Journal.TXT @ GitHub

Journal.TXT - Single-Text File Journals - The Human Multi-Document Format for Writers

Write your journal in a single-text file. Example:

--- 
year:  2017
month: July
day:   Wed 19
---
Let's reinvent push-button publishing on the internets! 
Use a single-file for your journal / diary / blog. That's it.
---
day:   Thu 20
---
Crazy idea? Let's put up a website and a example blog auto-generated from journal.txt.
---
day:   Fri 21
---
Did you know? The single-file format works great for advent calendars 
or beer-of-the-day calendars.
---
day:    Sat 22
---
Let's add another example. A diary about the Oktoberfest 2016. Prost. Cheers.
---
day:    Sun 23
---
Let's rest.

How does it work?

The single-text file is a series of meta data and text blocks.

Dates

Use the meta data block for adding the date. In the first meta data block you need a "full" date, that is, year/month/day e.g.:

year: 2017
month: July
day:   Wed 19

or

date: 2017-07-19

In the following entries you only need to add what changes e.g. still in the same month as yesterday? just add a day entry (and the computer will calculate the full date) e.g.:

day: Thu 20

or

day: 20

Use any of these date entries:

• year or y -- year
• month or m -- month (use 1,2,3,etc. or Jan,Feb,Mar or January,February)
• week or w -- week (use 1,2,3, etc.)
• day or d -- day (use 1,2,3...31 or Wed 19, Thu 20,...)
• julian or j -- julian day (use 1,2,3..364,365)

Bonus: Add the year or month to the file name. If you use a filename in the YYYY-MM-title.txt or YYYY-title.txt or format than journal.txt will auto-add the year (and month) from the filename.

Titles

Note: You do NOT need a title for you entries and you do NOT need a title for your journal (use journal.txt if you like).

If you use a differnt name e.g. austria.txt or 2017-oktoberfest.txt than journal.txt will auto-add the title from the filename.

By default the journal entries get auto-titled. Example:

• Day #1 - Wed July 19
• Day #2 - Thu July 20
• Day #3 - Fri July 21

If you add a title - the title by default gets added e.g.

• Austria - Day #1 - Wed July 19
• Austria - Day #2 - Thu July 20
• Austria - Day #3 - Fri July 21

Note: You can always customize the title format. FUTURE (To be done).

Bonus: Single-Source for Blog Posts & Status Tweets / Toots

You can add tweets (or toots) to your journal.TXT. Use a "generic" block in the Text with Instructions (.texti) format. Example:

:::::: Tweet :::::::  
:: New! Journal.TXT - Single-Text File Publishing - 
:: The Human Multi-Document Format for Writers - Blogging Reinvented https://journaltxt.github.io  

or use the "long" block form:

:::::: Tweet ::::::::::::
New! Journal.TXT - Single-Text File Publishing - 
The Human Multi-Document Format for Writers - Blogging Reinvented https://journaltxt.github.io
::::::::::::::::::::::

If configured your Journal.TXT processor will publish (auto-build) your blog AND publish your (new) tweets (on twitter) all from a single-text source file, for example.

{% include_relative samples/README.md %}

License

The Journal.TXT format and conventions are dedicated to the public domain. Use it as you please with no restrictions whatsoever.

Questions? Comments?

Send them along to the wwwmake mailing list/forum. Thanks.