THE GITHTML FIELD GUIDE
Distinguish local documentation preview from hosting
Building creates output files; a local preview serves them for inspection; hosting makes them available through a chosen service; a document reader opens selected content in its own environment. These are separate stages. Success at one stage does not prove the others work, and none should be silently substituted for a publication decision.
Identify what you currently have
A running development server is not necessarily the production output. A generated directory is not necessarily publicly reachable. A public repository containing HTML is not automatically a hosted website. Name the current artifact and environment before telling someone that the documentation is ready.
This distinction matters during handoffs. A link to localhost points to the reader’s own machine, not yours. A screenshot of your preview demonstrates appearance at one moment, not that another person can open the same site.
Use local preview for bounded checks
After building with the project’s established tool, start its documented local preview command and inspect the generated edition. Check direct routes, shared assets, navigation, and representative content. Keep the preview limited to the machine unless network exposure is explicitly needed and approved.
Read the actual package scripts or configuration before running them. A command named preview or build is a convention, not a security guarantee. In an unfamiliar repository, verify that the command does only what the review requires.
- Name the current stage: source, build output, local preview, hosted site, or reading copy.
- Verify the specific environment promised to the recipient.
- Obtain separate publication authority before exposing documents through a host.
Treat hosting as a separate authorization
Publishing involves a destination, audience, access controls, and often domain or deployment configuration. Confirm those choices before uploading material or changing visibility. The fact that local output exists does not authorize making private documents publicly available.
A hosting environment may provide routing behavior that a direct file opening lacks. Conversely, a saved HTML page may be useful without any website at all. Choose the delivery mode that matches the reader rather than treating hosting as an obligatory final step.
Verify the promised outcome
If you promise a local build, provide its path and build result. If you promise a hosted site, verify the actual authorized URL. If you promise a gitHtml reading copy, verify the relevant .html files and their behavior in the reader.
State known limitations around scripts, remote resources, and linked assets. For a portable document, prefer essential content in the markup and inline CSS. Clear stage labels make progress honest and prevent a working preview from being mistaken for a complete, accessible publication.
Sources and further reading
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