This Notebook
As someone who has always been passionate about writing, I've always wanted to create my own platform, and now I finally have a working version. I can tell you this is long overdue and the main reason for that is I've only recently learned how to use Python, which is crucial in automating some of the processes of creating a post.If you're thinking, why not just use existing platforms such as social media or other note taking apps? The answer is I did try some of those. I've tried several note taking apps such as Evernote, Medium, and Notion—I forgot what the others are called. Anyway, I just don't feel satisfied using those so I decided to create one where I can control the layout and customize it as needed. There are downsides to this of course, but I'm never going back to using other platforms.
I wanted something minimalist and to have control over my data and privacy. I can also backup my work to other repositories so I can be sure I'm not going to lose my work. I use this mainly to write down my ideas, learnings, and random thoughts, which really helps to clear my mind and better process them.
Here's a general overview of how this works:
- Using a text editor I've created, I write the title and content in a markdown-esque format plus HTML for markdown patterns I couldn't figure out yet how to convert to HTML. Select what tags the post falls under. This is then exported as a .md* file.
- Then I run a Python script to get all the .md* files in that folder, get specific texts based on a pattern then produce an object array as output.
- A script uses the array to dynamically generate all the content you'll find on this page.
- Then I just have to save and push the updates to Github and that's it!
If I only knew how to use a server or overwrite files directly in my editor, it would be much more efficient... But that will come later. My current platform is far from being perfect, but for now, this process works, and I'm quite satisfied.