No Jokes Please (nojokesplease.github.io)

"A serious space for serious discussions."

This repository contains the source code for nojokesplease.github.io, a personal website hosted on GitHub Pages.

The project is designed with simplicity and performance in mind, utilizing pure static files without heavy frameworks or complex build processes.

🛠️ Tech Stack

• HTML5: Semantic structure.
• CSS3: Custom styling for a clean, minimalist layout.
• JavaScript: Minimal vanilla JS (if applicable).
• Hosting: GitHub Pages.

📂 Project Structure

The repository follows a clean and organized structure:

/
├── .github/        # GitHub Actions workflows (e.g., auto-screenshot)
├── extra/          # Utility scripts and Open Graph images
├── translations/   # Multi-language versions (e.g., /vi)
│   └── vi/         # Vietnamese translation
├── web/            # Core styles, scripts, and shared components (navbar)
├── index.html      # Main entry point (English version)
├── package.json    # Project dependencies and tool configurations
└── README.md       # Project documentation

🚀 Local Development

Since this project relies on static pages, no package managers (npm/yarn) or build steps are required for standard development.

Note on Node.js/npm usage: Node.js is solely used for project automation and is not required to view or modify the site. Its purposes include:

• Generating the automatic OpenGraph (OG) image.
• Handling the i18n URL flattening during deployment.

⚡ JS-Free Compatibility

When deployed via GitHub Actions, the website is fully functional even with JavaScript disabled. The "Smart Flattening" process during deployment ensures all links work natively without the need for client-side corrections.

JavaScript is purely optional and is only used for:

• Cosmetic animations (e.g., typewriter effect).
• The "Copy Link" button functionality.

Note: For those self-hosting on other platforms, ensure you use a service that supports the provided GitHub Actions workflow (or equivalent script) to maintain this JS-free link compatibility.

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/nojokesplease/nojokesplease.github.io.git

2. Run locally:

   • Navigate to the project folder.

   • Simply open index.html in your web browser.

   • Or, for a better experience, use a simple HTTP server (e.g., Python 3):

     python -m http.server 8000

     Then visit http://localhost:8000.

🏗️ Deployment & URL Structure

This project uses a "Smart Flattening" strategy to keep the source code organized while ensuring beautiful URLs in production.

1. Source Code: Translations live in translations/<lang>/ (e.g., translations/vi/).
2. Production: A GitHub Action automatically moves translations/* to the root directory during deployment.
   • Result: The live URL is nojokesplease.github.io/vi/ (clean), instead of .../translations/vi/.
3. Local Handling: The navbar.html script contains a "smart linker" that detects if you are running locally (where the flattening hasn't happened). It checks if the production link exists; if not, it automatically redirects language links to /translations/<lang>/ so you can develop without breaking navigation.

🤝 Contributing

Corrections and improvements are welcome. Please keep all contributions professional and consistent with the site's minimalist philosophy.

1. Fork the repository.
2. Create a feature branch.
3. Submit a Pull Request.

📄 License

This project is open source.

Maintained by nojokesplease