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Content Management Guide

Content Management Guide

Difficulty: Beginner-Intermediate | Time: 10-15 minutes

Everything you need to know about managing content in Astrolock.

Note: This guide uses command-line examples. All commands starting with astrolock assume you have Astrolock installed and are in your project directory.

The Content Lifecycle

Your content goes through these stages:

Create → Edit → Publish → Update → Unpublish or Delete

Let’s walk through each step!

Creating Content

Quick Create

# Create a blog post
astrolock content blog "My Amazing Post"

# Create in a media collection
astrolock content mixes "Summer Vibes Mix"
astrolock content galleries "Vacation Photos"
astrolock content podcasts "Episode 1: Introduction"

What You Get

Astrolock creates two things:

  1. A markdown file in content/<collection>/<slug>.md
  2. A placeholder for your media file (if it’s a media collection)

The content starts as a draft (not published).

Example Created File

---
title: "Summer Vibes Mix"
date: 2025-11-06T12:00:00.000Z
draft: true
categories: []
tags: []
---

## Summer Vibes Mix

Add your content here.

Editing Content

Open in Your Editor

astrolock edit mixes/summer-vibes-mix

This opens the file in your text editor.

What You Can Change

In the frontmatter (between the --- marks):

  • Title
  • Description
  • Categories
  • Tags
  • Draft status
  • Date
  • Author

In the content (after the ---):

  • All your text
  • Markdown formatting
  • Images
  • Links

Markdown Basics

Here are common things you’ll use:

# Big Heading
## Medium Heading
### Small Heading

**bold text**
*italic text*

- Bullet point
- Another point

1. Numbered list
2. Second item

[Link text](https://example.com)

![Image description](image.jpg)

Save and Close

After editing:

  1. Save the file (Cmd+S or Ctrl+S)
  2. Close the editor
  3. Your changes are saved!

Publishing Content

Make Content Visible

When you’re ready for people to see your content:

astrolock publish mixes/summer-vibes-mix

This changes draft: true to draft: false.

When to Publish

Publish when:

  • ✅ Content is finished
  • ✅ You’ve proofread it
  • ✅ Media files are uploaded
  • ✅ Everything looks good in preview

Preview Before Publishing

Always preview first!

# Start dev server
astrolock write

# Opens at http://localhost:4321

Visit your site in a browser and check:

  • Does it look right?
  • Are images showing?
  • Do links work?
  • Is the title correct?

If everything looks good, publish it:

astrolock publish mixes/summer-vibes-mix
astrolock build

Unpublishing Content

Hide Content Temporarily

Need to hide something without deleting it?

astrolock unpublish mixes/summer-vibes-mix

This changes draft: false to draft: true.

The content stays on your computer but won’t show on your website.

When to Unpublish

Good times to unpublish:

  • Making major edits
  • Seasonal content that’s out of season
  • Content needs fact-checking
  • Temporarily removing while you decide what to do

Republishing

When you’re ready to show it again:

astrolock publish mixes/summer-vibes-mix
astrolock build

Updating Published Content

Quick Updates

For small changes:

# 1. Edit directly
astrolock edit mixes/summer-vibes-mix

# 2. Save changes

# 3. Rebuild
astrolock build

The updated content appears on your site!

Major Updates

For big changes:

# 1. Unpublish first
astrolock unpublish mixes/summer-vibes-mix

# 2. Make your changes
astrolock edit mixes/summer-vibes-mix

# 3. Preview
astrolock write

# 4. Republish when done
astrolock publish mixes/summer-vibes-mix

# 5. Rebuild
astrolock build

Deleting Content

Permanent Removal

⚠️ Warning: Deletion is permanent!

astrolock delete mixes/old-mix

This removes:

  • The markdown file
  • All associated media files

Before You Delete

Ask yourself:

  • Do I really not need this anymore?
  • Should I unpublish instead?
  • Have I backed it up?

If you’re not sure, unpublish instead:

astrolock unpublish mixes/old-mix

You can always delete it later.

Safe Deletion

If you must delete:

  1. Backup first (if using git):

    git add .
git commit -m "Backup before deletion"

  2. Delete:

    astrolock delete mixes/old-mix

  3. Rebuild:

    astrolock build

Working with Collections

List Everything

See what you have:

# Show all collections
cat .astrolock/astrolock.yaml

# List items in a collection
astrolock list mixes
astrolock list galleries
astrolock list blog

Add a Collection

Need a new type of content? Edit .astrolock/astrolock.yaml and add your collection:

collections:
  podcasts:
    displayName: "Podcasts"
    contentType: "audio"
    defaults:
      contentExtension: "mp3"

See the Collections Guide for full configuration options.

Remove a Collection

⚠️ Warning: This will require manually deleting content files!

  1. Remove the collection from .astrolock/astrolock.yaml
  2. Delete the content folder: rm -rf content/{collection-name}
  3. Delete media files: rm -rf public/{media-type}/content/{collection-name}

Organizing Content

Using Categories

Categories are like folders - broad groups:

---
categories:
  - house-music
  - techno
---

Best practices:

  • Use 1-3 categories per item
  • Keep category names consistent
  • Think: “What section does this belong in?”

Using Tags

Tags are keywords - specific topics:

---
tags:
  - vinyl-only
  - live-recording
  - warehouse-party
  - 2025
---

Best practices:

  • Use as many tags as relevant
  • Be specific
  • Include year tags
  • Tag recurring themes

Categories vs Tags

Categories:

  • Broad buckets
  • Site navigation
  • Main organization

Tags:

  • Specific details
  • Search and filtering
  • Cross-referencing

Example:

  • Category: “Mixes”
  • Tags: “techno”, “vinyl”, “2025”, “berlin”

Bulk Operations

Publishing Many Items

astrolock publish mixes/mix-1
astrolock publish mixes/mix-2
astrolock publish mixes/mix-3
# Rebuild once at the end
astrolock build

Editing Multiple Files

Use your file editor to open multiple files from content/<collection>/.

Finding Content

# List all content
astrolock list mixes

# Or use your file browser
open content/mixes

Typical Workflows

Creating a New DJ Mix

# 1. Create the content
astrolock content mixes "Friday Night Mix"

# 2. Add your MP3 file
# Copy to: public/audio/content/mixes/friday-night-mix.mp3

# 3. Edit the markdown
astrolock edit mixes/friday-night-mix

# 4. Add tracklist, description, tags

# 5. Preview
astrolock write

# 6. Publish when ready
astrolock publish mixes/friday-night-mix

# 7. Build
astrolock build

Importing Photos

# 1. Import from a folder
astrolock import media galleries ~/Pictures/Vacation

# 2. Edit descriptions
astrolock edit galleries/beach-sunset
astrolock edit galleries/mountain-view

# 3. Publish
astrolock publish galleries/beach-sunset
astrolock publish galleries/mountain-view

# 4. Build
astrolock build

Seasonal Content Rotation

# End of summer - hide summer content
astrolock unpublish mixes/summer-mix-1
astrolock unpublish mixes/summer-mix-2
astrolock build

# Start of winter - publish winter content
astrolock publish mixes/winter-mix-1
astrolock publish mixes/winter-mix-2
astrolock build

Spring Cleaning

# Review what you have
astrolock list mixes

# Delete old test content
astrolock delete mixes/test-mix
astrolock delete mixes/old-demo

# Rebuild
astrolock build

Tips for Staying Organized

1. Consistent Naming

Use a pattern for slugs:

  • 2025-11-friday-mix
  • episode-001-introduction
  • gallery-iceland-2025

2. Regular Reviews

Monthly:

astrolock list mixes
astrolock list galleries
astrolock list blog

Check for:

  • Drafts you forgot about
  • Old content to delete
  • Content that needs updating

3. Use Drafts Wisely

Create content as drafts, publish when ready:

# Create (starts as draft)
astrolock content mixes "New Mix"

# Work on it...

# Publish when done
astrolock publish mixes/new-mix

4. Backup Regularly

If using git:

git add .
git commit -m "Added new content"
git push

5. Document Your Process

Keep a CONTENT_NOTES.md file:

# Content Guidelines

## DJ Mixes

- Always include tracklist
- Tag with genre + year
- Category: mixes
- Include mix duration in description

## Photos

- Use descriptive titles
- Tag with location + year
- Compress before uploading

Troubleshooting

”I can’t find my content"

# List everything
astrolock list <collection>

# Check if it's a draft
# Look for "draft: true" in the list

"Content not showing on site”

Check these:

  1. Is it published? draft: false
  2. Did you rebuild? astrolock build
  3. Is the media file uploaded?
  4. Check for errors in the build output

”I deleted something by accident”

If using git:

git checkout HEAD content/mixes/deleted-mix.md

Otherwise, you’ll need to recreate it.

”Categories aren’t showing”

Make sure categories are in a list:

# Good
categories:
  - house
  - techno

# Bad
categories: house, techno

Next Steps

  • Learn more: Read the Collections Guide for advanced organization
  • Practice: Create test content and experiment
  • Build workflows: Develop your own process
  • Stay organized: Review and clean up regularly

Remember: Content management gets easier with practice. Start small, build habits, and you’ll be a pro in no time!