Create a Custom Front Page for an Organization using a .profile Repository on Fedora Forge

DRAFT DOCUMENTATION: This documentation is currently in draft form and may not be fully tested and correct. Please verify all procedures before use and report any issues or inaccuracies.

Purpose

This guide demonstrates how to leverage the special .profile repository feature in Fedora Forge to display a custom Markdown-based front page directly on your organization’s main profile page. This allows for a richer and more informative landing experience for your organization.

Scope

This guide applies to all Fedora Project contributors who are administrators or maintainers of an organization on Fedora Forge.

Prerequisites

  • An existing organization on Fedora Forge.

  • Push access (e.g., maintainer, owner) to the organization on Fedora Forge.

  • Basic familiarity with Git and Markdown.

Procedure

1. Log In and Navigate to Your Organization

  • Log in to your Fedora Forge account.

  • Navigate to the specific organization for which you want to create a custom front page. You can do this by clicking your profile icon (top-right), selecting "Your Organizations," and then clicking on the desired organization.

2. Create the .profile Repository

  • Once on your organization’s main page, locate and click the "New Repository" button (usually near the top right, or within the "Repositories" tab).

  • In the "New Repository" form:

    • Owner: Ensure your organization’s name is selected.

    • Repository Name: Crucially, name this repository exactly .profile (with the leading dot). This specific name is recognized by Fedora Forge (Gitea/Forgejo) to display its README content as the organization’s front page.

    • Description (Optional): Add a brief description, e.g., "Custom front page for the organization."

    • Visibility: It is highly recommended to set this to "Public" if you want everyone to see your custom front page. If it’s private, only organization members with access will see it.

    • Initialize this repository with a README: Check this box. This will create an initial README.md file, which you will customize.

  • Click the "Create Repository" button.

3. Clone the .profile Repository

Clone the .profile repository using the following command (replace your-org with your organization’s name):

git clone https://forge.fedoraproject.org/your-org/.profile.git

Replace your-org with the actual name of your organization on Fedora Forge. For example, if your organization is named fedora-docs, the command would be: git clone https://forge.fedoraproject.org/fedora-docs/.profile.git

4. Customize the README.md (Your Front Page Content)

Example README.md content:

# Welcome to the [Your Organization Name]!

We are the official Fedora **[Your Organization Name]** organization on Fedora Forge.

---

## Our Mission
[Briefly describe your organization's mission or purpose.]

## Key Projects
* [Project A](https://forge.fedoraproject.org/org/your-org/repo-a) - Description of Project A.
* [Project B](https://forge.fedoraproject.org/org/your-org/repo-b) - Description of Project B.

## Get Involved!
* **Discussions:** Join our [Mailing List](https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/your-list@lists.fedoraproject.org/)
* **Chat:** Find us on IRC/Matrix: `#your-channel`
* **Website:** Visit our [Official Website](https://your-org-website.org)

5. Commit and Push Your Changes

Inside your local .profile repository directory, run the following commands to stage, commit, and push your README.md file:

# Add the file to the staging area
git add README.md

# Commit the changes
git commit -m "Add custom organization profile"

# Push the commit to the remote repository
git push origin main

Once the push is complete, visit your organization’s page on Fedora Forge. The content of your README.md will now be displayed as the main page.

Want to help? Learn how to contribute to Fedora Docs ›