Detailed Change Log: Homepage Layout Refinement

Date: 2026-04-21 Repository: YanWin/YanWin.github.io High-level entry: website-change-overview.md

Request

Refine the new scrollable homepage so the introduction uses keyword-style research topics, move the current-position information into the left profile panel, simplify the CV section to education only, remove the manual dark-mode switch, remove the green frame around the portrait while keeping rounded corners, widen the main content area relative to the sidebar, and add short visible summaries to the working-paper cards.

Context Map

Files Modified

File	Purpose	Change
`_pages/about.md`	Homepage content	Reworked the intro and CV sections to match the requested structure
`_includes/author-profile.html`	Sidebar profile panel	Added a dedicated current-position line under the portrait/name block
`_config.yml`	Site-wide author data	Split current position from the generic bio text
`_layouts/single.html`	Shared single-page layout	Suppressed the duplicate homepage title so the intro section owns the visible heading
`_includes/masthead.html`	Header markup	Removed the manual theme-switch control
`assets/js/_main.js`	Global front-end behavior	Removed the manual/system dark-theme switching logic and kept Plotly on the light palette
`_sass/layout/_navigation.scss`	Header styling	Removed the unused theme-toggle styling
`_sass/layout/_page.scss`	Main page layout	Widened the main content region for pages with a sidebar
`_sass/layout/_sidebar.scss`	Sidebar and portrait styling	Reduced sidebar footprint, removed the green portrait frame, and styled the position line
`_sass/layout/_home_sections.scss`	Homepage section styling	Added research-topic chips, intro title/subtitle styling, and single-column education-card styling
`_includes/publication-card.html`	Publication cards	Added a visible summary line for papers that define one
`_sass/layout/_publication_cards.scss`	Publication card styling	Styled the new visible summary block
`_publications/*.md`	Working-paper entries	Added one- to two-line summaries in the relevant assets
`_teaching/*.md`	Teaching entries	Expanded the teaching collection with the additional items listed in the CV
`_config.yml`	Site-wide author data	Added the ORCID profile link to the sidebar profile links

Risks

Widening the main content column changes the sidebar/content balance for all single pages that use the sidebar layout.
Removing manual dark-mode switching leaves the site consistently on the light presentation, which is intentional for visual consistency.
Working-paper summaries are now part of the card body, so overly long summary text would create uneven card heights.

Implementation Notes

Replaced the research-interest box with a descriptive introduction plus compact topic chips inspired by the requested reference style.
Removed the homepage current-position box and surfaced the position in the sidebar, directly beneath the portrait/name block.
Simplified the CV section to a single education card and removed the extra experience, skills, publication overview, and contact boxes.
Removed the theme-toggle button and the JavaScript that forced dark mode from either the toggle or OS preference.
Reduced the sidebar width and let the main article occupy the remaining space to give publication cards more horizontal room.
Added explicit summary fields to the working-paper assets and rendered them visibly in the publication cards.
Moved the visible homepage heading into the intro section and replaced the old eyebrow line with a subtitle that can wrap cleanly on narrower screens.
Removed the duplicate author__avatar class from the local image tag and tightened the mobile avatar/text constraints so the portrait and bio stay centered within the sidebar card on small screens.
Reduced the portrait size again after follow-up review so the sidebar image sits more comfortably within the mobile card.
Reduced the portrait size a further step after another visual pass because the image still read too large relative to the sidebar copy.
Simplified the homepage research-output header so it only keeps the eyebrow label and reordered the homepage groups to show Publications before Working Papers while dropping the extra uncategorized block.
Renamed the masthead entry for the homepage research block from Publications to Research and extended the homepage section order to include Work in Progress with the subtitle Ongoing projects.
Added the ORCID profile URL to the sidebar profile links and expanded the teaching collection with the remaining CV teaching experience entries.

Validation Notes

Front-end JavaScript should be rebuilt with npm run build:js after the _main.js change.
The Jekyll preview should be restarted because Sass and _config.yml changed.
Final verification should confirm that the portrait no longer has the green frame, the theme switch is gone, the main content is visibly wider, and the working-paper cards show short summaries.
Final verification should also confirm that the homepage no longer shows a duplicate top title above the intro box and that the sidebar portrait/text stay visually centered on small screens.
Final verification should also confirm that the homepage research-output section no longer repeats the title/description copy, that Publications appears before Working Papers, and that the More publications block is absent.
Final verification should also confirm that the masthead now labels the section as Research and that the homepage research block renders Publications, Working Papers, and Work in Progress in that order.
Final verification should also confirm that the ORCID link appears in the sidebar and that the teaching page/homepage list the expanded set of teaching entries.

Closure

Homepage refinement implemented in content, layout, and publication metadata.
Remaining limitation: visual verification still depends on the local preview because these changes are primarily layout-oriented.