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2 Give the content a structure

Turn directories, section indexes, page bundles, and weights into one predictable reading and navigation order.

OINK does not keep a second navigation database for an ordinary site. The content tree is the sidebar tree, and the same order drives the pager and the Book contents. A reader should not encounter three different answers to “what comes next?”

Start from the reader’s questions

Name the top-level sections after tasks or subjects the reader recognizes. A small engineering site usually needs a start section, a reference, operations guidance, and a record of change. Add a directory only when it gives several pages a useful shared context.

Build the tree

A small bilingual documentation tree

  • content/
    • _index.md
    • _index.zh.md
    • docs/
      • _index.md
      • _index.zh.md
      • start/
        • _index.md
        • _index.zh.md
        • install.md
        • install.zh.md
    • blog/
      • _index.md
      • _index.zh.md

Every directory that readers can enter gets an _index.md. A translation sits beside its English source with the .zh.md suffix. Use a Page Bundle when a page owns images or downloads; keep a single Markdown file when it does not.

Keep order explicit

Use weights in multiples of ten. The gaps leave room for a future page without renumbering every sibling.

Item Weight Why it comes here
Get started 10 Establish the working baseline
Write content 20 Build on a running site
Customize 30 Change presentation after structure
Operate 40 Validate and publish the result
Table 2-1 One explicit order is reused by navigation, paging, and generated contents.

Make stable addresses

Write an explicit ID on every heading another page may cite. The English and Chinese pages use the same ID even though their visible headings differ. This keeps links, the table of contents, and whole-book print aligned across both languages.

The Chapter 1 baseline is a visible reference point. The tree in this chapter gives every later change a stable place relative to it.

For the complete rules, see Writing pages and Organizing content.