H. Kapginlian
Technical Guides••6 min read•Language: English

Site Configuration & Global Settings Guide

Technical documentation for updating author metadata, navigation orders, social handles, and siteConfig.ts

H. Kapginlian
H. KapginlianNorth-Eastern Hill University (NEHU), Shillong

All site-wide metadata, author credentials, social links, and navigation tab orders are governed by a single configuration module located at src/data/siteConfig.ts.

The Settings tab in the CMS Studio provides a graphical interface to modify these settings in real time.

1. Structure of siteConfig.ts

The configuration object defines the core data model for the entire website:

  • meta: Site title and global search engine meta description.
  • author: Full name, academic title, institutional affiliation (e.g. NEHU, Shillong), location, degrees, and bio paragraphs.
  • metrics: Key quantitative statistics displayed on the homepage (e.g., number of documented languages, research papers count).
  • navigation: Top header navigation items with labels, destination routes, and active visibility toggles.
  • fieldworkSpotlight: Spotlight card on the home page highlighting current fieldwork data with interlinear gloss units.
  • socialLinks: Academic profiles (ORCID, Google Scholar, Academia.edu) and direct contact channels.
  • footer: Copyright notices, linguistic documentation standards statement, and admin link visibility.

2. Using the Two-Column Settings Studio

The Settings tab features a Master-Detail layout designed for easy navigation across extensive configurations:

Sticky Section Index (Left Column)

Clicking any link in the index navigates smoothly to that section:

  • Navigation: Toggle visibility or change tab labels.
  • Author: Edit academic title, degrees, short bio, and research specializations.
  • Spotlight: Configure featured fieldwork gloss units.
  • Socials: Update ORCID identifiers, GitHub profile, and institutional email.
  • Pages: Edit custom header banners across Feed, Research, and Archive.
  • Footer: Modify copyright lines and documentation standards notices.
  • GitHub: Manage repository tokens and test push permissions.
  • Export: Real-time TypeScript code preview.

3. Saving Changes: Local Overrides vs Repository Commit

The Settings studio provides two options for saving changes:

Save Locally (Browser Cache)

Clicking Save Settings Locally writes the entire configuration object to browser localStorage (hk_cms_site_config). This is ideal for testing customizations on your computer without modifying repository files.

Exporting siteConfig.ts to the Repository

To make your settings permanent for all visitors:

  1. Scroll to the Export & Synchronize section at the bottom of the Settings tab.
  2. The code block displays the generated TypeScript code matching your updated settings.
  3. Click Copy Code or Download siteConfig.ts.
  4. Commit the updated src/data/siteConfig.ts file to your GitHub repository to trigger a Cloudflare rebuild.

4. Resetting to Defaults

If you make unwanted changes or wish to discard local overrides, click Reset to Defaults in the top action bar of the Settings tab. The studio clears browser storage overrides and re-synchronizes with the repository’s original defaultSiteConfig.