Site Rebuild Complete: Live GitHub Projects & Modern Design

Fresh Site Launch

Finally got around to rebuilding the site from scratch. The old static pages were getting stale, so I built something that actually reflects what we’re working on in real-time.

What’s Different

Dynamic GitHub Sidebar

The biggest change is the left sidebar now pulls directly from GitHub:

• Shows our top 20 repos sorted by stars
• Live star counts displayed next to each project
• Updates automatically every 6 hours via GitHub Actions
• Custom descriptions for each project (no more generic “GitHub repository”)

Built a simple bash script (update_sidebar.sh) that fetches data using gh CLI and generates the Hugo partial. Clean, simple, works.

Modular Architecture

Broke everything into reusable components:

• Sidebar is now its own partial (layouts/partials/sidebar.html)
• Can be included anywhere with {{ partial "sidebar.html" . }}
• Styles are self-contained within the partial
• Easy to maintain and update

GitHub Actions Integration

Set up automated updates without needing server-side cron:

on:
  schedule:
    - cron: '0 */6 * * *'  # Every 6 hours
  workflow_dispatch:       # Manual trigger

The workflow:

1. Runs get_top_repos.sh to fetch latest repo data
2. Executes update_sidebar.sh to regenerate the sidebar
3. Commits changes if anything updated
4. Site rebuilds automatically

Visual Updates

Kept the Hawaii-inspired design but made it cleaner:

• Deep ocean gradient background (#0a0f1c → #0fbcf9)
• Floating particle effects for subtle motion
• Golden accents (#ffa801) for important elements
• Smooth hover animations on project cards

Real Projects Front and Center

No more placeholder content. The sidebar shows actual repositories:

• json_remedy - 13 stars
• GUARDRAIL - 10 stars
• axon - 10 stars
• Plus 17 more active projects

Each links directly to GitHub with star counts visible at a glance.

Technical Details

The Update Script

Simple but effective:

#!/bin/bash
repos_json=$(./get_top_repos.sh)
# Generate sidebar HTML with repo data
# Include star counts and descriptions
# Write to layouts/partials/sidebar.html

Manual Trigger

Added a local script for manual updates:

gh workflow run update-sidebar.yml \
  --repo nshkrdotcom/nshkrdotcom.github.io

No need for PATs since gh is already authenticated locally.

Future-Proofed

Left hooks in place for:

• Cross-repository triggers (disabled by default)
• Push-based updates
• Star event webhooks

All commented out but ready if needed.

What’s Working

• Sidebar updates automatically show new repos and star changes
• Zero maintenance required after initial setup
• GitHub Actions handles everything
• Site stays fresh without manual intervention

Next Steps

Working on:

• Better mobile layout for the project list
• Adding language badges to each repo
• Maybe pull in latest commit info
• Considering adding download/fork counts

The new setup makes it trivial to add more dynamic content. Everything’s modular, automated, and pulling from a single source of truth: GitHub.

Check out the live site to see it in action. The code’s all there if you want to build something similar.

Building what we need, when we need it, from the North Shore.