🐾 Bindi's Adventures — User Manual

🖥️ Go to: BindiTails.com/adventure-builder.html

1. Click the map where the trip happened → lat/lng auto-fills
2. Fill in: Title, Date, Caption
3. Add photos: Type photo path + click "Add Photo" (add multiple!)
4. Address: Type place name → directions link auto-generates
5. Link: Paste Facebook/Instagram post URL
6. About This Place: Fun fact about the location
7. Bindi's Diary Entry: Write in Bindi's voice!
8. Postmark City: e.g., "Memphis, TN" (auto-fills from address)
9. Stamp Icon: Leave blank for auto-pick, or type an emoji
10. Click "🐾 Add to trips.json"
11. Click "⬇️ Download Updated trips.json"
12. Replace the file in C:\BindiTails™\
13. Push to GitHub (see Section 13)

✏️ Edit Trip Feature (in the Builder)

1. Open BindiTails.com/adventure-builder.html
2. Click "📂 Load existing trips.json" → paste your current trips.json
3. Find the trip in the list on the right
4. Click the ✏️ Edit button next to it
5. All fields load back into the form — make your changes
6. Click "💾 Save Changes"
7. Download the updated file and push

Use this to: Fix wrong photos, update diary entries, change addresses, add tags, etc.

📝 Quick Copy-Paste Method

1. Open C:\BindiTails™\trips.json in Notepad or VS Code
2. Copy an existing entry (everything from { to })
3. Paste it before the last ]
4. Add a comma after the previous entry's }
5. Change the values to your new trip
6. Save and push to GitHub

📱 No Laptop Needed

1. Open: github.com/susanbuchanan-75287/BindiTails/edit/master/trips.json
2. Log in with your GitHub account
3. Edit the JSON (add/modify entries)
4. Tap "Commit changes"
5. Site auto-deploys in ~2 minutes! ✅

🚀 Add a New Trip (5 Steps)

1. Go to BindiTails.com/adventure-builder.html
2. Click map + fill form + "Add to trips.json"
3. Download updated trips.json
4. Replace C:\BindiTails™\trips.json
5. Push: cd C:\BindiTails™ && git add . && git commit -m "New trip" && git push origin master

✏️ Fix a Mistake (5 Steps)

1. Open builder → Load trips.json → click ✏️ Edit on the trip
2. Make changes → "💾 Save Changes"
3. Download → Replace → Push

📷 Add Photos to Existing Trip

1. Put photo(s) in C:\BindiTails™\images\
2. Edit trips.json — add paths to the "photos" array
3. Push (commit both the image files AND trips.json)

🔗 Important Links

• Live site: www.BindiTails.com/adventures.html
• Builder: www.BindiTails.com/adventure-builder.html
• GitHub repo: github.com/susanbuchanan-75287/BindiTails
• Edit trips.json online: Direct edit link
• JSON validator: jsonlint.com

🌐 Domain Names (Porkbun — registered May 2026)

Primary Site: BindiTails.com (GitHub Pages)

• Custom domain configured in GitHub repo → Settings → Pages
• DNS managed wherever BindiTails.com is registered (check GitHub Pages docs for A records if needed)

🐕 .dog Domains — All URL Forwards via Porkbun

• BindiTails.dog → https://BindiTails.com (302 redirect)
• barkparks.dog → https://BindiTails.com/trail-maps.html (302 redirect)
• binditales.dog → https://BindiTails.com (302 redirect, typo catcher)

🔥 Disaster Recovery — If Redirects Break

1. Log in to Porkbun: porkbun.com — username: buchana3
2. Go to Domain Management → click the affected domain
3. URL Forwarding tab → re-enter the forward URL from the list above
4. Leave wildcard checked ✅
5. If main site (BindiTails.com) is down: Check GitHub Pages settings — ensure custom domain is set and HTTPS enforced

Email Forwarding (Future — not yet set up)

• rex@BindiTails.dog → Hello@BindiTails.com (free via Porkbun Email Forwarding)

Account Access

• Registrar: porkbun.com — username: buchana3
• Primary domain (BindiTails.com): DNS managed at GoDaddy (nameservers: ns07/ns08.domaincontrol.com)
• .dog domains: All managed at Porkbun
• Renewal: ~$52/yr per .dog domain (3 domains = ~$156/yr)
• Manage DNS: Porkbun Dashboard → Domain Management → DNS

🛠️ Troubleshooting Guide

💡 Pro tip: If something breaks and you're panicking — the site still works at susanbuchanan-75287.github.io/BindiTails while you fix the custom domain. That URL always works.

📱 QR Check-In System

• Page: check-in.html
• Visitors scan QR codes at parks to auto-stamp their PAW-k Passport
• Family Packs: share a 6-char code so the whole group earns stamps together
• Data stored in Firebase Firestore (userStamps subcollection)
• Admin can generate/print QR cards from the Admin Portal

🏆 Pack Leaders (Leaderboard)

• Page: pack-leaders.html
• Community ranking by total stamps collected
• Rank tiers: 🐾 Rookie (0-9) → 🥾 Explorer (10-24) → ⭐ Expert (25-49) → 🏆 Epic (50+)
• Top 3 shown on podium; full ranked list below
• Auto-updates when users check in via QR

💎 Hidden Gems

• Page: hidden-gems.html
• Curated pet-friendly venues: dining, hotels, breweries, museums, roadside wonders
• Filter by category; flip cards show details + directions
• Proximity badges appear on Bark Ranger map flip cards for nearby gems
• To add gems: edit the hiddenGems array in hidden-gems.html

ℹ️ NPS Pet Policy Popup

• ℹ️ button on Bark Ranger Maps page (next to NPS filter)
• Shows standard dog rules for all NPS sites
• Translucent glass panel with backdrop blur; all text forced black
• Includes "Coming Soon" digital stamp rally features

🏛️ BARK Rangers Filter

• Shows ONLY official NPS parks you haven't visited or bucket-listed (pure discovery mode)
• Zooms to contiguous US (excludes AK/HI from bounds calculation but still shows markers)
• If geolocation is on, zooms to your location + nearest 8 parks
• Puerto Rico and DC parks included

🔗 Gem Deep-Linking

• Clicking a gem name on map popup → goes to hidden-gems.html#GemName
• Page auto-scrolls to the gem card and highlights it with purple glow for 3 seconds
• Works from park popup cards AND postcard modal view

📤 Social Sharing (Nearby Places)

• Each nearby hotel/restaurant/activity card has SMS, Facebook, Messenger share buttons
• Also shows website link, phone number, and directions where available
• Data comes from Overpass/OSM API in real-time

💾 How Your Site Is Backed Up

🔄 How to Make a Safe Backup (Before Risky Changes)

Before making big changes, create a safety branch:

1. Open terminal in C:\BindiTails™\BindiTails™\
2. git checkout -b backup-may31 (creates a named snapshot)
3. git checkout master (go back to working branch)
4. Now make your changes on master. If things break:
5. git checkout backup-may31 -- . (restores ALL files from backup)
6. git commit -m "Reverted to backup" && git push origin master

🤦 "I Fat-Fingered Something" — Quick Fixes

🔥 Full Disaster Recovery (Laptop Stolen/Destroyed)

Everything you need to rebuild from scratch:

1. Get a new computer — Windows, Mac, or Linux all work
2. Install Git: git-scm.com/downloads
3. Clone the site:
   git clone https://github.com/susanbuchanan-75287/BindiTails.git
   (This downloads EVERYTHING — all files, all history, the entire site)
4. That's it. The site is still live on GitHub Pages the whole time. Nothing was lost.

Account Access You'll Need:

📋 Monthly Maintenance Checklist

• ☐ Check domains resolve: visit BindiTails.com, BindiTails.dog, barkparks.dog
• ☐ Check GitHub Pages status: Settings → Pages
• ☐ Verify HTTPS padlock shows on all domains
• ☐ Review Porkbun auto-renew is ON (domains expire May 2027)
• ☐ Check Firebase console for unusual usage spikes
• ☐ Do a test push: edit something small, push, verify it goes live

📍 File Location & Structure

File: data/parks.json — currently 209 parks

Each park object has these fields:

➕ Adding a New Park

Open data/parks.json and add to the end of the array (before the last ]):

{
  "name": "My New State Park",
  "state": "TX",
  "lat": 30.1234,
  "lng": -97.5678,
  "visited": false,
  "bucket": true,
  "nps": false,
  "rules": "Leashed dogs on all trails.",
  "desc": "Beautiful park with great hiking.",
  "website": "https://example.com",
  "img": ""
}

✏️ Marking a Park as Visited

Find the park in data/parks.json, change:

"visited": false  →  "visited": true

Then commit and push:

git add data/parks.json
git commit -m "Mark [Park Name] as visited"
git push origin master

🗺️ Map Filter Reference

Filters on trail-maps.html:

Type filters (second row): Dog Parks, National Parks, State Parks, Historic, Trail, Beach, Forest, Zoo

Zoom behavior: BARK Rangers and All Parks exclude Alaska/Hawaii from zoom bounds so contiguous US fills the screen. If geolocation is on, filters zoom to your nearest parks.

💎 Managing Hidden Gems

File: hidden-gems.html — edit the hiddenGems array (~line 160-398)

Also in: trail-maps.html — the nearbyGems array (~line 791-823)

Gems link format: hidden-gems.html#Gem Name (URL-encoded). The page auto-scrolls and highlights.

📊 Current Park Inventory (as of May 31, 2026)

• Total: 344 parks/gems
• NPS (BARK Ranger): 187 (includes PR + DC)
• State Parks: 77
• Hidden Gems & Photo Ops: 79
• Visited: 4
• Bucket List: 12
• States/Territories covered: All 50 states + DC + PR (52 total)
• Territories: PR (Castillo San Felipe del Morro, San Juan NHS, Salt River Bay NHP)

📝 Recent Changes