🎨 manage comics via yaml files

data/comics/README.md

@@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
+# Comic Data Directory
+
+This directory contains YAML files for managing individual comics. Each comic gets its own `.yaml` file.
+
+## Quick Start
+
+### Adding a New Comic
+
+1. **Copy the template:**
+   ```bash
+   cp TEMPLATE.yaml 004.yaml
+   ```
+
+2. **Edit the file** with your comic's information:
+   - Update `number`, `filename`, `date`, and `alt_text` (required)
+   - Add optional fields like `title`, `author_note`, etc.
+
+3. **Save the file** and restart your application
+
+The comics will be automatically loaded and sorted by comic number.
+
+## File Naming
+
+You can name files anything you want (e.g., `001.yaml`, `first-comic.yaml`, `2025-01-01.yaml`), but using the comic number is recommended for easy organization.
+
+## Required Fields
+
+Every comic MUST have:
+- `number` - Sequential comic number (integer)
+- `filename` - Image filename (string) or list of filenames for multi-image comics
+- `date` - Publication date in YYYY-MM-DD format (string)
+- `alt_text` - Accessibility description (string or list for multi-image)
+
+## Optional Fields
+
+- `title` - Comic title (defaults to "#X" if not provided)
+- `mobile_filename` - Mobile-optimized version
+- `author_note` - Plain text note below the comic
+- `author_note_md` - Markdown file for author note (overrides `author_note`)
+- `full_width` - Override global width setting (boolean)
+- `plain` - Override global plain mode (boolean)
+- `section` - Start a new section/chapter (string, add only to first comic of section)
+
+## Multi-Image Comics (Webtoon Style)
+
+For vertical scrolling comics with multiple images:
+
+```yaml
+number: 42
+filename:
+  - page1.png
+  - page2.png
+  - page3.png
+alt_text:
+  - "First panel description"
+  - "Second panel description"
+  - "Third panel description"
+date: "2025-01-01"
+```
+
+## Example
+
+```yaml
+number: 4
+title: "The Adventure Begins"
+filename: comic-004.jpg
+date: "2025-01-22"
+alt_text: "A hero stands at the edge of a cliff, looking at the horizon"
+author_note: "This is where things get interesting!"
+full_width: true
+section: "Chapter 2: The Journey"
+```
+
+## Validation
+
+The data loader will:
+- Skip files with missing required fields (with warnings)
+- Check for duplicate comic numbers
+- Warn about gaps in numbering
+- Sort comics by number automatically
+
+## Testing Your Changes
+
+Test the loader directly:
+```bash
+python data_loader.py
+```
+
+This will show you all loaded comics and any validation warnings.