Contribution Guide

Aug 02, 2024May 19, 20265 min readedit

Article source: https://notefp.link/contribute

How It Works

This site is built with Quartz, a static site generator that transforms Markdown files into a website. The notes themselves are plain Markdown files stored in the content/ folder of the repository. When changes are pushed to the repository, the site is automatically rebuilt and deployed.

The source code and all notes are hosted on GitHub:
github.com/forgotten-pillar/fp-notes

Quick Edit

Every note on this site has a pencil icon with an edit button in the header. Clicking it takes you directly to the file on GitHub, where you can make changes in your browser without any local setup. GitHub will guide you through forking the repository and opening a Pull Request automatically. This is the easiest way to fix a typo or suggest a small improvement.

Ways to Contribute

  • Write a new note on a doctrinal topic, historical research, or Bible study
  • Expand an existing note with additional references, quotes, or context
  • Fix errors — typos, broken links, incorrect references, or formatting issues
  • Suggest improvements by opening an issue on GitHub

Prerequisites

To contribute, you will need:

  1. A GitHub account (free)
  2. Git installed on your computer
  3. Node.js (version 20 or 22+) — needed to preview the site locally
  4. A text editor — we recommend Obsidian for writing notes (since the project uses Obsidian-flavored Markdown), but any text editor works

Step-by-Step: How to Contribute

1. Fork the Repository

Go to github.com/forgotten-pillar/fp-notes and click the Fork button in the top-right corner. This creates your own copy of the project under your GitHub account.

2. Clone Your Fork

git clone https://github.com/YOUR-USERNAME/fp-notes.git
cd fp-notes

Replace YOUR-USERNAME with your actual GitHub username.

3. Install Dependencies

npm install

4. Create a Branch

Always create a new branch for your changes. Name it something descriptive:

git checkout -b add-note-topic-name

5. Write or Edit Notes

All notes live inside the content/ folder. You can create new .md files or edit existing ones.

Frontmatter

Every note must include frontmatter at the top of the file. Without publish: true, the note will not appear on the site. Here is the minimum required frontmatter:

---
publish: true
title: Your Note Title
description: A brief summary of what this note covers.
createdDate: 2026-01-15T12:00:00.000+02:00
modifiedDate: 2026-01-15T12:00:00.000+02:00
---

You can also add tags to categorize your note:

---
publish: true
title: Your Note Title
description: A brief summary of what this note covers.
tags:
  - hermeneutics
  - prophecy
createdDate: 2026-01-15T12:00:00.000+02:00
modifiedDate: 2026-01-15T12:00:00.000+02:00
---

Linking to Other Notes

Use wikilinks to connect your note to other existing notes:

See [[incomprehensible-mysteries]] for more on this topic.

You can also use display text:

This relates to [[incomprehensible-mysteries|incomprehensible mysteries of God]].

Callouts

The site supports Obsidian-style callouts. These are commonly used for Bible verses and abstracts:

> [!bible] [John 3:16 - KJV](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+3:16&version=kjv)
> 
> 16. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son...
 
> [!abstract]-
> 
> A collapsible summary of the note's main points.

Folder Structure

Notes are organized into folders by topic inside content/:

  • doctrine/ — Doctrinal studies
  • sda-history/ — Seventh-day Adventist history
  • sanctification/ — Sanctification and practical Christianity
  • poetry/ — Poetry
  • pattern-matching-gospel/ — Gospel patterns in the Old Testament
  • miscellaneous/ — Other topics

Place your note in the most fitting folder, or suggest a new one if needed.

6. Preview Locally

You can preview the site on your computer to make sure everything looks right:

npx quartz build --serve

This starts a local server. Open the URL shown in your terminal (usually http://localhost:8080) to see the site with your changes.

7. Commit Your Changes

git add content/your-new-note.md
git commit -m "Add note on [topic]"

8. Push to Your Fork

git push origin add-note-topic-name

9. Open a Pull Request

Go to your fork on GitHub. You should see a banner suggesting to open a Pull Request. Click it, and:

  1. Make sure the base repository is forgotten-pillar/fp-notes and the base branch is v4
  2. Write a brief description of what you added or changed
  3. Submit the Pull Request

Your contribution will be reviewed, and once approved, it will be merged and published to the site.

Writing Guidelines

  • Data over opinions. Notes should present Biblical and historical data, not personal opinions. If an abstract expresses an idea, the body should support it with references.
  • Cite your sources. Always reference Bible texts (preferably KJV) and Spirit of Prophecy writings with links when possible.
  • Keep notes focused. One note should represent one idea. Use wikilinks to connect related ideas rather than writing long, multi-topic notes.
  • Be accurate. Double-check Bible references, Ellen White citations, and historical dates before submitting.

Reporting Issues

If you find an error but do not want to fix it yourself, you can open an issue on GitHub describing the problem. Please include:

  • Which note has the issue (include the URL or file path)
  • What the problem is (typo, incorrect reference, broken link, etc.)
  • The correction, if you know it

Questions?

If you have questions about contributing, feel free to open a discussion on GitHub.

Backlinks