Troubleshooting: No Styles Applied

If styles are not showing on the deployed site, check the following:

1. Verify CSS File Path

The CSS should be at: docs/assets/css/main.css

Check that it exists in your repository.

2. Check Baseurl Configuration

In docs/_config.yml, verify:

url: https://fellahst.github.io
baseurl: /interfaces_of_reality_book

3. Verify Layout References CSS Correctly

In docs/_layouts/default.html, the CSS should be referenced as:

<link rel="stylesheet" href="/assets/css/main.css">

4. Check GitHub Pages Build

  1. Go to your repository on GitHub
  2. Click on Actions tab
  3. Check if the build is successful
  4. Look for any errors in the build logs

5. Clear Browser Cache

Sometimes cached versions don’t show new styles. Try:

6. Verify Assets Are Included

Make sure assets/ folder is NOT in the exclude list in _config.yml.

7. Check Network Tab

In browser developer tools (F12):

  1. Go to Network tab
  2. Reload the page
  3. Look for main.css request
  4. Check if it returns 200 (success) or 404 (not found)

If it’s 404, the path is wrong. If it’s 200 but styles don’t apply, there might be a CSS syntax error.

8. Test Locally First

Before deploying, test locally:

cd docs
bundle exec jekyll serve

Visit http://localhost:4000/interfaces_of_reality_book and check if styles work.

Common Issues

Issue: CSS returns 404

Solution: Check that baseurl in _config.yml matches your repository name exactly.

Issue: CSS loads but styles don’t apply

Solution: Check browser console for CSS errors. Verify CSS file syntax is correct.

Issue: Styles work locally but not on GitHub Pages

Solution: