Learning Journal

A personal knowledge management system that functions as both a searchable resource and a chronological blog of things I've learned.

Overview

This repository serves as my digital learning journal - a place to document and organize everything I learn in my technical journey. It combines the benefits of:

1. Knowledge Base: A structured, searchable collection of technical notes
2. Learning Blog: A chronological record of my learning path
3. Version History: Git tracking showing how my understanding evolves

How It Works

Structure

.
├── assets/               # Static assets for the viewer
│   ├── css/              # Stylesheets
│   ├── js/               # JavaScript files
│   └── markdown-viewer.html  # Main HTML template
├── content/              # Markdown files containing knowledge
│   ├── TEMPLATE.md       # Template for new entries
│   └── *.md              # Individual topic files
├── markdown-server.go    # Go web server for viewing content
├── markdown-server.sh    # Shell script to run the server
└── README.md             # This file

Dual Purpose

1. Resource: The content directory contains standalone markdown files organized by topic. Each file follows a consistent template with:

   • Frontmatter metadata (title, date, tags)
   • Table of contents
   • Structured content with examples, notes, and code snippets

2. Blog: Commit messages serve as blog entries, documenting when and what I learned. The message format is:

   [CATEGORY] Title | #tag1 #tag2
      
   More detailed description of what was learned
   

Usage

Adding New Content

1. Copy content/TEMPLATE.md to create a new file
2. Fill in the template with new knowledge
3. Commit with a descriptive message using the format above
4. Push to keep the remote repository updated

Viewing Content

Run the markdown viewer server:

./markdown-server.sh

This starts a local server with:

• A list of all markdown files
• Full-text search
• Tag-based filtering
• Responsive design with dark mode support

Then open your browser to http://localhost:8000

Features

• GitHub-style Markdown: Content is rendered in a familiar GitHub style
• Tag System: Content can be filtered by tags
• Auto-generated TOC: Table of contents created from markdown headings
• Dark Mode: Toggle between light and dark themes
• Error Detection: Warnings for markdown formatting issues
• Version History: Complete history of changes preserved with Git

Implementation

The viewer is built with:

• Go: Simple and fast HTTP server
• JavaScript: Browser-side rendering of markdown with Marked.js
• CSS: GitHub-inspired styling
• HTML: Responsive and accessible design

Markdown Guidelines

To ensure proper rendering and consistent formatting:

1. Avoid square brackets in headings - Use plain text for section headers
2. Add spacing after code blocks - Include a blank line after each code block
3. Use standard frontmatter format:

   ---
   title: Topic Name
   date: YYYY-MM-DD
   updated: YYYY-MM-DD
   tags: [tag1, tag2, tag3]
   category: category-name
   ---
   

4. Follow the template structure - Maintain consistent heading levels and formatting

Future Plans

• SvelteKit frontend for improved browsing experience
• Full-text search capabilities
• Spaced repetition system for revisiting important concepts
• Visualization of learning journey and connections between topics
• GitHub Pages integration for public sharing
• Mobile app with offline capabilities

Getting Started

If you're forking or cloning this repository:

1. Ensure Go is installed on your system
2. Clone the repository
3. Run ./markdown-server.sh to start the server
4. Begin adding your own content to the content/ directory

This learning journal is inspired by the "second brain" concept and aims to transform how I document and recall technical knowledge.