README_ADMIN.md

Readium Admin Dashboard - Local Management Guide

This project includes a local-only Admin Dashboard for managing the e-book library's content without needing a database.

Local Configuration

1. Environment Setup: Create a .env file in the root directory (based on .env.example):

   VITE_ADMIN_PASSWORD=your_secure_password
   VITE_ADMIN_MODE=true

2. Access the Dashboard: Run the development server:

   npm run dev

   Navigate to http://localhost:5173/admin/login and use the password defined in your .env.

How it Works

• Local Storage: All data for books, authors, and categories is stored in standard JSON files within src/data/.
• Saving Changes: When you click "Save" in the admin dashboard, a custom Vite middleware writes the updated JSON directly to your local filesystem.
• Production Safety: The admin routes and saving mechanism are disabled in production mode. Data is bundled as static JSON for speed and cost-efficiency.

Workflow: Adding New Content

1. Open Admin: Go to the sidebar and select the section you want to manage.
2. Authors First: Add or edit the author profile.
3. Categories: Ensure the categories you want to use are defined.
4. Books: Add the book, selecting the author and categories from the dropdowns. Paste cover and PDF URLs (use services like Imgur or Cloudinary for hosting images if needed).
5. Save: Click Save. You will see a success notification if the local file was updated.

Deploying to Production

Since the data is stored in the source code, deploying updates is as simple as pushing a git commit:

# Add updated data files
git add src/data/*.json

# Commit changes
git commit -m "Admin: Added new books and updated author bios"

# Push to trigger Netlify/Production deploy
git push origin main

Netlify will automatically detect the changes, rebuild the static assets, and deploy the new content within minutes.