CircusWiki Metadata Schema

This document defines the standard YAML front matter metadata fields used across CircusWiki content files (.md). Consistent metadata is crucial for organization, search, filtering, and potential automated processing.

Core Metadata Fields (Mandatory for All Content)

These fields must be present in the YAML front matter of every content file intended for publication or management within the wiki.

Field	Type	Mandatory	Description	Example
publish	Boolean	Yes	Controls visibility on the published website (true = visible, false = hidden).	publish: true
tags	List of Strings	Yes	Keywords for broad categorization and search filtering. Use lowercase.	tags: [game, warmup, coordination]
created	String	Yes	Timestamp (ISO 8601 preferred) when the content was initially created.	created: 2024-05-16 10:30:00
updated	String	Yes	Timestamp (ISO 8601 preferred) when the content was last significantly updated.	updated: 2024-05-17 15:00:00
title	String	Yes	The primary title of the content page, used for display and navigation.	title: "Introduction to Juggling"
description	String	Yes	A brief (1-2 sentence) summary of the content for search results and previews.	description: "Basic 3-ball cascade."
authors	List of Strings	Yes	Names of the primary author(s) or significant contributors to the content.	authors: ["Jane Doe", "John Smith"]

Content-Type Specific Metadata

Different types of content benefit from additional, specific metadata fields.

Pedagogical Games

These fields are used for files describing pedagogical games, exercises, or activities.

Field	Type	Mandatory	Description	Example
category	List of Strings	Yes	Specific game categories (e.g., icebreaker, tag, circle game). Use lowercase.	category: [fangen, kennenlernen]
Schwierigkeit	String	Yes	Difficulty level, typically using predefined terms (e.g., einfach, mittel, schwer).	Schwierigkeit: mittel
Material	String / List	No	Required materials. Can be a single string or a list if multiple items are needed.	Material: Bälle or Material: [cones, balls]
Spieldauer	String	No	Estimated duration in minutes, often expressed as a range.	Spieldauer: 10-15
source	String	No	Origin or source of the game/activity. Use unbekannt if unknown.	source: "Traditional" or source: NICA
group-min	Integer	No	Minimum recommended number of participants.	group-min: 5
group-max	Integer	No	Maximum recommended number of participants.	group-max: 20

(Note: The exact allowed values for fields like category and Schwierigkeit should ideally be maintained and potentially listed here or linked to a separate vocabulary list as the wiki grows.)

Optional Utility Fields

These fields can be added to any content file for specific internal purposes.

Field	Type	Mandatory	Description	Example
todo	String	No	Internal notes for editors regarding tasks or improvements needed for this file.	todo: Add diagrams

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Schema Evolution: This schema is intended to evolve. As new content types are added or organizational needs change, this document will be updated. Community feedback on the schema is welcome via Issues or Discussions on the GitHub repository.