Python script to build a tag cloud for Hugo websites

build_topics.py

# You need to write a topics_template.md file with the [TOPIC_CLOUD] in the location to have the tag cloud injected.
# You also need to add topics.md to your config.toml for Hugo.
# This will read content/posts/*.md and pull out 'tags' from the frontmatter section to create topics.md

from collections import Counter
import json
from pathlib import Path


def main():
    topics = count_topics()

    tag_text = build_tag_text(topics)

    text = get_template_text()

    new_topics_text = text.replace('[TOPIC_CLOUD]', tag_text)

    write_topics_file(new_topics_text)
    print("Wrote to topics.md")

def write_topics_file(topics_text: str):
    topics_file = Path(__file__).parent.parent / "mksite" / "content" / "topics.md"
    topics_file.write_text(topics_text)


def build_tag_text(topics: list[str]):
    c = Counter(topics)
    counted_topics = c.most_common()

    print("Generated topics list:")
    print(counted_topics)

    text = ""

    max_count = max(ct[1] for ct in counted_topics)
    min_count = min(ct[1] for ct in counted_topics)

    max_em = 2.5
    min_em = .75

    for tag, count in counted_topics:
        tag = tag.replace(' ', '-').lower().strip()
        ratio = count/(max_count-min_count)
        em = (max_em - min_em)*ratio
        # text += f"- [{count}] [{tag}](/tags/{tag}/)\n"
        text += f'<a style="margin: 10px; font-size: {em}em;" class="badge-tag tag badge" href="/tags/{tag}/">{tag}</a>'

    return text


def count_topics() -> list[str]:
    all_tags = []

    posts_folder = Path(__file__).parent.parent / "mksite" / "content" / "posts"
    for file in posts_folder.glob("*.md"):
        tags = get_tags_from_file(file)
        all_tags.extend(tags)

    all_tags.sort()
    
    return all_tags


def get_tags_from_file(file: Path) -> list[str]:
    for line in file.read_text().splitlines():
        if line.startswith("tags: ["):
            fake_json = '{"tags": ' + line[5:].replace("'", '"') + "}"
            tags = json.loads(fake_json)["tags"]

            return tags

    return []


def get_template_text() -> str:
    template_file = Path(__file__).parent / "topics_template.md"
    template_md = template_file.read_text()

    return template_md


if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()

Here's the topics template markdown:

---
title: "Topics"
draft: false
---

Looking to explore the articles? I built a tag cloud of topics. Dive in! ;)

[TOPIC_CLOUD]

See it in action at https://mkennedy.codes/topics/