Why Use Projects in Your Blog?

When creating content, sometimes a single post isn’t enough to cover a complex topic. That’s where projects come in - they allow you to:

1. Break down complex topics into digestible parts
2. Create a narrative arc across multiple posts
3. Keep readers engaged over time
4. Organize your content more effectively

How Projects Work in Astro Nano

Astro Nano now supports projects functionality out of the box. Here’s how it works:

Adding a Post to a Project

To add a post to a project, simply add the project property to your frontmatter:

---
title: "My First Post in a Project"
description: "Introduction to my awesome topic"
date: "Apr 15 2024"
project:
  name: "My Awesome Project"
  order: 1
---

The name property defines which project the post belongs to, and the order property determines its position in the project.

Project Navigation

When viewing a post that’s part of a project, you’ll see:

1. A note indicating which project it belongs to
2. Navigation links to the previous and next posts in the project
3. A link to view the entire project

Project Pages

Astro Nano supports two types of project pages:

1. Auto-generated project pages - Created automatically from posts that share the same project name
2. Custom project pages - Markdown files in the projects collection that can include any content you want

Creating a Custom Project Page

To create a custom project page, add a markdown file to the src/content/projects directory:

---
title: "My Awesome Project"
description: "A comprehensive guide to something amazing"
date: "Apr 15 2024"
---

# My Awesome Project

This is a custom project page with full markdown support.

## Project Overview

You can include any content here - text, images, code blocks, etc.

## Articles in this Series

The list of articles will be automatically displayed below this content.

Example: The TalkIt Project

I’ve created a sample project called “TalkIt” that demonstrates how to document a project across multiple posts:

1. TalkIt: Building a Voice-Based Social Network
2. TalkIt Backend: Building the API and Audio Processing
3. Building the TalkIt Mobile App with React Native

This project shows how you can break down a complex topic into logical parts, making it easier for readers to follow along.

Best Practices for Projects

When creating your own projects, consider these tips:

1. Plan ahead - Outline the entire project before writing the first post
2. Consistent publishing - Try to maintain a regular schedule
3. Cross-linking - Reference earlier posts when building on previous concepts
4. Standalone value - Each post should provide value on its own
5. Clear progression - Make the narrative arc clear from post to post

Conclusion

Projects are a powerful way to organize your content and keep readers engaged across multiple posts. With Astro Nano’s built-in project support, it’s easy to implement this feature in your own blog.

Try creating your first project today!