Getting Started

This page walks through the shortest path from a folder of media to a generated cr4te site.

Install

From a local checkout:

git clone https://github.com/vger-6/cr4te.git
cd cr4te
pip install -e .

For development tools:

pip install -e ".[dev]"

Try the Bundled Example

Before pointing cr4te at your own archive, build the example library included in the repo:

cr4te build -i data/example/Musicians -o output/example-site --domain music

Open the generated site directly:

output/example-site/index.html

Or serve it locally:

cd output/example-site
python -m http.server 8000

Then visit http://localhost:8000.

Prepare a Library

Create one folder that contains creator folders:

Musicians/
|-- Astra Vey/
|   |-- portrait.png
|   |-- README.md
|   |-- cr4te.json
|   |-- Glass Circuit/
|   |   |-- cover.png
|   |   |-- README.md
|   |   |-- cr4te.json
|   |   |-- 01 - Chrome Pulse.mp3
|-- Marin & The Mesa/
|   |-- cr4te.json
|   |-- Halfway to Tam/
|   |   |-- cover.png

You do not have to write metadata file by hand before the first build. The build command creates missing cr4te.json files and adds missing editable fields.

Build

cr4te build -i path/to/Musicians -o path/to/site --domain music

The build command:

1. Loads the default configuration.
2. Applies an optional config file and CLI overrides.
3. Reconciles creator and project metadata files.
4. Indexes the media library.
5. Renders the static site.

Open the Site

Use --open to open the generated index.html after a successful build:

cr4te build -i path/to/Musicians -o path/to/site --domain music --open

You can also open path/to/site/index.html directly.

For the most consistent browser behavior, serve the output folder:

cd path/to/site
python -m http.server 8000

Then visit http://localhost:8000.

First Files to Edit

After the first build, edit:

• Creator cr4te.json files for names, portrait overrides, aliases, tags, and person/collaboration metadata.
• Project cr4te.json files for titles, release dates, cover overrides, tags, and facets.
• Creator and project README.md files for long-form descriptions.

Run build again whenever you update files.