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Installing OpenBook

OpenBook Framework works by wrapping your manuscript pages in HTML pages -- the standard format for internet browsers. All one has to do is download the framework template, insert their pages, and customize the site's homepage.

A fair warning, the following installation steps, while simple, will walk you through potentially unfamiliar technical steps. In particular, you will install the program using a command-line interface. But don't worry! All steps are given and can be followed simply.

Before beginning, have Node JavaScript installed locally. NodeJS can be installed from the official homepage (nodejs.org.)

  1. Download the .zip format of the OpenBook from its official repository. To do so, click the button labelled "Code" and then click ".zip". If you are comfortable with a VCS such as git, you can grab the framework using it. Next, unzip the file.

  2. In a command-line interface, navigate to the project and execute npm install.

  3. When installation is complete, execute npm run dev to see the website you now have.

The website you have just installed will become the pages for your own OpenBook. The next steps involve adding the manuscript!