Build a Rust Static Website Generator

Build a Rust Static Website Generator

Table of Contents:

1. Introduction
2. Generating HTML Menu from map.json file
3. Setting up the Menu Items
4. Looping through the Pages
5. Keeping Track of Menu Item Order
6. Handling External Links
7. Creating the Menu HTML String
8. Combining the Template and Content Pages
9. Conclusion

1. Introduction:

In this tutorial, we will learn how to generate an HTML menu from a map.json file using Rust. We will go step by step, explaining each code snippet along the way. So, let's get started!

2. Generating HTML Menu from map.json file:

To begin, we need to create a mutable variable called "menu items" which will be of type "vector new". This vector will hold the menu items. Additionally, we need to initialize another variable called "menu items count" and set it to 0 for now. We will use this variable to keep track of the number of menu items.

3. Setting up the Menu Items:

Now, let's loop through each page in the "pages" object of our map.json file. For each page, we will assign the "page details" to the corresponding page in the "pages" object. This will help us access the necessary information for each menu item.

4. Looping through the Pages:

Next, we need to loop through each page in the "pages" object. We will use the same function as above to accomplish this. Within the loop, we will assign the "page details" for the current page.

5. Keeping Track of Menu Item Order:

We need to keep track of the order of each menu item in our template file. For example, "home" should be the first item. To do this, we will assign the menu index of each page by accessing its index value. If the menu index is greater than zero, we increment the "menu items count" by one.

6. Handling External Links:

In case we have an external link in our menu, we need to handle it differently. If the "menu index" matches the current index and the page is not an external link, we push the "page title" to the "menu items" vector. Additionally, we append the corresponding HTML code to the "menu link string".

7. Creating the Menu HTML String:

We will create another mutable variable called "menu link string". This string will hold the final HTML for our menu. We will initialize it as an empty string. Then, we will loop through the menu items vector and construct the HTML for each menu item. We will also append the necessary HTML code to the "menu link string".

8. Combining the Template and Content Pages:

Now, we can combine our template HTML with the content pages. We will load the template HTML into a string and combine it with each content page to create the final HTML for each individual page.

9. Conclusion:

In this tutorial, we have learned how to generate an HTML menu from a map.json file using Rust. We have covered the step-by-step process, discussing the code and its functionality along the way. By following this tutorial, you will be able to implement this functionality in your own projects. Stay tuned for more tutorials, and happy coding!

Highlights:

• Generating HTML menu from a map.json file using Rust
• Setting up the menu items and their order
• Looping through the pages and retrieving page details
• Handling external links in the menu
• Creating the final HTML string for the menu
• Combining the template and content pages to generate individual pages

FAQ:

Q: What is a map.json file? A: A map.json file is a JSON file that contains information about the structure and content of a website. It is commonly used in static site generators to organize and generate HTML pages.

Q: How does the menu index help in ordering the menu items? A: The menu index allows us to determine the position of each menu item in the menu. By assigning a unique index to each menu item, we can control the order in which they appear on the menu.

Q: Can I modify the menu appearance using CSS? A: Yes, you can customize the appearance of the menu items using CSS. The "class" attribute in the HTML code allows you to target specific menu items and apply CSS styles to them.

Q: Can I have both internal and external links in the menu? A: Yes, you can include both internal and external links in the menu. By specifying the "page link boolean" attribute, you can determine whether a menu item should be treated as an internal link (to another page on your site) or an external link (to an external website).

Q: How can I add more menu items to the generated HTML menu? A: To add more menu items, you can simply modify the map.json file and include the necessary information for the new menu items. The code will automatically handle the generation of the HTML menu based on the updated file.