.com/blog/setting-up-your-own-digital-garden-with-jekyll). If you need any help, my [DMs are open on Twitter (@vaillancourtmax)](https://twitter.com/vaillancourtmax). 👋

Go forth, have fun, and learn new something every day! ✌️