Let’s check out the core files for your website. Go to your own repository at http://GITHUB-USERNAME.github.io/REPOSITORY. All of the files are important in their own way, but we’re going to focus on the folders and files that most directly create our website.
_includes directoryThis directory hold files that are typically small bits of code (called snippets) that appear on more than one page, like a nav bar or footer. This way, if you want to change the footer on all your site pages, you can change it in just one spot.
_layouts directoryThis directory provides the basic templates for different kinds of pages. When you make a new page on your site, you will assign a layout to that page.
essays directoryThis directory could be named anything–it’s just a place to put separate essays. You might have many of these directories for essays on different topics, like historic sites, campus buildings, etc.
guides directoryThis directory has code examples of how to make certain things on your site. You might keep this around while you’re learning and building your site, but you can always delete it when you’re done. All the documentation is also available at the main Xanthan site.
You’ll notice that you have a few pages in the root directory of your repository, like credits.md and about.md.
To understand more about pages and editing, move on to the Editing your site guide.