71 lines
2.0 KiB
Markdown
71 lines
2.0 KiB
Markdown
# The init command
|
|
|
|
There is some minimal boilerplate that is the same for every new book. It's for
|
|
this purpose that mdBook includes an `init` command.
|
|
|
|
The `init` command is used like this:
|
|
|
|
```bash
|
|
mdbook init
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
When using the `init` command for the first time, a couple of files will be set
|
|
up for you:
|
|
```bash
|
|
book-test/
|
|
├── book
|
|
└── src
|
|
├── chapter_1.md
|
|
└── SUMMARY.md
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
- The `src` directory is where you write your book in markdown. It contains all
|
|
the source files, configuration files, etc.
|
|
|
|
- The `book` directory is where your book is rendered. All the output is ready
|
|
to be uploaded to a server to be seen by your audience.
|
|
|
|
- The `SUMMARY.md` is the skeleton of your
|
|
book, and is discussed in more detail [in another
|
|
chapter](../format/summary.md).
|
|
|
|
#### Tip: Generate chapters from SUMMARY.md
|
|
|
|
When a `SUMMARY.md` file already exists, the `init` command will first parse it
|
|
and generate the missing files according to the paths used in the `SUMMARY.md`.
|
|
This allows you to think and create the whole structure of your book and then
|
|
let mdBook generate it for you.
|
|
|
|
#### Specify a directory
|
|
|
|
The `init` command can take a directory as an argument to use as the book's root
|
|
instead of the current working directory.
|
|
|
|
```bash
|
|
mdbook init path/to/book
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
#### --theme
|
|
|
|
When you use the `--theme` flag, the default theme will be copied into a
|
|
directory called `theme` in your source directory so that you can modify it.
|
|
|
|
The theme is selectively overwritten, this means that if you don't want to
|
|
overwrite a specific file, just delete it and the default file will be used.
|
|
|
|
#### --title
|
|
|
|
Specify a title for the book. If not supplied, an interactive prompt will ask for
|
|
a title.
|
|
|
|
```bash
|
|
mdbook init --title="my amazing book"
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
#### --ignore
|
|
|
|
Create a `.gitignore` file configured to ignore the `book` directory created when [building] a book.
|
|
If not supplied, an interactive prompt will ask whether it should be created.
|
|
|
|
[building]: build.md
|