Update auto-hexo-deploy.md

source/_posts/tutorial/auto-hexo-deploy.md

@@ -9,14 +9,14 @@ tags:
 categories: tutor
 ---
 
-# Automate Hexo Deployment to GitHub Pages with GitHub Actions
+# Automate Hexo Deployment to GitHub Pages with GitHub Actions: A Comprehensive Tutorial
 
-Deploying a static website generated by Hexo to GitHub Pages can be streamlined using GitHub Actions. This guide will walk you through setting up an automated workflow that:
+Deploying a static website generated by Hexo to GitHub Pages can be seamlessly automated using GitHub Actions. This tutorial will guide you through setting up an automated workflow that:
 
 1. **Generates your Hexo site** every time you push changes to your repository.
-2. **Deploys the generated static files** to the `docs` folder of your `TabNahida/TabNahida.github.io` repository, enabling seamless updates to your GitHub Pages site.
+2. **Deploys the generated static files** to the `docs` folder of a separate GitHub Pages repository, enabling continuous updates to your website.
 
-By the end of this tutorial, you'll have a fully automated CI/CD pipeline for your Hexo blog, ensuring your website is always up-to-date with your latest content.
+By the end of this guide, you'll have a fully automated CI/CD pipeline for your Hexo blog, ensuring your website remains up-to-date with your latest content without manual intervention.
 
 ---
 
@@ -38,12 +38,12 @@ By the end of this tutorial, you'll have a fully automated CI/CD pipeline for yo
 Before you begin, ensure you have the following:
 
 - **Two GitHub Repositories**:
-  - **Source Repository**: Your main repository containing the Hexo blog source code (e.g., `TabNahida/TabNahida`).
-  - **Target Repository**: Your GitHub Pages repository where the static site will be deployed (e.g., `TabNahida/TabNahida.github.io`).
+  - **Source Repository**: Your primary repository containing the Hexo blog source code (e.g., `YourUsername/YourBlog`).
+  - **Target Repository**: Your GitHub Pages repository where the static site will be deployed (e.g., `YourUsername/YourBlog.github.io`).
 
 - **Hexo Installed and Configured**: Ensure your Hexo blog is properly set up and can generate static files locally using `hexo generate`.
 
-- **Basic Knowledge of GitHub Actions**: Familiarity with creating and editing YAML files within GitHub repositories.
+- **Basic Knowledge of GitHub Actions**: Familiarity with creating and editing YAML files within GitHub repositories will be beneficial.
 
 ---
 
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ To allow GitHub Actions to push changes to your target repository, you need a Pe
 ### Steps to Generate a PAT:
 
 1. **Log in to GitHub**:
-   Navigate to [GitHub](https://github.com/) and sign in to your account.
+   - Navigate to [GitHub](https://github.com/) and sign in to your account.
 
 2. **Access Developer Settings**:
    - Click on your profile picture in the top-right corner.
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ To allow GitHub Actions to push changes to your target repository, you need a Pe
 
 4. **Configure the Token**:
    - **Note**: Enter a descriptive name, e.g., `GitHub Actions Deploy Token`.
-   - **Expiration**: Choose an appropriate expiration date. For security reasons, it's recommended not to set it to never expire.
+   - **Expiration**: Choose an appropriate expiration date. For security reasons, it's recommended **not** to set it to never expire.
    - **Scopes**: 
      - Expand the **repo** section.
      - Select **repo** (all sub-scopes under repo will be automatically selected), ensuring the token has full control of private repositories.
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ To securely use your PAT within GitHub Actions, store it as a secret in your sou
 ### Steps to Add the PAT as a Secret:
 
 1. **Navigate to Your Source Repository**:
-   Go to `TabNahida/TabNahida` on GitHub.
+   - Go to `YourUsername/YourBlog` on GitHub.
 
 2. **Access Repository Settings**:
    - Click on the **Settings** tab.
@@ -106,11 +106,18 @@ With the PAT in place, you can now create a GitHub Actions workflow that automat
 ### Steps to Create the Workflow:
 
 1. **Create the Workflow File**:
-   - In your source repository (`TabNahida/TabNahida`), navigate to the `.github/workflows/` directory. If it doesn't exist, create it.
+   - In your source repository (`YourUsername/YourBlog`), navigate to the `.github/workflows/` directory. If it doesn't exist, create it.
    - Inside the `workflows` folder, create a new file named `deploy.yml`.
 
+   ```
+   YourBlog/
+   └── .github/
+       └── workflows/
+           └── deploy.yml
+   ```
+
 2. **Define the Workflow Configuration**:
-   Open `deploy.yml` and add the following content:
+   - Open `deploy.yml` and add the following content:
 
    ```yaml
    name: Deploy Hexo to GitHub Pages
@@ -152,7 +159,7 @@ With the PAT in place, you can now create a GitHub Actions workflow that automat
              github_token: ${{ secrets.TARGET_REPO_TOKEN }}
              publish_dir: ./public
              destination_dir: docs
-             publish_repo: TabNahida/TabNahida.github.io
+             publish_repo: YourUsername/YourBlog.github.io
              publish_branch: main
              allow_empty_commit: true
    ```
@@ -163,7 +170,7 @@ With the PAT in place, you can now create a GitHub Actions workflow that automat
 
 - **on**:
   - **push**: Specifies that the workflow runs on `push` events.
-  - **branches**: The workflow triggers when there’s a push to the `main` branch.
+  - **branches**: The workflow triggers when there’s a push to the `main` branch. Adjust this if your default branch is different (e.g., `master`).
 
 - **jobs**:
   - **build-and-deploy**: The single job that builds and deploys the site.
@@ -188,13 +195,14 @@ With the PAT in place, you can now create a GitHub Actions workflow that automat
          - **github_token**: References the secret `TARGET_REPO_TOKEN` for authentication.
          - **publish_dir**: Points to the directory containing the generated static files (`./public`).
          - **destination_dir**: Specifies the target directory in the repository (`docs`).
-         - **publish_repo**: The target repository where the site will be deployed (`TabNahida/TabNahida.github.io`).
+         - **publish_repo**: The target repository where the site will be deployed (`YourUsername/YourBlog.github.io`).
          - **publish_branch**: The branch to which the files will be pushed (`main`).
          - **allow_empty_commit**: Allows the workflow to run even if there are no changes to commit, preventing failures in such cases.
 
 3. **Commit and Push the Workflow**:
    - Save the `deploy.yml` file.
    - Commit the new workflow to your repository:
+
      ```bash
      git add .github/workflows/deploy.yml
      git commit -m "Add GitHub Actions workflow for Hexo deployment"
@@ -205,12 +213,12 @@ With the PAT in place, you can now create a GitHub Actions workflow that automat
 
 ## Configuring GitHub Pages in the Target Repository
 
-To ensure that GitHub Pages serves your site from the `docs` folder, you need to configure the settings in your target repository (`TabNahida/TabNahida.github.io`).
+To ensure that GitHub Pages serves your site from the `docs` folder, you need to configure the settings in your target repository (`YourUsername/YourBlog.github.io`).
 
 ### Steps to Configure GitHub Pages:
 
 1. **Navigate to the Target Repository**:
-   Go to `TabNahida/TabNahida.github.io` on GitHub.
+   - Go to `YourUsername/YourBlog.github.io` on GitHub.
 
 2. **Access Repository Settings**:
    - Click on the **Settings** tab.
@@ -223,7 +231,7 @@ To ensure that GitHub Pages serves your site from the `docs` folder, you need to
    - Click **Save** to apply the changes.
 
 4. **Verify the Configuration**:
-   - After saving, GitHub will provide a URL where your site is published, typically `https://TabNahida.github.io`.
+   - After saving, GitHub will provide a URL where your site is published, typically `https://YourUsername.github.io`.
    - It may take a few minutes for the site to become available.
 
 ---
@@ -235,23 +243,24 @@ With everything set up, it's time to test the automated deployment process.
 ### Steps to Test:
 
 1. **Make a Change to Your Blog**:
-   - Add a new post or update existing content in your Hexo source repository.
+   - Add a new post or update existing content in your Hexo source repository (`YourUsername/YourBlog`).
 
 2. **Push the Changes to GitHub**:
+
    ```bash
    git add .
    git commit -m "Test deployment with a new post"
    git push origin main
    ```
 
 3. **Monitor the GitHub Actions Workflow**:
-   - Navigate to your source repository (`TabNahida/TabNahida`) on GitHub.
+   - Navigate to your source repository (`YourUsername/YourBlog`) on GitHub.
    - Click on the **Actions** tab.
    - You should see a workflow run named `Deploy Hexo to GitHub Pages` triggered by your push.
    - Click on the workflow run to monitor its progress. Ensure all steps complete successfully.
 
 4. **Verify the Deployment**:
-   - After the workflow completes, visit your GitHub Pages site at `https://TabNahida.github.io`.
+   - After the workflow completes, visit your GitHub Pages site at `https://YourUsername.github.io`.
    - Confirm that the changes reflect as expected.
 
 ---
@@ -264,8 +273,8 @@ Despite following the steps carefully, you might encounter some common issues. H
 
 **Error Message:**
 ```
-remote: Permission to TabNahida/TabNahida.github.io.git denied to github-actions[bot].
-fatal: unable to access 'https://github.com/TabNahida/TabNahida.github.io.git/': The requested URL returned error: 403
+remote: Permission to YourUsername/YourBlog.github.io.git denied to github-actions[bot].
+fatal: unable to access 'https://github.com/YourUsername/YourBlog.github.io.git/': The requested URL returned error: 403
 ```
 
 **Solution:**
@@ -279,7 +288,7 @@ fatal: unable to access 'https://github.com/TabNahida/TabNahida.github.io.git/':
   - Ensure there are no extra spaces or hidden characters.
 
 - **Check Repository Access**:
-  - Confirm that the PAT owner has write access to the target repository (`TabNahida/TabNahida.github.io`).
+  - Confirm that the PAT owner has write access to the target repository (`YourUsername/YourBlog.github.io`).
 
 ### 2. **Unexpected Input Parameters**
 
@@ -291,8 +300,8 @@ Warning: Unexpected input(s) 'folder', 'target-folder', valid inputs are ['githu
 **Solution:**
 
 - **Use Supported Inputs**:
-  - If using an action that doesn't support certain input parameters, adjust your workflow accordingly.
-  - In this guide, we use `peaceiris/actions-gh-pages@v4`, which supports the necessary parameters.
+  - Ensure you're using the correct input parameters for the GitHub Action. In this tutorial, we're using `peaceiris/actions-gh-pages@v4`, which supports the necessary parameters.
+  - If using a different action, refer to its documentation to confirm supported inputs.
 
 ### 3. **Empty Commit Errors**
 
@@ -326,13 +335,26 @@ Changes take longer to appear on GitHub Pages.
   - GitHub Pages might take a few minutes to reflect the latest changes.
   - If delays persist, check the workflow logs for any deployment issues.
 
+### 6. **Authentication Issues with Actions**
+
+**Issue:**
+The GitHub Action fails to authenticate with the target repository.
+
+**Solution:**
+
+- **Check PAT Validity**:
+  - Ensure the PAT hasn't expired and is correctly stored in the repository secrets.
+  
+- **Verify Repository Names**:
+  - Double-check that the `publish_repo` field in your workflow matches the exact name of your target repository (`YourUsername/YourBlog.github.io`).
+
 ---
 
 ## Conclusion
 
 By following this comprehensive guide, you've set up an automated GitHub Actions workflow that:
 
-- **Generates your Hexo site** every time you push updates to your repository.
+- **Generates your Hexo site** every time you push updates to your source repository.
 - **Deploys the generated static files** to the `docs` folder of your GitHub Pages repository.
 
 This automation ensures your blog remains up-to-date without manual intervention, allowing you to focus on creating content. Additionally, using trusted actions like `peaceiris/actions-gh-pages` simplifies the deployment process and enhances reliability.