Maintenance Mode Instructions

This document explains how to use maintenance mode for the website while making updates.

Current Status

  • ✅ Maintenance mode is ACTIVE
  • The site currently shows the “Under Construction” page
  • Original homepage is backed up as index.markdown.backup

Files Involved

  • index.html - The maintenance/under construction page (currently active)
  • index.markdown.backup - Your original homepage (backed up)
  • maintenance.html - Backup of maintenance page (when site is restored)

Enable Maintenance Mode

Use this when you want to show “Under Construction” while editing:

# Backup current homepage and activate maintenance page
mv index.markdown index.markdown.backup
mv maintenance.html index.html

# Commit and push changes
git add .
git commit -m "Enable maintenance mode"
git push

Restore Normal Site

Use this when you’re ready to go live with your updates:

# Restore original homepage and backup maintenance page
mv index.html maintenance.html
mv index.markdown.backup index.markdown

# Commit and push changes
git add .
git commit -m "Restore normal site"
git push

Safe Editing Workflow

1. Enable Maintenance Mode First

# Put site in maintenance mode
mv index.markdown index.markdown.backup
mv maintenance.html index.html
git add . && git commit -m "Enable maintenance mode" && git push

2. Make Your Updates

  • Edit files as needed
  • Test locally if possible
  • Make multiple commits for your changes

3. Restore When Ready

# Restore the full site
mv index.html maintenance.html
mv index.markdown.backup index.markdown
git add . && git commit -m "Restore normal site" && git push

Benefits of This Approach

  • ✅ Visitors see a professional “Under Construction” page instead of broken content
  • ✅ Google Analytics continues tracking visitors during maintenance
  • ✅ Contact links (LinkedIn, GitHub, email) remain accessible
  • ✅ You can work on updates without affecting live site
  • ✅ Easy one-command restore when ready

Quick Commands Reference

Action Command
Enable Maintenance mv index.markdown index.markdown.backup && mv maintenance.html index.html
Restore Site mv index.html maintenance.html && mv index.markdown.backup index.markdown
Check Status ls -la index.*

Troubleshooting

If you lose track of which mode you’re in:

# Check what files exist
ls -la index.*

# If you see index.html (maintenance is active)
# If you see index.markdown (normal site is active)

If you accidentally delete a backup:

# Check git history
git log --oneline -10

# Restore from a previous commit if needed
git checkout <commit-hash> -- <filename>

Notes

  • GitHub Pages takes 1-3 minutes to deploy changes
  • The maintenance page includes Google Analytics tracking
  • All your site’s other pages (about, portfolio, etc.) remain accessible via direct URLs during maintenance mode
  • The maintenance page is responsive and looks professional on all devices