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GitBook
=======
:warning: This branch contains the version 2.0.
[](https://travis-ci.org/GitbookIO/gitbook)
[](http://badge.fury.io/js/gitbook)
GitBook is a command line tool (and Node.js library) for building beautiful books using GitHub/Git and Markdown (or AsciiDoc). Here is an example: [Learn Javascript](https://www.gitbook.com/book/GitBookIO/javascript). You can publish and host book easily online using [gitbook.com](https://www.gitbook.com), a web-editor is [also available](https://www.gitbook.com/editor). You can follow [@GitBookIO](https://twitter.com/GitBookIO) on Twitter. Complete documentation is available at [help.gitbook.io](http://help.gitbook.io/).
## How to use it:
GitBook can be installed from **NPM** using:
```
$ npm install gitbook-cli -g
```
Create the directories and files for a book from its [SUMMARY.md](https://github.com/GitbookIO/gitbook#book-format) file (if existing) using
```
$ gitbook init
```
You can serve a repository as a book using:
```
$ gitbook serve ./repository
```
Or simply build the static website using:
```
$ gitbook build ./repository ./outputFolder
```
## Features
* [Output as a website or ebook (pdf, epub, mobi)](#output-formats)
* [Multi-Languages](#multi-languages)
* [Glossary](#glossary)
* [Cover](#cover)
* [AsciiDoc Support](#asciidoc)
* [Variables and Templating](#variables-and-templating)
* [Content References](#content-references)
* [Plugins](#plugins)
* Interractive reader website:
* Search
* Font Settings (Serif, Sans Serif)
* Themes: white, sepia, night
## Output Formats
GitBook can generate your book in the following formats:
* **Static Website**: This is the default format. It generates a complete interactive static website that can be, for example, hosted on GitHub Pages.
* **eBook**: You need to have [ebook-convert](http://manual.calibre-ebook.com/cli/ebook-convert.html) installed. You can specify the eBook filename as the second argument, otherwise `book` will be used.
* Generate a **PDF** using: `gitbook pdf ./myrepo ./mybook.pdf`
* Generate a **ePub** using: `gitbook epub ./myrepo ./mybook.epub`
* Generate a **MOBI** using: `gitbook mobi ./myrepo ./mybook.mobi`
* **JSON**: This format is used for debugging or extracting metadata from a book. Generate this format using: ```gitbook build ./myrepo --format=json```.
## Book Format
A book is a Git repository containing at least 2 files: `README.md` and `SUMMARY.md`.
#### README.md
Typically, this should be the introduction for your book. It will be automatically added to the final summary.
#### SUMMARY.md
The `SUMMARY.md` defines your book's structure. It should contain a list of chapters, linking to their respective pages.
Example:
```markdown
# Summary
This is the summary of my book.
* [section 1](section1/README.md)
* [example 1](section1/example1.md)
* [example 2](section1/example2.md)
* [section 2](section2/README.md)
* [example 1](section2/example1.md)
```
Files that are not included in `SUMMARY.md` will not be processed by `gitbook`.
#### Multi-Languages
GitBook supports building books written in multiple languages. Each language should be a sub-directory following the normal GitBook format, and a file named `LANGS.md` should be present at the root of the repository with the following format:
```markdown
* [English](en/)
* [French](fr/)
* [Español](es/)
```
You can see a complete example with the [Learn Git](https://github.com/GitbookIO/git) book.
#### Glossary
Allows you to specify terms and their respective definitions to be displayed in the glossary. Based on those terms, `gitbook` will automatically build an index and highlight those terms in pages.
The `GLOSSARY.md` format is very simple :
```markdown
# term
Definition for this term
# Another term
With it's definition, this can contain bold text and all other kinds of inline markup ...
```
#### Variables and Templating
A set of variables can be defined in the `book.json`:
```js
{
"variables": {
"host": "mybook.com"
}
}
```
These variables can be used in the markdown files:
```
The host is {{ book.host }}
```
You can also use condition with these variables:
```
{% if book.host == "mybook.com" %}
{% else %}
{% endif %}
```
Variables of `book.json` are available in the `book` namespace. You can also access informations about the `file` itself and the `gitbook` version:
```
My file is {{ file.path }}
Modified at {{ file.mtime }}
Book built with GitBook {{ gitbook.version }}
```
#### Content References
You can use "content references," or conrefs, when writing books or documentation using GitBook.
Include a file from the same book:
```
{% include "./test.md" %}
```
or from a git repository (with a specific revision):
```
{% include "git+https://github.com/GitbookIO/documentation.git/README.md#1.0.1" %}
```
Includes can be used with variables (see [Variables and Templating](#variables-and-templating)):
```
{% include book.ref_doc_readme %}
```
#### Ignoring files & folders
GitBook will read the `.gitignore`, `.bookignore` and `.ignore` files to get a list of files and folders to skip. (The format inside those files follows the same convention as `.gitignore`).
Best practices for the `.gitignore` is to ignore build files from **node.js** (`node_modules`, ...) and build files from GitBook: `_book`, `*.epub`, `*.mobi` and `*.pdf` ([Download GitBook.gitignore](https://github.com/github/gitignore/blob/master/GitBook.gitignore)).
#### Cover
A cover image can be set by creating a file: **/cover.jpg**.
The best resolution is **1800x2360**. The generation of the cover can be done automatically using the plugin [autocover](https://github.com/GitbookIO/plugin-autocover).
A small version of the cover can also be set by creating a file: **/cover_small.jpg**.
#### AsciiDoc
Since version 2.0.0, AsciiDoc can be used instead of Markdown, simply replace the `.md` by the `.adoc` extension. Chapters in the summary are detected from an ordered list in the `SUMMARY.adoc`.
## Publish your book
The platform [GitBook.com](https://www.gitbook.com/) is like an "Heroku for books": you can create a book on it (public, paid, or private) and update it using **git push**.
## Plugins
Plugins can be used to extend your book's functionality. Read [GitbookIO/plugin](https://github.com/GitbookIO/plugin) for more information about how to build a plugin for GitBook.
Plugins needed to build a book can be installed using: `gitbook install ./`. You can find plugins at [plugins.gitbook.com](plugins.gitbook.com).
## Debugging
You can use the options `--log=debug` and `--debug` to get better error messages (with stack trace). For example:
```
$ gitbook build ./ -- log=debug --debug
```
## How to use the latest commit from GitBook in gitbook-cli
To use the latest commit from `GitBook/gitbook` with `gitbook-cli`:
```
$ git clone https://github.com/GitbookIO/gitbook.git ./gitbook
$ gitbook versions:link 2.0.0 ./gitbook
```
Now the version tag `2.0.0` wil be associated with the `./gitbook` folder.
You can uninstall it using: `gitbook versions:uninstall 2.0.0`.
|
