OptimAI Lab Website

This repository contains the source code for the OptimAI Lab website.

Built with Jekyll using the al-folio theme.

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Guide to Update the Website

Step 1: Sync Your Local Branch

Before making any changes, always sync with the main branch to avoid conflicts:

git checkout main
git pull origin main

If you were working on a feature branch, merge main into it:

git checkout your-branch
git merge main

Resolve any conflicts before proceeding.

Step 2: Make Your Changes

Update the relevant files for your task. See the Page-Specific Instructions section below.

Step 3: Build and Verify Locally (Optional)

For small changes (text updates, minor edits), you can skip this step and use Claude Code to verify and commit directly.

For significant changes (new pages, layout modifications, new images), verify locally before committing:

docker compose up --build

Visit http://localhost:8080 and check:

• Navigation links work correctly
• Images display properly
• Content is formatted correctly
• Dark mode still works

Step 4: Commit and Push

git add -A
git commit -m "Description of changes"
git push

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Page-Specific Instructions

Home Page

What you can update: Projects and News

Files to edit:

• _pages/about.md — Main home page content

Detailed guide: HOME_GUIDE.md

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News

What you can update: News posts, announcements, updates

Files to edit:

• _news/YYYY-MM-DD-title.md — Create new files for each news post
• _pages/news.md — News page layout (rarely needs editing)

To add news:

1. Create a new file in _news/ with format YYYY-MM-DD-title.md
2. Add front matter with title, date, author, image (optional)
3. Write content in Markdown below the front matter

Detailed guide: NEWS_GUIDE.md

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Projects

What you can update: Research projects, project descriptions, thumbnails

Files to edit:

• _projects/project-name.md — One file per project

To add a project:

1. Create a new file in _projects/ with a descriptive filename
2. Add front matter with title, description, img, github (optional), external_link (optional)
3. Add detailed description in Markdown below

Detailed guide: PROJECTS_GUIDE.md

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People

What you can update: Team members, profile photos, roles

Files to edit:

• _pages/profiles.md — Manual list of team members
• assets/img/people/ — Profile photos

To add a team member:

1. Add their photo to assets/img/people/
2. Edit _pages/profiles.md and add their entry with name, role, photo path, and links

Detailed guide: PEOPLE_GUIDE.md

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Activities

What you can update: Group photos, event photos, lab activities

Files to edit:

• _pages/activity.md — Manual gallery of activities
• assets/img/activities/ — Activity/group photos

To add activities:

1. Add photos to assets/img/activities/
2. Edit _pages/activity.md and add image entries to the gallery

Detailed guide: ACTIVITIES_GUIDE.md

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Repository Structure

optimai-lab.github.io/
├── _config.yml           # Site configuration (url, title, etc.)
├── _pages/               # Main pages
│   ├── about.md          # Home page content
│   ├── news.md           # News page
│   ├── projects.md       # Projects page
│   ├── profiles.md       # People page (manual)
│   └── activity.md       # Activities page (manual)
├── _news/                # News posts (one file per post)
├── _projects/            # Project cards (one file per project)
├── _data/                # YAML data files (navigation, CV data)
├── _includes/            # Reusable Liquid templates
├── _layouts/             # Page layouts
├── _sass/                # Stylesheets
├── assets/
│   ├── img/
│   │   ├── people/       # Profile photos
│   │   ├── activities/  # Activity/group photos
│   │   ├── projects/     # Project thumbnails
│   │   ├── news/         # News images
│   │   └── home/         # Banner image
│   └── js/               # JavaScript files
├── _bibliography/        # BibTeX files for publications
└── Gemfile               # Ruby dependencies

Quick Reference

Task	File(s) to Edit
Update home page	_pages/about.md
Add news post	_news/YYYY-MM-DD-title.md
Add project	_projects/project-name.md
Add team member	_pages/profiles.md, assets/img/people/
Add activity photos	_pages/activity.md, assets/img/activities/
Change site title/url	_config.yml

More Resources

• INSTALL.md — Installation and deployment details
• CUSTOMIZE.md — Customization guide
• TROUBLESHOOTING.md — Common issues and solutions
• al-folio documentation — Original theme repository