Shared RDM Newsletter Template

This template system makes it easy to update the Shared RDM newsletter yearly by separating content from design.

Files Overview

• newsletter-config.json - Contains all the content that changes yearly (text, links, dates, etc.)
• index-original.html - The original newsletter template (DO NOT EDIT)
• build-simple.js - The build script that generates the newsletter
• index.html - The generated newsletter (automatically created)
• images/ - Folder containing all newsletter images

Quick Start

For Yearly Updates

1. Update Content: Edit newsletter-config.json with new information
2. Update Images: Replace images in the images/ folder (or update paths in config)
3. Build Newsletter: Run node build-simple.js
4. Done! Your updated newsletter is now in index.html

Using NPM Scripts

You can also use the predefined scripts:

# Build the newsletter
npm run build

# Build and open in browser (macOS)
npm run dev

Updating Content

Main Newsletter Information

Edit these fields in newsletter-config.json:

{
  "newsletter": {
    "title": "Newsletter Shared RDM #3",           // Update number
    "subtitle": "Welcome to the third edition...", // Update description
    "year": "2025",                                // Update year
    "projectPageUrl": "https://...",               // Project website
    "clusterUrl": "https://..."                    // Cluster website
  }
}

Use Cases Section

Update institution deployments:

{
  "useCases": {
    "title": "Use Cases Development",
    "description": "In 2025, we deployed...",
    "institutions": [
      "New institution 1",
      "New institution 2",
      // Add more as needed
    ],
    "toolsLink": "https://new-link-to-tools.pdf"
  }
}

Communities Section

Update community information and links:

{
  "communities": {
    "eln": {
      "title": "ELN Community",
      "description": "Updated description...",
      "contactEmail": "new-email@example.com"
    },
    // Update other communities similarly
  }
}

Dissemination Activities

Update events, webinars, and activities:

{
  "dissemination": {
    "webinars": {
      "title": "Webinar series 2025",
      "description": "This year we conducted...",
      "topics": [
        "New Topic 1 (Date)",
        "New Topic 2 (Date)"
      ],
      "repositoryUrl": "https://updated-repository-link"
    },
    "projectMeeting": {
      "title": "Project Meeting 2025",
      "description": "The meeting took place...",
      "learnMoreUrl": "https://new-meeting-link"
    }
    // Update other activities
  }
}

Contact Information

Update if contact details change:

{
  "contact": {
    "email": "new-contact@example.com",
    "subscribeUrl": "https://new-subscription-link",
    "address": {
      "street": "New Address",
      "city": "New City"
    }
  }
}

Updating Images

Option 1: Replace Existing Images

Keep the same filenames and just replace the image files in the images/ folder:

• SharedRDM-orange.png
• cluster-logo.png
• Webinar-series.png
• Project-meeting.jpg
• etc.

Option 2: Use New Image Names

1. Add new images to the images/ folder
2. Update the paths in newsletter-config.json:

{
  "images": {
    "webinarImage": "images/new-webinar-2025.png",
    "projectMeetingImage": "images/meeting-2025.jpg"
  }
}

Advanced Customization

Adding New Sections

If you need to add entirely new sections to the newsletter:

1. Add the content to newsletter-config.json
2. Edit build-simple.js to include replacement rules for the new content
3. If needed, modify index-original.html to include placeholder text

Modifying the Build Script

The build-simple.js script uses simple string replacement. To add new replacements:

// Add new replacement
html = html.replace('OLD_TEXT', config.your.new.content);