Personal Website - Jonathan H. Choi

A modern, responsive personal website showcasing research and code projects in legal technology and computational law.

🚀 GitHub Pages Deployment Instructions

Follow these detailed steps to deploy your website on GitHub Pages:

Step 1: Create a GitHub Repository

1. Go to GitHub.com and sign in to your account
2. Click the "+" icon in the top right corner and select "New repository"
3. IMPORTANT: Name your repository exactly as [your-username].github.io
   • For example, if your GitHub username is johnsmith, name it johnsmith.github.io
   • This special naming convention tells GitHub to host it as your personal website
4. Set the repository to Public (GitHub Pages requires public repos for free accounts)
5. Do NOT initialize with README, .gitignore, or license (since we already have files)
6. Click "Create repository"

Step 2: Upload Your Website Files

Option A: Using GitHub Web Interface (Easiest)

1. After creating the repository, click "uploading an existing file" link
2. Drag and drop ALL the files from this folder:
   • index.html
   • code.html
   • styles.css
   • script.js
   • README.md
3. Write a commit message like "Initial website upload"
4. Click "Commit changes"

Option B: Using Git Command Line

1. Open terminal/command prompt in this folder
2. Run these commands:

git init
git add .
git commit -m "Initial website upload"
git branch -M main
git remote add origin https://github.com/[your-username]/[your-username].github.io.git
git push -u origin main

Step 3: Enable GitHub Pages

1. Go to your repository on GitHub
2. Click on "Settings" tab (in the repository, not your profile settings)
3. Scroll down to "Pages" section in the left sidebar
4. Under "Source", select "Deploy from a branch"
5. Under "Branch", select "main" (or "master" if that's your default)
6. Leave the folder as "/ (root)"
7. Click "Save"

Step 4: Access Your Website

1. GitHub will take 5-10 minutes to build and deploy your site
2. Your website will be live at: https://[your-username].github.io
3. You can check the deployment status in the "Actions" tab of your repository

📝 Customization Needed

Before deploying, you should update these placeholders with your actual information:

In index.html:

• Replace "Jonathan H. Choi" with your name
• Update the bio and description with your information
• Add your actual social media links (GitHub, LinkedIn, Twitter, Email)
• Update the research projects with your actual projects

In code.html:

• Replace project descriptions with your actual projects
• Add real GitHub repository links
• Update project years and technologies used
• Add links to your actual papers and documentation

Social Media Links:

Search for href="#" in both HTML files and replace with your actual links:

• GitHub: https://github.com/[your-username]
• LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/[your-profile]
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/[your-handle]
• Email: mailto:your-email@example.com

🔧 Optional: Custom Domain

If you want to use a custom domain (like www.yourname.com):

1. Purchase a domain from a registrar (Namecheap, GoDaddy, Google Domains, etc.)
2. In your repository, create a file named CNAME (no extension)
3. Add your domain name to this file (e.g., www.yourname.com)
4. Configure your domain's DNS settings:
   • Add a CNAME record pointing to [your-username].github.io
   • Or add A records pointing to GitHub's IP addresses (see GitHub docs for current IPs)

📁 Files Included

• index.html - Main homepage
• code.html - Projects and code portfolio page
• styles.css - All styling and responsive design
• script.js - Interactive features and animations
• README.md - This file with instructions

🎨 Features

• Fully responsive design (mobile, tablet, desktop)
• Smooth scrolling navigation
• Interactive hover effects
• Clean, modern aesthetic
• Fast loading and optimized performance
• No external dependencies (except Font Awesome icons)

🛠️ Making Changes

After initial deployment, to make changes:

1. Edit the files locally
2. If using GitHub web interface:
   • Go to the file in your repository
   • Click the pencil icon to edit
   • Make changes and commit
3. If using Git:

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

4. GitHub Pages will automatically update within a few minutes

❓ Troubleshooting

• Site not loading?

  • Check that repository name is exactly [username].github.io
  • Wait 10-15 minutes after first deployment
  • Check GitHub Pages settings are enabled

• Changes not showing?

  • Clear browser cache (Ctrl+Shift+R or Cmd+Shift+R)
  • Wait 5-10 minutes for GitHub to rebuild

• 404 Error?

  • Ensure index.html is in the root directory
  • Check file names are lowercase
  • Verify GitHub Pages source settings

📧 Need Help?

If you encounter any issues, check:

1. GitHub Pages documentation: https://docs.github.com/en/pages
2. Your repository's Actions tab for build errors
3. GitHub Status page: https://www.githubstatus.com/

📄 License

Feel free to use this template for your own personal website!

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Last updated: 2024