How does zblog work?

In order to really use zblog, it is important to understand how it works.

0. Where do we get or input?

  zblog is a script that handles encrypted emails as its primary source of
  input. It may be used as a procmail recipe: |zblog email

  For testing purposes (or possibly local use), zblog can handle plaintext
  mails as well. This is not the intended use. Use 'zblog email' in about
  every case.

  Emails may contain postings or commands. The commandmode may be entered
  locally with 'zblog commands'.

  For a discussion of what commands are available and what the format of
  these emails is, see the USAGE file.

1. What does zblog output?

  zblog's output are purely static xhtml pages. (Note that by templates, the
  use of other methods is possible, but why would you want to use zblog then,
  anyway?)

  You do not need php, *sql, perl or whatever to run zblog. Just a few small
  unix tools: patch, diff, file, date and munpack; (and of course, zsh).

2. How does zblog create its output from the input.

  zblog joins template files and the input from emails in a defined order.
  While joining these files, zblog replaces certain strings in the template
  files, so that the resulting xhtml files contain just the data, it is
  supposed to.

3. How does a zblog site look like?

  Well, the "look" itself is freely definable by the use of styles and
  templates.

  zblog sites do have a few common features, though:

    + Main page (with menu)
    + Archive (sorted by category)
        I know that there are people, who do not like this fact.
        I like it quite a lot, and this will *not* get changed, if
        it takes more but the least effort to add a different archive.
    + Individual post pages (with different menu if you want).

  In zblog every posting has got *exactly* one category. I have seen
  people who use categories rather as tags and attach 5-10 categories to
  their postings. I do not like that at all. If I post something, I am able
  to add that posting to a category, where it just fits.

4. What is still missing?

  A lot. I won't mention every bit here.

  Due to the static nature of zblogs pages, it is rather hard to implement
  a usable search function. Suggestions for this are welcome.