R Jekyll Theme

R Jekyll Theme is a red, left-navigation Jekyll theme designed for building portfolio and resume sites on GitHub Pages.

What is R Jekyll Theme?

R Jekyll Theme is a Jekyll theme that turns Markdown files and a _config.yml configuration into a static portfolio website with a red color scheme and left-hand navigation. It is maintained on GitHub by Rafal Karon and distributed through the rafalkaron/r-jekyll-theme repository. The theme requires Ruby and Jekyll to be installed on your system.

Key Features

• Left navigation — Pages are automatically listed in a left sidebar, with their position controlled by the order front matter variable.
• Multiple installation methods — Install as a GitHub remote theme, as a gem-based theme, or by forking the repository for heavy customization.
• Minimal configuration — Only need to add Markdown content and fill in _config.yml with site data and contact information.
• Responsive design — The repository metadata lists "responsive" as a topic, indicating the layout adapts to different screen sizes.
• Styling overrides — You can override the default styling by creating a main.scss file in the assets directory and importing the theme's r stylesheet.
• Live reload support — Add livereload: true to _config.yml to automatically regenerate the site in the browser during development.
• GitHub Pages ready — The remote theme installation path is designed for deployment to GitHub Pages with the jekyll-remote-theme plugin.

Who is it for?

• Developers and designers who want a straightforward portfolio site without building the front end from scratch.
• Job seekers who need a clean, professional resume site with a distinctive red theme.
• Jekyll users who prefer a theme that requires little configuration and can be deployed to GitHub Pages quickly.

What can you do with it?

• Create a portfolio: Add Markdown pages for each project, with titles and order, to build a navigable portfolio with a left sidebar.
• Publish a resume: Structure your experience and skills as separate pages, using the order front matter to arrange them in the navigation.
• Quickly prototype a Jekyll site: Use the gem-based installation to spin up a theme-enabled Jekyll site locally with bundle exec jekyll serve.

How does it work?

1. Install the theme using one of the three methods: remote theme, gem, or fork.
2. Create Markdown files in the site root, each with front matter specifying the layout, title, and order.
3. Edit _config.yml to add your site metadata and contact info.
4. Run bundle exec jekyll serve to preview the site at http://localhost:4000.

FAQ

How do I install R Jekyll Theme?

You can install it as a GitHub remote theme by adding gem "jekyll-remote-theme" to your Gemfile and setting remote_theme: rafalkaron/r-jekyll-theme@main in _config.yml. Alternatively, add gem "r-jekyll-theme" and set theme: r-jekyll-theme for a gem-based install, or fork the repository directly.

Can I use R Jekyll Theme with GitHub Pages?

Yes. The remote theme installation method is specifically designed for GitHub Pages. Just add the jekyll-remote-theme plugin and set the remote_theme value as described in the README.

How do I customize the colors and styling?

Create a main.scss file in your assets directory with front matter, then add @import "r"; and your own SCSS rules underneath. This will override the default theme styling.

What is the difference between the installation methods?

The GitHub remote theme method is best for deploying to GitHub Pages with minimal setup. The gem-based method is the traditional approach for Jekyll themes. Forking the repository gives you full control over the theme source for heavy modifications.

Does the theme support live reload?

Yes. Add livereload: true to your _config.yml file. The README notes that _config.yml changes still require a server restart, but content and style changes regenerate automatically.