NERDER.LAND - Event Management Documentation

A Hugo static site for listing nerdy events in your local community with a cyberpunk/console theme.

Site Overview

• Framework: Hugo v0.147.7+ static site generator
• Theme: Custom cyberpunk/console theme (no external dependencies)
• Content: Event listings with detailed individual pages
• Styling: Pure CSS with cyberpunk aesthetics (no JavaScript)

Prerequisites

1. Go 1.24.3+ (managed via gvm)
2. Hugo v0.147.7+ (installed via Go)

Initial Setup

# Set up Go environment
source ~/.gvm/scripts/gvm
gvm use go1.24.3

# Install Hugo
go install -tags extended github.com/gohugoio/hugo@latest

# Verify installation
hugo version

Site Structure

nerder.land/
├── content/
│   ├── events/           # Event markdown files
│   └── _index.md         # Homepage content
├── layouts/
│   ├── _partials/        # Header, footer components
│   ├── events/           # Event page templates
│   ├── baseof.html       # Base template
│   ├── home.html         # Homepage template
│   └── single.html       # Default single page template
├── static/
│   └── css/
│       └── style.css     # Cyberpunk theme styles
├── public/               # Generated site (auto-created)
└── hugo.toml            # Site configuration

Managing Events

Creating a New Event

1. Generate the event file:

source ~/.gvm/scripts/gvm && gvm use go1.24.3
hugo new content events/your-event-name.md

2. Edit the event file with proper front matter:

+++
title = 'Your Event Title'
date = '2025-07-15T19:00:00-06:00'        # Start date/time (with timezone)
end_date = '2025-07-15T23:00:00-06:00'    # End date/time (optional)
location = 'Venue Name, Address'           # Event location
organizer = 'Organization Name'            # Who's organizing
capacity = 50                              # Max attendees (optional)
cost = 'Free' # or '$25'                  # Event cost
registration_url = 'https://...'           # Registration link (optional)
contact = 'email@domain.com'               # Contact info
draft = false                              # Set to false to publish
+++

Brief event description that appears on homepage. Keep this to 1-2 sentences that give a clear overview of what the event is about.

<!--more-->

## Full Event Details

Add detailed information here including:
- Event description
- What to expect
- Requirements
- Schedule
- Any other relevant information

Event Front Matter Fields

Field	Required	Description
title	Yes	Event name/title
date	Yes	Start date and time (ISO format)
end_date	No	End date and time
location	No	Venue/address
organizer	No	Who's running the event
capacity	No	Maximum attendees
cost	No	Event price (e.g., "Free", "$25")
registration_url	No	Link to registration page
contact	No	Contact email/info
draft	Yes	Set to false to publish

Content Structure

Summary Section (before <!--more-->):

• Brief 1-2 sentence description
• Appears on homepage event listing
• Should give clear overview without details

Full Content (after <!--more-->):

• Detailed event information
• Use markdown formatting (headers, lists, etc.)
• Only appears on individual event pages

Event Dates and Timezones

• Important: Set buildFuture = true in hugo.toml to show future events
• Events automatically sort chronologically on homepage
• Past events won't appear on homepage but remain accessible via direct URL

Timezone Handling:

• Use ISO 8601 format with timezone offset: 2025-07-15T19:00:00-06:00
• The site currently displays "MST" (Mountain Time) and "UTC-6"
• To change timezone display, update the dateFormat calls in templates:
  • layouts/home.html (homepage event listing)
  • layouts/events/single.html (event detail pages)
  • layouts/events/rss.xml (RSS feeds)
• Update the hardcoded timezone info in layouts/events/single.html

Development Workflow

Local Development

# Start development server
source ~/.gvm/scripts/gvm && gvm use go1.24.3
hugo server --bind 0.0.0.0 --port 1313

# View site at: http://localhost:1313

Building for Production

# Build static site
source ~/.gvm/scripts/gvm && gvm use go1.24.3
hugo

# Generated files will be in public/ directory

RSS Feeds & Calendar Integration

The site automatically generates multiple feed formats:

RSS Feeds

• All content: https://your-site.com/feed.xml
• Events only: https://your-site.com/events/feed.xml

iCal Calendar Feeds

• Master calendar subscription: https://your-site.com/events/calendar.ics
• Individual event downloads: https://your-site.com/events/event-name/calendar.ics

Feed Features

RSS feeds include:

• Event title and description
• Date, location, and cost information
• Direct links to full event pages
• Properly formatted for feed readers

iCal calendars include:

• Proper timezone information (America/Denver)
• Start and end times
• Event location and description
• Organizer and contact information
• Compatible with all major calendar apps

Calendar App Compatibility

The iCal feeds work with:

• Google Calendar - Subscribe via URL
• Apple Calendar - Subscribe via URL
• Outlook - Import or subscribe
• Mozilla Thunderbird - Calendar subscription
• Any CalDAV client - Standard iCal format

Site Configuration

Basic Settings (hugo.toml)

baseURL = 'https://your-domain.com/'
languageCode = 'en-us'
title = 'NERDER.LAND'
buildFuture = true  # Required for future events

# Ignore README.md from being processed as content
ignoreFiles = ["README.md"]

[params]
description = "Your site description here"
eventSubmissionEmail = "events@your-domain.com"  # Email for event submissions

# RSS and Calendar configuration
[outputs]
home = ["HTML", "RSS"]
section = ["HTML", "RSS", "Calendar"]
page = ["HTML", "Calendar"]

[outputFormats]
[outputFormats.RSS]
mediatype = "application/rss"
baseName = "feed"

[outputFormats.Calendar]
mediatype = "text/calendar"
baseName = "calendar"
isPlainText = true

Theme Customization

The cyberpunk theme is in static/css/style.css. Key variables:

:root {
  --neon-green: #00ff41;   # Primary text color
  --neon-blue: #00d4ff;    # Links and accents
  --neon-pink: #ff0080;    # Event titles
  --dark-bg: #0a0a0a;      # Background
  --matrix-green: #41ff00; # Secondary elements
}

Deployment

The public/ directory contains the complete static site. Deploy options:

1. Netlify: Connect to git repo, set build command to hugo
2. GitHub Pages: Use GitHub Actions with Hugo workflow
3. Traditional hosting: Upload public/ contents to web server
4. CDN: Any static hosting service (Vercel, Firebase, etc.)

Troubleshooting

Events Not Showing

1. Check draft = false in front matter
2. Ensure buildFuture = true in hugo.toml for future events
3. Verify date format: 2025-07-15T19:00:00-06:00

ASCII Art Broken

• Ensure ASCII art is wrapped in <pre> tags in templates
• Check for proper escaping in HTML

Site Not Building

1. Verify Hugo version: hugo version
2. Check for syntax errors in content files
3. Ensure Go environment: go version

Template Issues

• Hugo v0.147.7+ uses new template system
• Templates must be in correct directory structure
• Use hugo --logLevel debug for detailed error info

Content Guidelines

Event Descriptions

• Homepage summary: 1-2 sentences, engaging but concise
• Full description: Detailed, use markdown formatting
• Include practical info: Date, time, location, cost, requirements

Writing Style

• Match the cyberpunk/tech theme
• Be informative but exciting
• Include clear call-to-action for registration
• Mention skill levels if relevant

Images

• Add images to static/images/ directory
• Reference in markdown: ![Alt text](/images/filename.jpg)
• Keep file sizes reasonable for web

Maintenance

Regular Tasks

1. Remove past events: Delete old event files periodically
2. Update dependencies: Occasionally update Hugo version
3. Backup content: Keep content/ directory in version control
4. Monitor analytics: Track which events get most interest

Content Archival

Consider moving past events to an archive/ section rather than deleting, to maintain event history and SEO value.

Community Event Submissions

The site includes a "Submit an Event" link in the footer that allows community members to email event details.

How It Works

1. Submission Link: Footer contains a mailto link with pre-formatted email template
2. Email Template: Automatically includes required fields (name, date, location, etc.)
3. Review Process: Site administrator receives email and manually creates event pages
4. Configuration: Email address configurable via eventSubmissionEmail in hugo.toml

Email Template Fields

The submission email includes these pre-filled fields:

• Event Name
• Date & Time
• Location
• Description
• Organizer
• Contact Info
• Cost
• Registration URL (if any)

Processing Submissions

When you receive event submissions:

1. Review the details for completeness and appropriateness
2. Create the event file using hugo new content events/event-name.md
3. Fill in front matter from the submitted information
4. Add detailed content based on the description provided
5. Set draft = false to publish the event
6. Reply to submitter confirming publication or requesting clarification

Support

For issues with Hugo or Go setup, refer to:

• Hugo Documentation
• Hugo Community Forum
• Go Installation Guide