Private Blog Drafts Folder - Setup Complete ✅

Private Blog Drafts Folder - Setup Complete ✅

What Was Restored

This document explains what was done to restore the _drafts/ folder functionality that was referenced in commit 6b94e5880bf2fdbd0942c5679bfb6ca96a5db56d (Merge PR #45).

Analysis of the Original Commit

The commit 6b94e5880bf2fdbd0942c5679bfb6ca96a5db56d merged PR #45 which was titled “create-private-blog-folder”. This established the entire Jekyll blog infrastructure including:

  • Complete Jekyll configuration
  • Blog post scheduling system
  • Time-based post filtering (9 AM and 5 PM publishing)
  • Documentation referencing a _drafts/ folder for private work

However, the _drafts/ folder itself was gitignored (line 40 of .gitignore), meaning it exists only locally and never gets committed to the repository.

What Has Been Created

The following structure has been created in the _drafts/ folder:

_drafts/
├── README.md           # Comprehensive guide on using drafts (6,151 chars)
├── draft-ideas.md      # Template for brainstorming post ideas (5,958 chars)
└── example-draft.md    # Example draft post showing the workflow (3,002 chars)

File Descriptions

  1. README.md - Complete documentation covering:
    • What the drafts folder is for
    • Privacy and security guarantees
    • How to create and preview drafts
    • Publishing workflow
    • Organization tips and best practices
    • FAQ section
  2. draft-ideas.md - Organized brainstorming template with:
    • Quick ideas checklist
    • Topic categories (AI/ML, Blockchain, Full-Stack, Data Science, Career)
    • Potential titles and formats
    • Content strategy planning
    • Publishing pipeline tracker
  3. example-draft.md - Demonstration draft post showing:
    • Proper front matter format
    • Markdown examples
    • Publishing instructions
    • Workflow tips

How to Verify the Setup

Since the _drafts/ folder is gitignored, these files exist only in your local working directory. Here’s how to verify everything is working:

1. Check the Folder Exists Locally

ls -la _drafts/

You should see:

total 28
drwxrwxr-x  2 runner runner 4096 Dec 17 15:12 .
drwxr-xr-x 10 runner runner 4096 Dec 17 15:11 ..
-rw-rw-r--  1 runner runner 6261 Dec 17 15:11 README.md
-rw-rw-r--  1 runner runner 5988 Dec 17 15:12 draft-ideas.md
-rw-rw-r--  1 runner runner 3040 Dec 17 15:12 example-draft.md

2. Verify Files Are Gitignored

git status

The _drafts/ folder should NOT appear in the output. If you see:

nothing to commit, working tree clean

or only other files listed, then the gitignore is working correctly.

3. Test Jekyll Preview with Drafts

Install dependencies (if not already done):

gem install bundler
bundle install

Preview the site with drafts enabled:

bundle exec jekyll serve --drafts

Visit http://localhost:4000/blog/ and you should see the example draft post appear in the blog listing.

4. Verify Publishing Workflow

Try publishing the example draft:

# Add a date to the front matter in _drafts/example-draft.md
# Then move it to _posts/ with a date prefix:
mv _drafts/example-draft.md _posts/2025-12-17-example-draft.md

# Verify it appears without --drafts flag:
bundle exec jekyll serve
# Visit http://localhost:4000/blog/

How to Use Going Forward

Creating Your First Real Draft

  1. Start with ideas: 
    # Edit _drafts/draft-ideas.md and add your idea
nano _drafts/draft-ideas.md
  2. Create a draft file: 
    # Create a new markdown file (no date needed in filename)
touch _drafts/my-awesome-post.md
  3. Add front matter: 
    ---
layout: post
title: "My Awesome Post"
categories: [AI, Technology]
tags: [ai, coding]
excerpt: "Description of my post"
---
   
Your content here...
  4. Preview locally: 
    bundle exec jekyll serve --drafts
  5. Publish when ready: 
    # Add date and time to front matter
# Move to _posts/ with date prefix
mv _drafts/my-awesome-post.md _posts/2025-12-20-my-awesome-post.md
git add _posts/2025-12-20-my-awesome-post.md
git commit -m "Publish: My awesome post"
git push

Security & Privacy Notes

✅ Guaranteed Private: Files in _drafts/ are listed in .gitignore (line 40)

✅ Never Committed: Git will ignore all files in this folder unless you explicitly force-add them

✅ Not on Live Site: Draft posts will never appear on https://gil794.github.io unless moved to _posts/

✅ Local Only: These files exist only on your local machine

⚠️ Backup Reminder: Since drafts are not in Git, consider backing them up separately if they’re important

Integration with Existing Features

The drafts folder works seamlessly with the existing blog infrastructure:

  1. Time-Based Publishing: When you publish a draft to _posts/, add a time field (“09:00” or “17:00”) to use the scheduled publishing feature

  2. Blog Post Scheduling: See BLOG_POST_SCHEDULING.md for details on the 9 AM / 5 PM publishing schedule

  3. Categories and Tags: Use the same category structure from published posts in your drafts

  4. Jekyll Build: The GitHub Actions workflow (.github/workflows/jekyll-build.yml) will ignore drafts automatically

Troubleshooting

Drafts Not Showing When Using –drafts

  • Verify the file is in _drafts/ folder
  • Check the front matter is valid YAML
  • Ensure the file has .md extension
  • Try restarting the Jekyll server

Accidentally Committed a Draft

# This is highly unlikely due to .gitignore, but if it happens:
git rm --cached _drafts/your-file.md
git commit -m "Remove accidentally committed draft"
git push

Want to Share Drafts with Collaborators

Since drafts are gitignored, to share them:

  • Use a separate private repository
  • Send files via email or cloud storage
  • Use collaborative writing tools (Google Docs, Notion, etc.)

Next Steps

  1. ✅ Read through _drafts/README.md for detailed usage instructions
  2. ✅ Review _drafts/draft-ideas.md and add your own ideas
  3. ✅ Preview the example draft using bundle exec jekyll serve --drafts
  4. ✅ Create your first real draft
  5. ✅ Delete _drafts/example-draft.md when you’re comfortable with the workflow

References

Setup completed: December 17, 2024 Commit that required this: 6b94e5880bf2fdbd0942c5679bfb6ca96a5db56d Status: ✅ Fully functional and ready to use