HSF Styles is a Jekyll-based template and theming system for building lesson modules and training websites, created by the HEP Software Foundation (HSF) as an adaptation of the Carpentries styles.
What is HSF Styles?
HSF Styles is a Jekyll template that provides the styling and layout for lesson modules used across HSF training materials. It takes lesson content written in Markdown and renders it as a structured website with navigation and theming, using HTML as the primary output language. The template is maintained by the HSF Training group and is adapted from the Carpentries styles, a well-known lesson design system in the scientific community.
Key Features
- Jekyll theme — Built as a Jekyll theme, so lesson content in Markdown is compiled into static HTML sites that can be deployed to GitHub Pages.
- Adapted from Carpentries styles — Inherits the Carpentries lesson layout and scaffolding, modified by HSF to fit the needs of the high-energy physics community.
- GitHub Pages ready — Many HSF training modules are published at URLs like
https://hsf-training.github.io/git-novice, indicating the template works with GitHub Pages out of the box. - Curriculum backbone — Used across the HSF Training Center for modules covering Git, CI/CD, Docker, Singularity, C++, ROOT, Python, and machine learning.
- Community-driven development — The source lives in the
hsf-training/hsf-stylesrepository with topics includingcarpentries,jekyll, andtraining-materials.
Who is it for?
- HEP instructors — They can create new lesson modules by following the detailed instructions published at hepsoftwarefoundation.org, which explain how to start a new module from this template.
- Lesson developers — They can build structured tutorials with consistent visual styling, reusing the established Carpentries pedagogical format.
- Workshop organizers — They can assemble multi-episode lessons for events like C++ courses, CI/CD workshops, and analysis preservation training, many of which are listed on the HSF Training Center site.
What can you do with HSF Styles?
- Create a new lesson module — Copy the template and add Markdown episodes to produce a styled lesson website with navigation.
- Teach a workshop — Use the template to present a series of episodes, as demonstrated by the Git, Docker, and CI/CD modules in the HSF curriculum.
- Localize content — The Spanish corner of the HSF Training Center shows that the template supports translated modules, such as the Scikit-HEP tutorial in Spanish.
How does HSF Styles work?
To start a new module, HSF provides step-by-step instructions on their website. The template itself is a Jekyll site that you can copy and customize; its Carpentries heritage means it uses a predictable file layout with lesson episodes and configuration files. Once the content is written and pushed to a GitHub repository, the site is automatically built and served via GitHub Pages.
