📝 catch the docs up

README.md

@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ A Flask-based webcomic website with server-side rendering using Jinja2 templates
 - An archive page where readers can browse all your comics
 - RSS feed so readers can subscribe to updates
 - Mobile-friendly design that works on phones and tablets
-- No database required - just upload images and edit a simple text file
+- No database required - just upload images and edit simple YAML files
 
 **Perfect for:**
 - Independent comic artists starting their first webcomic
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ A Flask-based webcomic website with server-side rendering using Jinja2 templates
 - Anyone looking for a lightweight, customizable comic platform
 
 **How it works:**
-You add your comics by uploading image files and adding basic information (title, date, description) to a configuration file. The website handles everything else - displaying comics with navigation, creating an archive, generating an RSS feed, and making your comics shareable on social media.
+You add your comics by uploading image files and creating individual YAML files with basic information (title, date, description). The website handles everything else - displaying comics with navigation, creating an archive, generating an RSS feed, and making your comics shareable on social media.
 
 No coding knowledge required for basic use - just follow the instructions below to add comics and customize your site's appearance.
 
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ No coding knowledge required for basic use - just follow the instructions below
 
 **Sunday Comics:**
 - Server-side application (Flask/Python) that runs on a web server
-- Comics stored in a Python file - edit text to add comics
+- Comics stored as individual YAML files - easy version control and management
 - Includes an RSS feed generator and helper scripts
 - API endpoints for programmatic access
 - Markdown support for rich-formatted content
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ No coding knowledge required for basic use - just follow the instructions below
 
 **Rarebit:**
 - Purely static HTML/CSS/JavaScript files
-- Comics are inferred from static images upload - edit a JS to customize
+- Comics are inferred from static images upload - edit a JS file to customize
 - Can be hosted for free on GitHub Pages, Neocities, etc.
 - No server or programming language required
 - Simpler deployment - just upload files
@@ -233,13 +233,11 @@ To test keyboard navigation on your site:
 When adding comics to your site, follow these guidelines to maintain accessibility:
 
 1. **Always provide alt text**
-   ```python
+   ```yaml
-   {
+   number: 1
-       'number': 1,
+   filename: comic-001.png
-       'filename': 'comic-001.png',
+   alt_text: A descriptive summary of what happens in the comic  # Required!
-       'alt_text': 'A descriptive summary of what happens in the comic',  # Required!
+   date: '2025-01-01'
-       # ...
-   }
    ```
 
 2. **Write meaningful alt text**
@@ -632,16 +630,27 @@ Resources:
 ```
 sunday/
 ├── app.py                    # Main Flask application
-├── comics_data.py            # Comic data and configuration
+├── comics_data.py            # Global configuration (not comic data)
+├── data_loader.py            # YAML comic loader with caching
 ├── requirements.txt          # Python dependencies
 ├── Dockerfile                # Production Docker image
 ├── docker-compose.yml        # Docker Compose configuration
 ├── .dockerignore             # Docker build exclusions
+├── data/                     # Comic data directory
+│   └── comics/              # Individual comic YAML files
+│       ├── 001.yaml         # Comic #1
+│       ├── 002.yaml         # Comic #2
+│       ├── TEMPLATE.yaml    # Template for new comics
+│       └── .comics_cache.pkl # Auto-generated cache file
 ├── scripts/                  # Utility scripts
-│   ├── add_comic.py         # Script to add new comic entries
+│   ├── add_comic.py         # Create new comic YAML files
-│   └── generate_rss.py      # Script to generate RSS feed
+│   ├── generate_rss.py      # Generate RSS feed
+│   ├── generate_sitemap.py  # Generate sitemap.xml
+│   ├── rebuild_cache.py     # Force rebuild comics cache
+│   └── publish_comic.py     # Rebuild cache + RSS + sitemap
 ├── content/                  # Markdown content
 │   ├── about.md             # About page content
+│   ├── terms.md             # Terms of Service
 │   └── author_notes/        # Author notes for comics (by date)
 ├── templates/                # Jinja2 templates
 │   ├── base.html            # Base template with navigation
@@ -659,7 +668,8 @@ sunday/
     │   ├── comics/          # Comic images
     │   ├── thumbs/          # Thumbnail images for archive
     │   └── icons/           # Navigation and social icons (optional)
-    └── feed.rss             # RSS feed (generated)
+    ├── feed.rss             # RSS feed (generated)
+    └── sitemap.xml          # Sitemap (generated)
 ```
 
 ## Setup
@@ -683,6 +693,7 @@ The app can be configured via environment variables:
 - `SECRET_KEY` - Flask secret key (defaults to 'your-secret-key')
 - `PORT` - Port to run on (defaults to 3000)
 - `DEBUG` - Enable debug mode (defaults to False)
+- `DISABLE_COMIC_CACHE` - Set to 'true' to disable comic caching (useful for debugging)
 
 **Development:**
 ```bash
@@ -697,9 +708,15 @@ export PORT=3000
 python app.py
 ```
 
+**Disable caching (debugging):**
+```bash
+export DISABLE_COMIC_CACHE=true
+python app.py
+```
+
 ## Configuration
 
-The `comics_data.py` file contains both comic data and global configuration options:
+The `comics_data.py` file contains global configuration options for your comic site. Comic data itself is stored in individual YAML files in the `data/comics/` directory.
 
 ### Global Settings
 
@@ -716,10 +733,14 @@ FOOTER_IMAGE = None                       # Optional footer image path
 BANNER_IMAGE = 'banner.jpg'               # Shareable banner for "Link to Me" section
 COMPACT_FOOTER = False                    # Display footer in compact mode
 ARCHIVE_FULL_WIDTH = True                 # Full-width archive with 4 columns
+SECTIONS_ENABLED = True                   # Enable section headers on archive page
 USE_COMIC_NAV_ICONS = True                # Use icons for comic navigation buttons
 USE_HEADER_NAV_ICONS = True               # Show icons in main header navigation
 USE_FOOTER_SOCIAL_ICONS = True            # Use icons for social links
+USE_SHARE_ICONS = True                    # Use icons in share buttons (permalink/embed)
 NEWSLETTER_ENABLED = False                # Show newsletter section in footer
+EMBED_ENABLED = True                      # Enable comic embed functionality
+PERMALINK_ENABLED = True                  # Enable permalink copy button
 SOCIAL_INSTAGRAM = None                   # Instagram URL (or None)
 SOCIAL_YOUTUBE = None                     # YouTube URL (or None)
 SOCIAL_EMAIL = None                       # Email mailto link (or None)
@@ -728,78 +749,107 @@ API_SPEC_LINK = None                      # API documentation link (or None)
 
 ## Adding Comics
 
-Comics are stored in the `COMICS` list in `comics_data.py`. Each comic entry:
+Comics are stored as individual YAML files in the `data/comics/` directory. Each comic file contains:
 
-```python
+```yaml
-{
+number: 1                                  # Comic number (required, sequential)
-    'number': 1,                           # Comic number (required, sequential)
+filename: comic-001.png                    # Image filename (required) OR list for multi-image
-    'filename': 'comic-001.png',           # Image filename (required) OR list for multi-image
+date: '2025-01-01'                         # Publication date (required)
-    'mobile_filename': 'comic-001-mobile.png',  # Optional mobile version (single-image only)
+alt_text: Alt text for comic               # Accessibility text (required) OR list for multi-image
-    'date': '2025-01-01',                  # Publication date (required)
+title: Comic Title                         # Title (optional, shows #X if absent)
-    'alt_text': 'Alt text for comic',      # Accessibility text (required) OR list for multi-image
+author_note: Optional note                 # Author note (optional, plain text)
-    'title': 'Comic Title',                # Title (optional, shows #X if absent)
+author_note_md: 2025-01-01.md              # Optional markdown file for author note
-    'author_note': 'Optional note',        # Author note (optional, plain text)
+full_width: true                           # Optional: override FULL_WIDTH_DEFAULT
-    'author_note_md': '2025-01-01.md',     # Optional markdown file for author note
+plain: true                                # Optional: override PLAIN_DEFAULT
-    'full_width': True,                    # Optional: override FULL_WIDTH_DEFAULT
-    'plain': True                          # Optional: override PLAIN_DEFAULT
-}
 ```
 
 **For multi-image comics (webtoon style):**
-```python
+```yaml
-{
+number: 2
-    'number': 2,
+filename:
-    'filename': ['page1.png', 'page2.png', 'page3.png'],  # List of images
+  - page1.png
-    'alt_text': ['Panel 1 description', 'Panel 2', 'Panel 3'],  # Individual alt texts
+  - page2.png
-    'date': '2025-01-08',
+  - page3.png
-    'full_width': True  # Recommended for webtoons
+alt_text:
-}
+  - Panel 1 description
+  - Panel 2 description
+  - Panel 3 description
+date: '2025-01-08'
+full_width: true  # Recommended for webtoons
 ```
 
 ### Adding a New Comic
 
 **Option 1: Use the script (recommended)**
 ```bash
-# Add comic entry only
+# Add comic YAML file with defaults
 python scripts/add_comic.py
 
-# Add comic entry AND create markdown file for author notes
+# Add comic YAML file AND create markdown file for author notes
 python scripts/add_comic.py -m
 ```
-This will automatically add a new entry with defaults. The `-m` flag creates a markdown file in `content/author_notes/{date}.md` with a template and adds the `author_note_md` field to the comic entry. Then edit `comics_data.py` to customize.
+This will create a new YAML file in `data/comics/` with the next comic number and reasonable defaults. The `-m` flag also creates a markdown file in `content/author_notes/{date}.md` with a template. Then:
+1. Edit the generated YAML file to customize title, alt_text, author_note, etc.
+2. Upload your comic image to `static/images/comics/`
+3. Optionally create a thumbnail in `static/images/thumbs/` with the same filename
 
 **Option 2: Manual**
-1. Save your comic image in `static/images/comics/` (e.g., `comic-001.png`)
+1. Copy `data/comics/TEMPLATE.yaml` and rename it (e.g., `003.yaml`)
-2. Optionally, create a thumbnail in `static/images/thumbs/` with the same filename
+2. Edit the YAML file to set comic properties
-3. Add the comic entry to the `COMICS` list in `comics_data.py`
+3. Save your comic image in `static/images/comics/`
+4. Optionally, create a thumbnail in `static/images/thumbs/` with the same filename
 
-### Generating RSS Feed
+### Publishing Comics
 
-After adding comics, regenerate the RSS feed:
+After adding or updating comics, use the publish script to update all generated files:
 ```bash
-python scripts/generate_rss.py
+python scripts/publish_comic.py
 ```
-This creates/updates `static/feed.rss`
+This convenience script rebuilds the cache and regenerates both RSS feed and sitemap in one command.
+
+### Comic Caching System
+
+Sunday Comics uses an automatic caching system to speed up comic loading:
+
+**How it works:**
+- **First load**: Parses all YAML files, saves to `data/comics/.comics_cache.pkl`
+- **Subsequent loads**: Reads from cache (~100x faster)
+- **Auto-invalidation**: Cache rebuilds automatically when any YAML file is modified
+
+**Performance (1000 comics):**
+- Initial load: ~2-3 seconds (builds cache)
+- Subsequent loads: ~0.01 seconds (uses cache)
+- Scripts share the same cache file on disk
+
+**Manual cache management:**
+```bash
+# Force rebuild the cache (normally not needed)
+python scripts/rebuild_cache.py
+
+# Disable caching (for debugging)
+export DISABLE_COMIC_CACHE=true
+python app.py
+```
+
+The cache file is automatically excluded from git (listed in `.gitignore`).
 
 ### Markdown Support
 
 **Author Notes:**
-Add the `author_note_md` field to your comic entry in `comics_data.py` to use markdown-formatted author notes. The field can be:
+Add the `author_note_md` field to your comic YAML file to use markdown-formatted author notes. The field can be:
-- Just a filename (e.g., `"2025-01-01.md"`) - looked up in `content/author_notes/`
+- Just a filename (e.g., `2025-01-01.md`) - looked up in `content/author_notes/`
-- A path relative to `content/` (e.g., `"special/intro.md"`)
+- A path relative to `content/` (e.g., `special/intro.md`)
 
 Markdown author notes take precedence over the plain text `author_note` field and render as HTML.
 
 Example:
-```python
+```yaml
-# In comics_data.py
+# In data/comics/001.yaml
-{
+number: 1
-    'number': 1,
+filename: comic-001.png
-    'filename': 'comic-001.png',
+date: '2025-01-01'
-    'date': '2025-01-01',
+alt_text: First comic
-    'alt_text': 'First comic',
+author_note_md: 2025-01-01.md  # References content/author_notes/2025-01-01.md
-    'author_note_md': '2025-01-01.md'  # References content/author_notes/2025-01-01.md
-}
 ```
 
 ```bash
@@ -823,31 +873,34 @@ Sunday Comics supports vertical scrolling comics with multiple images stacked se
 - No click-through navigation on multi-image comics (use navigation buttons instead)
 
 **Basic Example:**
-```python
+```yaml
-# In comics_data.py
+# In data/comics/004.yaml
-{
+number: 4
-    'number': 4,
+title: Webtoon Episode 1
-    'title': 'Webtoon Episode 1',
+filename:
-    'filename': ['page1.jpg', 'page2.jpg', 'page3.jpg'],  # List of images
+  - page1.jpg
-    'alt_text': 'A three-part vertical story',  # Single alt text for all images
+  - page2.jpg
-    'date': '2025-01-22',
+  - page3.jpg
-}
+alt_text: A three-part vertical story  # Single alt text for all images
+date: '2025-01-22'
 ```
 
 **Individual Alt Text (Recommended for Accessibility):**
-```python
+```yaml
-{
+# In data/comics/005.yaml
-    'number': 5,
+number: 5
-    'title': 'Long Scroll Episode',
+title: Long Scroll Episode
-    'filename': ['scene1.png', 'scene2.png', 'scene3.png', 'scene4.png'],
+filename:
-    'alt_text': [
+  - scene1.png
-        'Opening scene showing the city at dawn',
+  - scene2.png
-        'Character walking through the marketplace',
+  - scene3.png
-        'Close-up of the mysterious artifact',
+  - scene4.png
-        'Dramatic reveal of the antagonist'
+alt_text:
-    ],  # List must match number of images (or use single string for all)
+  - Opening scene showing the city at dawn
-    'date': '2025-01-29',
+  - Character walking through the marketplace
-}
+  - Close-up of the mysterious artifact
+  - Dramatic reveal of the antagonist
+date: '2025-01-29'
 ```
 
 **Important:** If you provide `alt_text` as a list, it should match the number of images in `filename`. If the counts don't match, you'll see a warning in the logs. To use the same alt text for all images, just provide a single string instead of a list.
@@ -866,29 +919,26 @@ Sunday Comics supports vertical scrolling comics with multiple images stacked se
 4. **Image optimization** - Compress images appropriately since readers will load multiple images per comic
 
 **Example with all options:**
-```python
+```yaml
-{
+# In data/comics/006.yaml
-    'number': 6,
+number: 6
-    'title': 'Chapter 2: The Journey Begins',
+title: 'Chapter 2: The Journey Begins'
-    'filename': [
+filename:
-        'ch2-001.png',
+  - ch2-001.png
-        'ch2-002.png',
+  - ch2-002.png
-        'ch2-003.png',
+  - ch2-003.png
-        'ch2-004.png',
+  - ch2-004.png
-        'ch2-005.png'
+  - ch2-005.png
-    ],
+alt_text:
-    'alt_text': [
+  - 'Panel 1: Hero packs their bag at sunrise'
-        'Panel 1: Hero packs their bag at sunrise',
+  - 'Panel 2: Saying goodbye to the village elder'
-        'Panel 2: Saying goodbye to the village elder',
+  - 'Panel 3: Walking along the forest path'
-        'Panel 3: Walking along the forest path',
+  - 'Panel 4: Encountering a mysterious stranger'
-        'Panel 4: Encountering a mysterious stranger',
+  - 'Panel 5: Accepting a map to the ancient ruins'
-        'Panel 5: Accepting a map to the ancient ruins'
+date: '2025-02-05'
-    ],
+author_note: This was so much fun to draw! The journey arc begins.
-    'date': '2025-02-05',
+full_width: true  # Recommended for webtoon-style comics
-    'author_note': 'This was so much fun to draw! The journey arc begins.',
+section: Chapter 2  # Optional: mark the start of a new chapter
-    'full_width': True,  # Recommended for webtoon-style comics
-    'section': 'Chapter 2',  # Optional: mark the start of a new chapter
-}
 ```
 
 **Technical Details:**