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Chapter 1

What It Is

Helios Open Reader provides a ready-built open textbook or reader site using portable Markdown files you fully control. Highlights include a configurable sections structure, a full set of callout blocks, Save My Place navigation, and optional Git Sync for open collaborative authoring.

Reader Structure

  • Sections structure – top-level folders named section-N are auto-detected as sections and render as section cards on the reader home
  • Section N header – section pages automatically display their section number in the page header; inherits correctly for all sub-pages within a section. The label is configurable (e.g. Chapter, Project, Unit, Module) via Admin → Pages → Reader Home → Section Label
  • Section sub-pages – sections can contain any number of sub-pages, all shown in the sidebar and navigable with Prev/Next controls
  • Reader home page with cover image, title, subtitle, authors, edition, and CC license badge

Callout Blocks

  • Learning Objectives – [objectives]...[/objectives] (green); also available as frontmatter (learning_objectives:) for automatic rendering at the top of a section page
  • Key Takeaways – [key-takeaways]...[/key-takeaways] (blue)
  • Example – [example]...[/example] (purple)
  • Exercise – [exercise]...[/exercise] (amber)
  • Definition – [definition]...[/definition] (blue)
  • Reflection – [reflection]...[/reflection] (green)
  • Case Study – [case-study]...[/case-study] (red)
  • Announcement – [announcement]...[/announcement] (purple by default; configurable type)
  • All callouts accept an optional title="..." parameter and support Markdown content
  • Five built-in GitHub-style callouts: > [!NOTE], > [!TIP], > [!IMPORTANT], > [!WARNING], > [!CAUTION]
  • Save My Place – records the last section page visited in localStorage; a dismissable "Continue reading" strip appears on the reader home page on return
  • Reading progress indicator – shows current page position (e.g. Page 4 of 22) with an accessible progress bar above the Prev/Next navigation on section pages
  • Prev/Next navigation – configurable position: top, bottom, or both
  • TOC scroll spy – active heading highlighted in the Table of Contents as the reader scrolls
  • Start Reading button – on the reader home; links directly to the first section
  • Search across the full reader via the simplesearch plugin

Key Takeaways

  • Content lives in portable Markdown files you own and control
  • Sections structure is auto-detected from folder naming – no configuration needed
  • Callout blocks, Save My Place, and reading progress are all built in
  • The reader works standalone or embedded in any LMS