Jesse Rodriguez Blog

A Jekyll blog that can be updated directly from iOS Shortcuts, allowing for instant mobile blogging.

Live Site: https://jesse-blog.github.io

🚀 Features

• iOS Shortcut Integration: Post directly from your iPhone
• Jekyll + GitHub Pages: Fast, reliable, and free hosting
• Mobile-First Design: Clean, responsive layout optimized for all devices
• Markdown Support: Rich text formatting with full Markdown support
• Auto-Slugify: Automatic URL-friendly filenames from post titles
• Instant Publishing: Posts go live within 1-2 minutes of publishing

📱 iOS Shortcut Setup

Prerequisites

1. GitHub Personal Access Token

   • Go to GitHub Settings > Developer Settings > Personal Access Tokens
   • Generate a new token with repo permissions
   • Copy the token (you'll need it for the shortcut)

2. iOS Shortcuts App

   • Download from the App Store if not already installed

Installation Steps

1. Download the Shortcut

   • Open the ios-shortcut-blog-poster.shortcut file on your iOS device
   • Tap "Get Shortcut" when prompted

2. Configure GitHub Token

   • When you first run the shortcut, it will ask for your GitHub token
   • Paste your Personal Access Token when prompted
   • The shortcut will remember this for future use

3. Test the Shortcut

   • Run the shortcut and create a test post
   • Check your blog in 1-2 minutes to see the post

🛠️ How It Works

The iOS Shortcut Process

1. Input Collection

   • Prompts for post title
   • Prompts for post content (Markdown supported)
   • Prompts for tags (optional)

2. Content Processing

   • Generates Jekyll frontmatter with metadata
   • Creates URL-friendly filename from title
   • Formats content with proper Markdown structure

3. GitHub API Integration

   • Base64 encodes the content
   • Sends PUT request to GitHub API
   • Creates new file in _posts/ directory

4. Automatic Deployment

   • GitHub Pages automatically rebuilds the site
   • Post goes live within 1-2 minutes

Technical Details

• API Endpoint: PUT /repos/{owner}/{repo}/contents/{path}
• Authentication: GitHub Personal Access Token
• Content Format: Jekyll Markdown with frontmatter
• File Naming: YYYY-MM-DD-title-slug.md

📝 Writing Posts

Via iOS Shortcut

1. Open the "Blog Poster" shortcut
2. Enter your post title
3. Write your content (Markdown supported)
4. Add tags (optional)
5. Tap "Done" - your post will be live in 1-2 minutes!

Manual Posts

You can also create posts manually by adding .md files to the _posts/ directory:

---
layout: post
title: "Your Post Title"
date: 2025-01-27 12:00:00 -0800
author: Jesse Rodriguez
categories: [blog]
tags: [tag1, tag2]
excerpt: "Your post excerpt"
---

# Your Post Title

Your content here...

🎨 Customization

Styling

Edit _layouts/default.html to customize the blog's appearance:

• Colors and typography
• Layout structure
• Navigation elements
• Mobile responsiveness

Configuration

Modify _config.yml to adjust:

• Site metadata
• Jekyll settings
• Plugin configuration
• SEO settings

🔧 Local Development

Prerequisites

• Ruby 2.7+
• Bundler gem

Setup

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/JesseRod329/Jesse-Blog.git
cd Jesse-Blog

# Install dependencies (if using gems)
bundle install

# Run local server
bundle exec jekyll serve

# Visit http://localhost:4000

📊 Analytics & SEO

The blog includes:

• Jekyll SEO Tag: Automatic meta tags and Open Graph
• Jekyll Sitemap: Automatic sitemap generation
• Jekyll Feed: RSS feed support
• Mobile Optimization: Responsive design and mobile-first approach

🔒 Security

• HTTPS Only: Enforced SSL/TLS encryption
• Security Headers: X-Frame-Options, X-Content-Type-Options, etc.
• Content Security Policy: Configured for safe content delivery
• GitHub Authentication: Secure API access with tokens

🚀 Deployment

This blog is automatically deployed via GitHub Pages:

1. Push to main branch: Triggers automatic build
2. Jekyll processing: Converts Markdown to HTML
3. Asset optimization: Minifies CSS and optimizes images
4. Live deployment: Available at jesse-blog.github.io

📱 Mobile Experience

The blog is optimized for mobile devices:

• Touch-friendly navigation
• Responsive typography
• Fast loading times
• iOS Shortcut integration
• PWA-ready structure

🤝 Contributing

While this is a personal blog, suggestions and improvements are welcome:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Submit a pull request

📄 License

This project is open source and available under the MIT License.

🔗 Links

• Main Portfolio: jesserodriguez.me
• Blog: jesse-blog.github.io
• GitHub: @JesseRod329

---

Built with ❤️ using Jekyll, GitHub Pages, and iOS Shortcuts