How to Edit Files on GitHub’s Web Interface

This guide shows you how to edit configuration files and content directly through GitHub’s web interface, without needing to download or install anything.

When You Need This

• You need to update your site configuration
• You want to edit page content like the About page
• You need to make quick changes to any text-based file

Step 1: Navigate to the File You Want to Edit

1. Go to your repository
   • Open your GitHub repository in your web browser
   • You should see a list of files and folders
2. Find the file to edit
   • Click through folders to locate your file
   • Common files you’ll need to edit:
     • _config.yml: Main site configuration
     • _data/theme.yml: Visual appearance settings
     • pages/about.md: About page content
     • pages/index.md: Home page content

   

Step 2: Open the Editor

1. Click on the file name to view its contents
   • The file will open in a preview mode first

   

2. Click the pencil icon (Edit this file)
   • Look for this icon in the upper right corner of the file view
   • This opens GitHub’s built-in text editor

   

Step 3: Make Your Changes

For Configuration Files (YAML format)

When editing _config.yml or _data/theme.yml:

1. Update key values
   • For _config.yml, update fields like:

     title: "Your Collection Title"
     tagline: "Brief description"
     description: "Longer description"
     author: "Your Name or Organization"
     metadata: "metadata" # must match your CSV filename (without .csv)
     

   • For theme.yml, update styling like:

     # COLORS
     # primary color used in navbar, buttons, & links
     primary-color: "#4051a5"
     # accent color used in accents and highlights
     accent-color: "#f9c443"
     

2. Preserve formatting
   • Maintain proper indentation (usually 2 spaces)
   • Keep quotes around text values
   • Don’t remove or comment out required fields

   

For Content Files (Markdown format)

When editing pages like about.md or other content:

1. Use Markdown formatting
   • Headings use # symbols: # Main Heading, ## Subheading
   • Links: [Link text](URL)
   • Bold: **bold text**
   • Italic: *italic text*
   • Lists: Start lines with - or 1. for numbered lists
2. Preserve front matter
   • Don’t change the section between --- lines at the top
   • This contains page settings

   

Step 4: Save Your Changes

1. Review your changes
   • Check for errors or typos
   • GitHub will highlight your changes in green (additions) and red (deletions)

2. Scroll to the bottom to find the commit section

3. Add a commit message
   • Write a brief description of what you changed
   • Example: “Update site title and description” or “Add project information to About page”

   

4. Click “Commit changes”
   • Your changes are saved to the repository
   • The site will automatically rebuild with your changes (this takes a few minutes)

Common Issues and Solutions

Problem	Solution
YAML syntax errors	Check for proper indentation and quotes around text values
Changes not appearing on site	Wait 2-5 minutes for the site to rebuild
Edit button not appearing	Make sure you’re logged into GitHub and have write access to the repository
Commit button not working	Check for error messages about invalid formatting

Next Steps

After editing your files:

• Add your content files like metadata and transcripts
• Check your site to verify your changes
• Consider connecting media to your interviews