Front Matter Reference

Complete dictionary of all HugoBlox Front Matter parameters. Configure titles, metadata, feature toggles, and advanced layout options.

Front Matter is the configuration block at the top of your Markdown files, enclosed by ---. It controls the page's metadata, layout, and enabled features.

📝 Core Metadata

Standard metadata used across all content types.

Parameter	Type	Description
`title`	`string`	Required. The title of the page.
`date`	`date`	Publication date (`YYYY-MM-DD`). Future-dates aren't published.
`summary`	`string`	Short summary used in list views and SEO descriptions. Alias `description`.
`authors`	`list`	List of author usernames (matching `content/authors/`) or plain text names.
`tags`	`list`	Taxonomy tags for filtering and discovery.
`categories`	`list`	Taxonomy categories for high-level grouping.
`type`	`string`	Overrides the content type (e.g., `landing`, `page`, `post`).
`weight`	`integer`	Sort order in lists/menus (lower numbers appear first).
`draft`	`boolean`	If `true`, the page is hidden from the production build.

Configure the page header and featured images.

Parameter	Type	Description
`featured`	`boolean`	Pin this page to the homepage or "Featured" widgets.
`image`	`object`	Configures the Featured Image (see object details below).
`cover`	`object`	Configures the Cover Image (see object details below).

`image` Object

image:
  filename: my-image.jpg  # Path relative to page bundle or in assets/media/
  focal_point: Smart      # Smart, Center, TopLeft, etc.
  preview_only: false     # true = show on social/lists but HIDE on actual page
  alt_text: "Description" # Accessibility text

`cover` Object

Configures the Notion-style page header.

Simplest Usage: Just upload cover.jpg to your page folder.

Full Configuration:

cover:
  image: "cover.jpg"      # Local filename or remote URL
  alt_text: "My Cover"    # Defaults to page title
  style: "gradient"       # gradient (default), glass, blur, minimal, default
  height: "medium"        # small, medium (default), large, full
  hidden: false           # Hide cover if cover image exists
  
  # Icon Overlay
  icon:
    name: "📊"            # Emoji or icon name (e.g. "brands/github") - see Icon Reference
    position: "overlap"   # overlap (default), below, inline
  
  # Image Positioning (0-100%)
  position:
    x: 50
    y: 50
    
  # Advanced Effects
  fade:
    enabled: true         # Fade bottom edge into page
  overlay:
    color: "#000000"      # Custom overlay color
    opacity: 0.3          # Overlay opacity

🧩 Feature Toggles

Enable or disable specific page features.

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
`toc`	`boolean`	`true`	Show the Table of Contents on this page.
`share`	`boolean`	`true`	Show social sharing buttons.
`commentable`	`boolean`	`true`	Enable comments (if a provider is configured).
`editable`	`boolean`	`true`	Show the "Edit this page" link to GitHub/GitLab.

🔗 Resources & Links

Attach files, external links, or slides.

Parameter	Type	Description
`resources`	`list`	List of downloadable files (PDFs, etc.).
`links`	`list`	List of Call-to-Action (CTA) buttons to display in the header.
`slides`	`string`	Filename of a slide deck in `content/slides/` (no extension).

Example

resources:
  - src: paper.pdf
    title: Read Paper
links:
  - name: Code
    url: https://github.com/...
    icon: brands/github

🛠️ Advanced Rendering

Unlock technical writing features.

Parameter	Type	Description
`math`	`boolean`	Enable LaTeX math rendering (KaTeX) but usually auto-detected.

🔎 SEO & Routing

Advanced control over URLs and search engine visibility.

Parameter	Type	Description
`aliases`	`list`	List of old URLs to redirect to this page (e.g., `['/old-post/']`).
`canonical`	`string`	The canonical URL for SEO (if content is syndicated).
`robots`	`string`	Custom robots meta tag (e.g., `noindex`).

For practical examples of how to use these parameters to build specific page layouts, see the Page Features Guide.