Added introductory blog post

Author: gbro3n

README.md

@@ -855,7 +855,7 @@ Both themes output formatted, human-editable CSS (`theme-{name}.css`). They use
 | `--base-url <path>` | Base URL prefix for all links |
 | `--default-public` | Publish all pages unless `public: false` |
 | `--default-assets` | Copy all assets unless `assets: false` |
-| `--retina` | Generate retina-compatible image markup |
+| `--retina` | Enable retina image sizing (auto-sets `width` to half intrinsic dimensions) |
 | `--include-drafts` | Include pages with `draft: true` |
 | `--exclude <dirname>` | Exclude directories from scanning (repeatable) |
 

docs-src/assets/images/as-notes-screen-shot.png

@@ -0,0 +1,135 @@
+---
+title: Introducing AS Notes
+description: AS Notes brings wikilink-style note-taking into VS Code. Capture ideas, link concepts, manage tasks, and now publish your notes as a static website.
+date: 2026-03-24
+order: 1
+---
+
+# Introducing AS Notes
+
+Thank you for finding your way to our new blog. We'd like to introduce you to **AS Notes**:
+
+Most note-taking tools want you to leave your editor. AS Notes doesn't. It brings `[[wikilink]]` style knowledge management directly into VS Code, where many of us already spend most of our day.
+
+No Electron wrapper. No separate app to context-switch into. Just your editor, your markdown files, and a lightweight SQLite index that ties everything together.
+
+![AS Notes Screenshot](../assets/images/as-notes-screen-shot.png)
+
+## What you get
+
+AS Notes is a Personal Knowledge Management System that runs as a VS Code extension. At its core: you write markdown files, link them with `[[wikilinks]]`, and the extension handles resolution, backlinks, renaming, and navigation across your entire workspace.
+
+But it goes further than that.
+
+**Wikilinks that actually work.** Links resolve globally across your workspace. Nested links like `[[Specific [[Topic]] Details]]` create multiple navigable targets. Rename a link and every reference updates. Case-insensitive matching, page aliases, subfolder resolution - it handles the edge cases so you don't have to.
+
+**Task management built into your notes.** Toggle TODOs with `Ctrl+Shift+Enter`. Add priority (`#P1`, `#P2`, `#P3`), due dates (`#D-2026-03-20`), and waiting flags (`#W`) as inline hashtags. The Tasks panel aggregates everything across your workspace with grouping by page, priority, due date, or completion date.
+
+**Kanban boards backed by markdown.** Each card is a `.md` file with YAML front matter. Drag cards between lanes, add entries, attach files. Every change is a diffable text file you can version control.
+
+**Daily journaling.** `Ctrl+Alt+J` creates today's journal from a template. A calendar panel in the sidebar shows which days have entries. Click any day to open it.
+
+**Backlinks with full context.** The backlinks panel shows every incoming link as a chain - the full outline path from root to link. Group by page or by chain pattern. Click any link to jump straight to the source line.
+
+**Outliner mode.** Toggle it on and every line starts with a bullet. Tab/Shift+Tab for indentation, Enter continues the list, and multi-line paste splits into individual bullets.
+
+**Slash commands.** Type `/` for quick access to date insertion, code blocks, tables (with add/remove column and row operations), templates, and task metadata.
+
+All of this runs on plain markdown files. No proprietary format. No lock-in. Git-friendly from day one.
+
+## Publishing your notes as a static site
+
+This is the feature we've most recently shipped. AS Notes now includes a built-in tool that converts your markdown notes into a static website.
+
+The documentation you're reading right now was written in AS Notes and published using the same tool.
+
+### How it works
+
+Point the converter at a folder of markdown files and it produces clean HTML. Wikilinks between pages resolve to the correct `.html` links automatically. A navigation sidebar is generated from your public pages. Output filenames are slugified to clean URLs (`Getting Started.md` becomes `getting-started.html`).
+
+You control what gets published with YAML front matter:
+
+```yaml
+---
+public: true
+title: My Page
+description: A short description for SEO
+layout: docs
+date: 2026-03-24
+---
+```
+
+Pages without `public: true` are skipped. Or pass `--default-public` to publish everything unless a page opts out. Encrypted `.enc.md` files are always excluded - a hardcoded safety net.
+
+### Layouts and themes
+
+Three built-in layouts ship out of the box:
+
+- **docs** - sidebar navigation with content area (what you're looking at)
+- **blog** - sidebar with a narrower, article-style content area and date display
+- **minimal** - content only, no navigation
+
+Two themes are included (`default` and `dark`), both producing clean, editable CSS. You can override per-page with front matter, bring your own stylesheets, or create entirely custom layouts with template tokens like `{{content}}`, `{{nav}}`, and `{{toc}}`.
+
+### Asset pipeline, SEO, and feeds
+
+Referenced images are automatically discovered and copied to the output. Retina support is built in - per-image with `{.retina}`, per-page via front matter, or globally with `--retina`.
+
+Every site gets a `sitemap.xml` and an RSS `feed.xml` generated automatically. Add `description:` front matter for `<meta>` SEO tags. Set `--base-url` for subdirectory deployments.
+
+### Run it anywhere
+
+Install as an npm package for CI/CD:
+
+```bash
+npx asnotes-publish --config ./asnotes-publish.json
+```
+
+Or run it directly from VS Code with the **AS Notes: Publish to HTML** command.
+
+The config file keeps things reproducible:
+
+```json
+{
+    "inputDir": "./pages",
+    "outputDir": "../docs",
+    "defaultPublic": true,
+    "layout": "docs",
+    "theme": "default",
+    "baseUrl": ""
+}
+```
+
+Deploy to GitHub Pages, Netlify, Vercel, Cloudflare Pages - anywhere that serves static files.
+
+### Custom navigation
+
+Don't want auto-generated navigation? Create a `nav.md` at the root of your input directory. Write it in markdown with wikilinks and it becomes the sidebar for every page:
+
+```markdown
+## Guides
+
+- [[Getting Started]]
+- [[Publishing a Static Site]]
+
+---
+
+## Reference
+
+- [[Settings]]
+- [[Wikilinks]]
+```
+
+## Privacy first
+
+AS Notes does not send your data anywhere. The index is a local SQLite database. Your encryption keys are stored in the OS keychain. Your notes stay on your machine (or wherever you choose to sync them).
+
+## Getting started
+
+Install from the [VS Code Marketplace](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=appsoftwareltd.as-notes). Open the Command Palette and run **AS Notes: Initialise Workspace**. That's it.
+
+For a sample knowledge base to explore, clone the [demo repository](https://github.com/appsoftwareltd/as-notes-demo-notes).
+
+For publishing, the [documentation](https://docs.asnotes.io) covers the full setup - front matter fields, layouts, themes, asset pipeline, CI/CD configuration, and multi-site publishing.
+
+AS Notes is free. Pro features (templates, table commands, kanban, encrypted notes) are available with a licence key from [asnotes.io](https://www.asnotes.io/pricing).