Use the popular Ruby Sinatra (Rails-like) Tool chain to build static websites. Build your source files in Markdown, HAML, Textile (or many others), and take advantage of SASS with Compass for styling. Add Javascript, CoffeeScript and Sockets. View the sites locally with the built-in server mode before building static pages. Includes international (i18n) support. Mix in YAML data files and custom Ruby extensions if needed. Unlimited Buzzwords Galore!
Middleman is a static site generator based on Sinatra (a Rails-like Ruby based tool chain). It incorporates dozens of templating languages (Haml, Sass, Compass, Slim, CoffeeScript, and more). It makes minification, compression, cache busting, Yaml data (and more) an easy part of your development cycle.
Typical Development Cycle
This is the typical development cycle with Middleman:
- Run
middleman init projectname - Start the server with
middleman server - Modify the files in the directory
projectnamewhile viewing them in your browser at http://localhost:4567 - When you're happy with the files, run
middleman build - Copy the generated static files from
projectname/buildto your webserver
Having the server available while developing turns out to be critical, as it allows quick review of changes ( For auto-reload, use middleman-livereload gem). This isn't as much of an issue with "normal" static site generators, but when you start adding partials, SCSS, Compass and the other goodies, that Middleman supports, server mode is invaluable.
Resources
- Official site
- Source code on github
- Migrating from wordpress to middleman
- Twitter: @middlemanapp
- Support: Right here at stackoverflow - use the middleman tag
