# Windows 7 Help: GitHub Pages, using subfolders and MD files
**URL:** https://talk.jekyllrb.com/t/windows-7-help-github-pages-using-subfolders-and-md-files/1097
**Category:** Help
**Created:** [October 22, 2017, 6:11am UTC](https://talk.jekyllrb.com/t/windows-7-help-github-pages-using-subfolders-and-md-files/1097 "2017-10-22T06:11:03Z")
**Posts on this page:** 14
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Sharlikran](https://talk.jekyllrb.com/u/Sharlikran)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2017, 6:11am UTC](https://talk.jekyllrb.com/t/windows-7-help-github-pages-using-subfolders-and-md-files/1097/1 "2017-10-22T06:11:03Z")
I am at level 0 for HTML, CSS, and Jekyll. I do my best to read the documentation but normally I find it’s set up for people who need dry technical quick access to information. Since I am not a web designer I need the verbose, with examples, and example files, and screen shots, kind of instructions.
For example this is the section on [creating pages](https://jekyllrb.com/docs/pages/). There is a section on pages, it tells you that you can have subfolders if you have a lot of files, and it goes on and says \_site, and then transitions to Named HTML files, permalinks and then static files. Never going over how to use subfolders with MD files.
The other thing is I have no way to know how the page will look or test anything. I use Pycharm for Python and saw it had instructions for setting up Jekyll, only to find out you can’t do that with the free community edition. So to test things I have to make a change, call it test, commit that to github, wait for it to render, then refresh the page, over, and over, and over, and over, until I finally stumble upon something that works. I would love instructions to change that but again I am so new I couldn’t have just the gist of it. I would need screen shots for Windows 7, and detailed install instructions. If it required gitbash, then I’d need to know that’s the program I am using to install something prior to using the command line. Otherwise I’ll go to cmd.exe and try it only to be told that pip is not a recognized command.
This is the [temporary site for testing](https://github.com/TES5Edit/xEdit-Wiki) the folders I want to use. I say temporary because I don’t want to add the Theme on GitHub until I know how things work so it doesn’t mess everything up.
I am only able to use a structure where I have a subfolder in root where I add permalink and the name of the page to flatten the URL. The files I want access to are in subfolder, and they contain subfolders as well. They also have files that have the same names. In addition to that I don’t actually want to change the names at all. I just want to set a herf to the file and have it display. I can’t figure out what that URL is supposed to be.
Website URL is: [https://tes5edit.github.io/xEdit-Wiki/](https://tes5edit.github.io/xEdit-Wiki/)
What I thought would work was [https://tes5edit.github.io/xEdit-Wiki/Fallout3/Redords.md](https://tes5edit.github.io/xEdit-Wiki/Fallout3/Redords.md) but I get a prompt to download the file and save it rather then seeing the MD file. Then I thought I had to add Front Line data, so I did that but it still doesn’t display the page.
How do I access the files without changing the subfolders or file names. I am happy to set -config.yml, or add other files, or add frontline data to each and every file, or whatever else is needed. I will even make a subfolder called \_site if that is needed. However, aside from that the only thing I do not want to change is the folder names or the file names.
How do I set up the site to work with those file?
This is [the functional site](https://github.com/TES5Edit/fopdoc/) that I will be applying the jekyll theme to once I know what I am doing.
---
### Author:  [@Sharlikran](https://talk.jekyllrb.com/u/Sharlikran)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2017, 6:36am UTC](https://talk.jekyllrb.com/t/windows-7-help-github-pages-using-subfolders-and-md-files/1097/2 "2017-10-22T06:36:43Z")
For example I started at the very beginning and I see that you can add include to the \_config.yml. The syntax is listed as “include: [DIR, FILE, …]” which makes no sense since that’s not yaml format. I would think it would look like this.
```auto
include:
- Fallout3
- Fallout4
- FalloutNV
```
Now, I added that but the URL: [https://tes5edit.github.io/xEdit-Wiki/Fallout3/Records.md](https://tes5edit.github.io/xEdit-Wiki/Fallout3/Records.md) doesn’t work. But it passed for travis.
Then later it shows an [example here](https://jekyllrb.com/docs/configuration/). The above URL doesn’t work still and it passed travis.
---
### Author:  [@Sharlikran](https://talk.jekyllrb.com/u/Sharlikran)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2017, 6:48am UTC](https://talk.jekyllrb.com/t/windows-7-help-github-pages-using-subfolders-and-md-files/1097/3 "2017-10-22T06:48:32Z")
```auto
defaults:
-
scope:
path: "FalloutNV"
type: "pages"
values:
layout: "default"
-
scope:
path: "Fallout3"
type: "pages"
values:
layout: "default"
-
scope:
path: "Fallout4"
type: "pages"
values:
layout: "default"
```
Then I add that and it passes travis but still the above URL doesn’t work.
---
### Author:  [@Sharlikran](https://talk.jekyllrb.com/u/Sharlikran)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2017, 7:03am UTC](https://talk.jekyllrb.com/t/windows-7-help-github-pages-using-subfolders-and-md-files/1097/4 "2017-10-22T07:03:50Z")
Then I [went to the templates](https://jekyllrb.com/docs/templates/) page and looked in the links section.
It says that possibly my pages are in /pages/folder/filename.md.
```auto
FO3 Records
```
So I change the link to that.
```auto
https://tes5edit.github.io/pages/Fallout3/Records.md
```
Then when I hover over the link I see what I have above which isn’t where I put the files so it still doesn’t work.
---
### Author:  [@Sharlikran](https://talk.jekyllrb.com/u/Sharlikran)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2017, 7:05am UTC](https://talk.jekyllrb.com/t/windows-7-help-github-pages-using-subfolders-and-md-files/1097/5 "2017-10-22T07:05:26Z")
Then I realized a step told me to add permalink data to the file so I removed it to test.
```auto
permalink: {{ site.baseurl }}/Fallout3/Records.md
```
I removed that beause I don’t have a baseurl set up in \_config.yml. Because when I added `baseurl: https://tes5edit.github.io/xEdit-Wiki/` to my \_config.yml then the site no longer had the style cheet applied.
---
### Author:  [@Sharlikran](https://talk.jekyllrb.com/u/Sharlikran)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2017, 7:24am UTC](https://talk.jekyllrb.com/t/windows-7-help-github-pages-using-subfolders-and-md-files/1097/6 "2017-10-22T07:24:18Z")
Then I tried looking for other pages using folders. I had started at the top of the [list of Sites](https://github.com/jekyll/jekyll/wiki/Sites) once before but I don’t really know what I’m looking for anyway. Never saw antying that might be what I am using. So since I’m documenting my trials I thought I’d start from the bottom.
Then I came across [https://github.com/ganesshkumar/ganesshkumar.github.io/](https://github.com/ganesshkumar/ganesshkumar.github.io/)
Now, this site had a pages folder and in that there was a [deep-learning.md](http://deep-learning.md) file. It had `permalink: /deep-learning.html` at the top which is confusing because it’s an md file. I wanted to try it but, I don’t want permalinks because I need to use folder with files that have the same names, so I need it to be /folder/filename or /folder/folder/filename. Then I thought I’ll add all that but I didn’t know what it would do because I don’t want it to confuse anything if I have /Fallout3/Records.html in one file and /Fallout4/Records.html in another.
```auto
FO4 Records
FO4 Records
```
After adding `permalink: /Fallout3/Records.html` etc to the files it still didn’t work.
---
### Author:  [@Sharlikran](https://talk.jekyllrb.com/u/Sharlikran)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2017, 7:36am UTC](https://talk.jekyllrb.com/t/windows-7-help-github-pages-using-subfolders-and-md-files/1097/7 "2017-10-22T07:36:06Z")
So keep going and I find [https://github.com/krajit/krajit.github.io](https://github.com/krajit/krajit.github.io)
They also have an MD file with the permaklink added of `/teaching/MAT431/heatEquation.html` in `HeatEquation.md` so then I download their source and see that they call that from `sidebar_pdeSideBar.html` using `href="heatEquation.html"`, which won’t work because I have three files all named “[Record.md](http://Record.md)” so I need to use the folder names.
---
### Author:  [@Sharlikran](https://talk.jekyllrb.com/u/Sharlikran)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2017, 7:42am UTC](https://talk.jekyllrb.com/t/windows-7-help-github-pages-using-subfolders-and-md-files/1097/8 "2017-10-22T07:42:27Z")
```auto
exclude: [".gitattributes", ".gitignore"]
defaults:
-
scope:
path: ""
```
So I add that seeing it in a few places and it doesn’t make `FO3 Records
` work either.
---
### Author:  [@Sharlikran](https://talk.jekyllrb.com/u/Sharlikran)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2017, 7:49am UTC](https://talk.jekyllrb.com/t/windows-7-help-github-pages-using-subfolders-and-md-files/1097/9 "2017-10-22T07:49:05Z")
Then I find this site [https://github.com/ThemeJekyll/themejekyll.github.io/blob/master/\_config.yml](https://github.com/ThemeJekyll/themejekyll.github.io/blob/master/_config.yml)
It uses the themes folder and collections so I have to give up on that because I’m not using that folder.
```auto
baseurl: ""
url: ""
defaults:
- scope:
path: "Fallout3"
type: pages
values:
layout: default
- scope:
path: "Fallout4"
type: pages
values:
layout: default
- scope:
path: "FalloutNV"
type: pages
values:
layout: default
```
but I thought I add this again and then just mass copy the folder from root and put them in pages and cross my fingers.
EDIT: Also I tried other things and travis missed this typo. Notice the layout above gems.
```auto
title: xEdit-Wiki
description: xEdit Wiki and Documentation Site
google_analytics:
# show_downloads: true
theme: jekyll-theme-cayman
baseurl: ""
url: ""
defaults:
- scope:
path: "Fallout3"
type: pages
values:
layout: default
- scope:
path: "Fallout4"
type: pages
values:
layout: default
- scope:
path: "FalloutNV"
type: pages
values:
layout: default
layout: themes
gems:
- jekyll-mentions
```
---
### Author:  [@Sharlikran](https://talk.jekyllrb.com/u/Sharlikran)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2017, 8:04am UTC](https://talk.jekyllrb.com/t/windows-7-help-github-pages-using-subfolders-and-md-files/1097/10 "2017-10-22T08:04:45Z")
So then I figured since this works for other people it has to work for me. So I thought I would add this.
```auto
FO3 Records htm slash
FO3 Records htm
FO3 Records md
FO3 Records md slash
```
I added that and kept all the previous changes. The link `FO3 Records htm` worked. I about jumped out of my chair.
---
### Author:  [@Sharlikran](https://talk.jekyllrb.com/u/Sharlikran)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2017, 8:16am UTC](https://talk.jekyllrb.com/t/windows-7-help-github-pages-using-subfolders-and-md-files/1097/11 "2017-10-22T08:16:03Z")
So then I squashed all my commits, deleted folders, deleted things I didn’t think I knew why I added them and in the end all I needed was to add this to the [Records.md](http://Records.md) files.
```auto
---
layout: default
title: xEdit-Wiki
permalink: /FalloutNV/Records.html
---
```
And then use this for the link
```auto
FO3 Records htm
```
And once I am at the list of records, those are referencing other .MD files and thankfully I don’t have to add any Front Yaml data or change the names of the files or anything. It just works.
Somehow I feel I could have done that in 1/8th the time.
---
### Author:  [@rdyar](https://talk.jekyllrb.com/u/rdyar)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2017, 4:13pm UTC](https://talk.jekyllrb.com/t/windows-7-help-github-pages-using-subfolders-and-md-files/1097/12 "2017-10-22T16:13:42Z")
Jekyll takes in MD files and as long as they have front matter converts them to html so you never link to a .md file it is an html file - that is what makes MD so cool, you don’t have to write html. But your website needs html to display the page properly. Jekyll works as a converter.
Highly recommend investing a few hours in watching some tutorials on youtube, this is an excellent series of about 40 short videos about jekyll - it is a few years old but should still be very relevant:
https://www.youtube.com/embed/oiNVQ9Zjy4o?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&list=PLWjCJDeWfDdfVEcLGAfdJn_HXyM4Y7_k-
and I am sure there are several others for html and css. If you are new to all 3 you have some learning to do, that is for sure. I have found it to be a continuous process but has been fairly easy. Couldn’t have done it without youtube. Or at least that made it much much easier.
---
### Author:  [@Sharlikran](https://talk.jekyllrb.com/u/Sharlikran)
#### Post date: [October 23, 2017, 7:48am UTC](https://talk.jekyllrb.com/t/windows-7-help-github-pages-using-subfolders-and-md-files/1097/13 "2017-10-23T07:48:55Z")
I watched those and thought of following along with them but the installation page for Jekyll requires make and gcc but the links are to outdated Windows NT source code that I would have to compile myself. Thanks for trying to help me. It’s pretty useless at this point. I just have to upload to GitHub over, and over, and over, and over, 12 times until I get it right. I just have to work with what available for us Windows people. I just don’t have a Mac.
---
### Author:  [@jhvanderschee](https://talk.jekyllrb.com/u/jhvanderschee)
#### Post date: [October 23, 2017, 8:40am UTC](https://talk.jekyllrb.com/t/windows-7-help-github-pages-using-subfolders-and-md-files/1097/14 "2017-10-23T08:40:50Z")
I created a website that might help you to get started with Jekyll: [http://jekyllcodex.org/](http://jekyllcodex.org/)
If you have any questions, just send me an email/tweet/message at Stack Overflow (user: JoostS).
Happy coding!