📚 Rhyla Documentation — Markdown‑first docs, zero friction

Rhyla is a lightweight, template‑driven documentation generator. Write in Markdown, drop files into folders, and get a clean docs site with a smart sidebar, instant search, light/dark themes, and a static build ready to deploy.

— Minimal setup. No lock‑in. Fast authoring.

✨ Highlights

• Markdown‑first: .md pages are rendered automatically; .html pages are kept as‑is.
• Auto sidebar from folders: nested groups with smooth animations and active state.
• Built‑in search: index generated from your docs; resilient loading in dev and build.
• SPA‑like navigation: header and sidebar stay; only content swaps for snappy UX.
• Theming: light/dark with anti‑flicker first‑paint, easy to customize.
• Clean URLs: /topic and /group/topic in dev and build.
• Static build: one dist/ folder, drop on any static host (GitHub Pages, Vercel, Netlify).
• Public assets: serve from /public (images, fonts, etc.).
• Smart tagging system: with HTTP method tags and version indicators (learn more).

⏱ Quickstart

1. Initialize a docs workspace

rhyla init

This creates a rhyla/ folder with templates (header.html, home.md, styles/, public/, and body/).

2. Start developing

rhyla dev

Preview at http://localhost:3333. The sidebar and search update as you add/edit files.

3. Build for production

rhyla build

Outputs a static site to dist/.

📁 Authoring model

The sidebar mirrors the folder tree under rhyla/body/.

• Folders become groups (with collapsible sections).
• .md files render to HTML; .html files are included verbatim.
• File path defines the route. Examples:
  • rhyla/body/get-posts.md → /get-posts
  • rhyla/body/api/users/create.md → /api/users/create

Naming tips:

• Prefer lowercase and hyphens: quick-start.md, advanced-install.md.
• Use HTTP method prefixes for API docs: get-users.md, post-login.md.
• Add version or status tags at the end: post-login-new.md, get-users-v1.md.
• Avoid spaces/special characters.
• Keep names short and descriptive.
• Check out the tag system guide for more details.

🎨 Theming & layout

• Global layout: styles/global.css.
• Themes: styles/light.css and styles/dark.css (variables + colors).
• Header: edit header.html as needed.
• HTTP verb tags are styled via .http-tag classes.

Anti‑flicker: the selected theme is applied before first paint to avoid flashing.

🔎 Search

Rhyla ships with a content indexer and a special search page.

• Dev: index served from /search_index.json and refreshed on changes.
• Build: assets live under /search/ (search_index.json + scripts).
• The search UI highlights matches and links to routes.

Tip: keep rhyla/body/search.html in your project (it’s listed first in the sidebar).

⚙️ SPA‑like navigation

Page transitions only replace the <main> content, keeping header and sidebar fixed. Scripts inside pages are re‑executed safely, so special pages (like Search) work when revisiting.

📦 Project layout (essentials)

rhyla/
   body/               # your docs (md/html)
   public/             # static assets served at /public
   styles/             # global + themes
   header.html         # header + theme toggle + SPA runtime

🧩 FAQ (short)

• Search shows “Loading index…” forever?
  • Ensure the index exists (dev regenerates automatically; build writes to /search/).
  • Keep the Search page file in rhyla/body/.
• Can I use plain HTML pages?
  • Yes. Place .html files anywhere under body/.
• How do I deploy?
  • Run rhyla build and upload dist/ to any static host.

🤝 Contributing

PRs and issues are welcome: https://github.com/joseRibamar21/rhyla_documentation