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hugo-templating

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UpdatedJanuary 8, 2026 at 01:34

This skill should be used when the user mentions "go template", "hugo template", "partial", "shortcode", "template syntax", "layout", "baseof", "block define", "{{ range }}", "{{ if }}", "{{ with }}", "{{ partial }}", "template lookup", "layout hierarchy", or any Hugo templating concepts. Provides comprehensive guidance on Go template syntax, layouts, partials, shortcodes, and template debugging.

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Hugo Templating

Go Template Syntax Fundamentals

Hugo uses Go's text/template and html/template packages with additional Hugo-specific functions. Understanding the core syntax is essential for all Hugo development.

Variables

{{/* Defining variables */}}
{{ $title := "My Page Title" }}
{{ $count := 5 }}
{{ $items := slice "one" "two" "three" }}

{{/* Accessing page variables (front matter and built-in) */}}
{{ .Title }}           {{/* Page title */}}
{{ .Content }}         {{/* Rendered content */}}
{{ .Params.author }}   {{/* Custom front matter parameter */}}
{{ .Date }}            {{/* Page date */}}
{{ .Permalink }}       {{/* Full URL to page */}}
{{ .RelPermalink }}    {{/* Relative URL to page */}}

{{/* Reassigning variables (note the = not :=) */}}
{{ $count = 10 }}

Conditionals

{{/* Basic if statement */}}
{{ if .Params.featured }}
  <span class="featured">Featured</span>
{{ end }}

{{/* if-else */}}
{{ if .Params.draft }}
  <span class="draft">Draft</span>
{{ else }}
  <span class="published">Published</span>
{{ end }}

{{/* if-else if-else chain */}}
{{ if eq .Type "post" }}
  <article class="post">...</article>
{{ else if eq .Type "page" }}
  <div class="page">...</div>
{{ else }}
  <div class="default">...</div>
{{ end }}

{{/* Comparison operators */}}
{{ if eq $a $b }}     {{/* equal */}}
{{ if ne $a $b }}     {{/* not equal */}}
{{ if lt $a $b }}     {{/* less than */}}
{{ if le $a $b }}     {{/* less than or equal */}}
{{ if gt $a $b }}     {{/* greater than */}}
{{ if ge $a $b }}     {{/* greater than or equal */}}

{{/* Logical operators */}}
{{ if and .Params.featured .Params.image }}
{{ if or .Params.author .Site.Params.defaultAuthor }}
{{ if not .Params.hidden }}

Loops with range

{{/* Iterate over pages */}}
{{ range .Pages }}
  <h2>{{ .Title }}</h2>
{{ end }}

{{/* With index */}}
{{ range $index, $page := .Pages }}
  <div class="item-{{ $index }}">{{ $page.Title }}</div>
{{ end }}

{{/* Iterate over maps */}}
{{ range $key, $value := .Params.metadata }}
  <dt>{{ $key }}</dt>
  <dd>{{ $value }}</dd>
{{ end }}

{{/* Range with else (for empty collections) */}}
{{ range .Pages }}
  <li>{{ .Title }}</li>
{{ else }}
  <li>No pages found</li>
{{ end }}

{{/* Limit iterations */}}
{{ range first 5 .Pages }}
  <li>{{ .Title }}</li>
{{ end }}

Pipes and Function Chaining

{{/* Pipes pass output to the next function */}}
{{ .Title | upper }}
{{ .Title | lower | truncate 50 }}
{{ .Content | plainify | truncate 200 "..." }}

{{/* Common pipe operations */}}
{{ .Date | time.Format "January 2, 2006" }}
{{ .Params.tags | sort | uniq }}
{{ .Summary | safeHTML }}

{{/* Multiple arguments with pipes */}}
{{ .Title | truncate 50 "..." }}    {{/* truncate to 50 chars, add "..." */}}
{{ .Content | replaceRE "<[^>]*>" "" }}  {{/* strip HTML tags */}}

Context: The Dot (.) and Global Context ($)

{{/* The dot represents current context */}}
{{ .Title }}  {{/* In page context, this is the page title */}}

{{/* Inside range, dot changes to the current item */}}
{{ range .Pages }}
  {{ .Title }}  {{/* This is now the iterated page's title */}}
{{ end }}

{{/* Use $ to access global/root context from within range */}}
{{ range .Pages }}
  {{ $.Site.Title }}: {{ .Title }}
{{ end }}

{{/* with changes context like range */}}
{{ with .Params.author }}
  <span class="author">{{ . }}</span>  {{/* dot is now the author value */}}
{{ end }}

Layout Hierarchy and Lookup Order

Hugo uses a sophisticated lookup system to find the right template for each page.

The baseof.html Template

The base template (layouts/_default/baseof.html) defines the overall HTML structure:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="{{ .Site.Language.Lang }}">
<head>
  {{ block "head" . }}
    <meta charset="utf-8">
    <title>{{ .Title }} | {{ .Site.Title }}</title>
    {{ partial "head/meta.html" . }}
    {{ partial "head/css.html" . }}
  {{ end }}
</head>
<body>
  {{ partial "header.html" . }}

  <main>
    {{ block "main" . }}
      {{/* Default content - overridden by specific templates */}}
    {{ end }}
  </main>

  {{ partial "footer.html" . }}
  {{ block "scripts" . }}{{ end }}
</body>
</html>

Layout Lookup Order

Hugo searches for templates in this order (first match wins):

For a single page (e.g., content/blog/my-post.md):

layouts/blog/single.html
layouts/_default/single.html
Theme equivalents

For a list page (e.g., content/blog/_index.md):

layouts/blog/list.html
layouts/_default/list.html
Theme equivalents

For the home page:

layouts/index.html
layouts/home.html
layouts/_default/index.html
layouts/_default/home.html

With custom layout specified in front matter (layout: custom):

layouts/blog/custom.html
layouts/_default/custom.html

Directory Structure

layouts/
  _default/
    baseof.html      # Master template
    single.html      # Default single page
    list.html        # Default list page
    terms.html       # Taxonomy list (tags, categories)
    taxonomy.html    # Individual taxonomy term
  blog/
    single.html      # Blog post template
    list.html        # Blog listing template
  partials/
    header.html
    footer.html
    components/
      card.html
  shortcodes/
    youtube.html
    figure.html

Block Definitions

Blocks enable template inheritance, allowing child templates to override sections of the base template.

Defining and Using Blocks

{{/* In baseof.html - define block with default content */}}
{{ block "main" . }}
  <p>This is the default content if not overridden</p>
{{ end }}

{{/* In single.html - override the block */}}
{{ define "main" }}
  <article>
    <h1>{{ .Title }}</h1>
    {{ .Content }}
  </article>
{{ end }}

{{/* Empty block (placeholder only) */}}
{{ block "sidebar" . }}{{ end }}

{{/* Override with content */}}
{{ define "sidebar" }}
  {{ partial "sidebar/recent-posts.html" . }}
{{ end }}

Block Best Practices

{{/* Always pass context to blocks */}}
{{ block "main" . }}{{ end }}  {{/* CORRECT: passes current context */}}
{{ block "main" }}{{ end }}     {{/* WRONG: no context passed */}}

{{/* Common block pattern */}}
{{ define "main" }}
  {{/* Access page data through the passed context */}}
  <h1>{{ .Title }}</h1>

  {{/* Can still access global context */}}
  <p>Site: {{ $.Site.Title }}</p>
{{ end }}

Partials

Partials are reusable template fragments stored in layouts/partials/.

Basic Partial Usage

{{/* Include a partial - ALWAYS pass context */}}
{{ partial "header.html" . }}
{{ partial "components/card.html" . }}

{{/* Passing custom context */}}
{{ partial "author-bio.html" .Params.author }}

{{/* Passing a dict for multiple values */}}
{{ partial "card.html" (dict "title" .Title "image" .Params.image "link" .Permalink) }}

Partials That Return Values

{{/* layouts/partials/get-reading-time.html */}}
{{ $wordCount := len (split .Content " ") }}
{{ $readingTime := div $wordCount 200 }}
{{ return $readingTime }}

{{/* Using the partial */}}
{{ $time := partial "get-reading-time.html" . }}
<span>{{ $time }} min read</span>

Cached Partials

{{/* partialCached caches output based on cache key */}}
{{ partialCached "expensive-partial.html" . .Section }}

{{/* Cache key can be multiple values */}}
{{ partialCached "nav.html" . .Section .Kind }}

{{/* For truly static content, use context-independent key */}}
{{ partialCached "global-nav.html" . "global" }}

Inline Partials

{{/* Define an inline partial */}}
{{ define "partials/inline-card.html" }}
  <div class="card">
    <h3>{{ .title }}</h3>
    <p>{{ .description }}</p>
  </div>
{{ end }}

{{/* Use it */}}
{{ partial "inline-card.html" (dict "title" "Hello" "description" "World") }}

Shortcodes

Shortcodes add dynamic functionality to Markdown content. They bridge content and templates.

Shortcode Syntax in Content

{{</* Basic shortcode */>}}
{{< youtube id="dQw4w9WgXcQ" >}}

{{</* Named parameters */>}}
{{< figure src="/images/photo.jpg" title="My Photo" alt="Description" >}}

{{</* Positional parameters */>}}
{{< highlight go >}}
fmt.Println("Hello")
{{< /highlight >}}

{{</* With inner content (paired shortcode) */>}}
{{< notice type="warning" >}}
This is a warning message.
{{< /notice >}}

{{</* Markdown processing: < vs % */>}}
{{< shortcode >}}   {{</* Inner content NOT processed as Markdown */>}}
{{% shortcode %}}   {{%/* Inner content IS processed as Markdown */%}}

Creating Shortcode Templates

{{/* layouts/shortcodes/youtube.html */}}
{{ $id := .Get "id" | default (.Get 0) }}
<div class="video-wrapper">
  <iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/{{ $id }}"
          allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div>

{{/* layouts/shortcodes/notice.html */}}
{{ $type := .Get "type" | default "info" }}
<div class="notice notice-{{ $type }}">
  {{ .Inner | markdownify }}
</div>

{{/* layouts/shortcodes/figure.html - comprehensive example */}}
{{ $src := .Get "src" }}
{{ $title := .Get "title" }}
{{ $alt := .Get "alt" | default $title }}
{{ $class := .Get "class" }}

<figure{{ with $class }} class="{{ . }}"{{ end }}>
  <img src="{{ $src }}" alt="{{ $alt }}">
  {{ with $title }}<figcaption>{{ . }}</figcaption>{{ end }}
</figure>

Shortcode Context and Methods

{{/* Accessing parameters */}}
{{ .Get "name" }}       {{/* Get named parameter */}}
{{ .Get 0 }}            {{/* Get first positional parameter */}}
{{ .Params }}           {{/* All parameters as map */}}

{{/* Inner content */}}
{{ .Inner }}            {{/* Raw inner content */}}
{{ .Inner | markdownify }}  {{/* Process as Markdown */}}
{{ .InnerDeindent }}    {{/* Inner content with indentation removed */}}

{{/* Parent context */}}
{{ .Page }}             {{/* The page containing the shortcode */}}
{{ .Page.Title }}
{{ .Site }}             {{/* Site configuration */}}

{{/* Check if parameter exists */}}
{{ if .Get "title" }}
  <h3>{{ .Get "title" }}</h3>
{{ end }}

Shortcodes vs Partials

Use Shortcodes When	Use Partials When
Adding to Markdown content	Building layout templates
Content authors need it	Developers use it
Per-content customization	Site-wide components
Dynamic content embeds	Header, footer, navigation

Common Hugo Functions

Data Structure Functions

{{/* Create a dictionary (map) */}}
{{ $data := dict "name" "John" "age" 30 "active" true }}
{{ $data.name }}

{{/* Create a slice (array) */}}
{{ $items := slice "apple" "banana" "cherry" }}
{{ index $items 0 }}  {{/* "apple" */}}

{{/* Merge dictionaries */}}
{{ $merged := merge $defaults $overrides }}

{{/* Scratch for mutable state */}}
{{ $.Scratch.Set "counter" 0 }}
{{ $.Scratch.Add "counter" 1 }}
{{ $.Scratch.Get "counter" }}

Context Functions

{{/* with - changes context if value is truthy */}}
{{ with .Params.author }}
  <span>By {{ . }}</span>
{{ else }}
  <span>Anonymous</span>
{{ end }}

{{/* range - iterate with changed context */}}
{{ range .Pages }}
  {{ .Title }}
{{ end }}

{{/* Conditional assignment */}}
{{ $author := .Params.author | default .Site.Params.author }}

Asset Pipeline Functions

{{/* Get resource from assets/ directory */}}
{{ $css := resources.Get "css/main.css" }}
{{ $js := resources.Get "js/app.js" }}

{{/* Process SCSS */}}
{{ $style := resources.Get "scss/main.scss" | toCSS }}

{{/* Fingerprint for cache busting */}}
{{ $style := $style | fingerprint }}
<link rel="stylesheet" href="{{ $style.RelPermalink }}">

{{/* Concatenate files */}}
{{ $bundle := slice $js1 $js2 | resources.Concat "js/bundle.js" }}

{{/* Minify */}}
{{ $min := $style | minify }}

Template Debugging

Inspecting Variables

{{/* Print variable structure */}}
{{ printf "%#v" . }}

{{/* Print type */}}
{{ printf "%T" .Params }}

{{/* Pretty print for development */}}
<pre>{{ debug.Dump . }}</pre>

{{/* Print to terminal during build */}}
{{ warnf "Current page: %s" .Title }}
{{ errorf "Missing required param: %s" "author" }}  {{/* Stops build */}}

Common Errors and Solutions

{{/* ERROR: can't evaluate field X */}}
{{/* Solution: Check if field exists first */}}
{{ with .Params.author }}{{ . }}{{ end }}

{{/* ERROR: range can't iterate over nil */}}
{{/* Solution: Use default or check first */}}
{{ range .Params.tags | default slice }}

{{/* ERROR: wrong type for value */}}
{{/* Solution: Check types with printf "%T" */}}
{{ printf "%T" .Params.date }}  {{/* Might be string, not time.Time */}}

{{/* ERROR: partial not found */}}
{{/* Solution: Check path is relative to layouts/partials/ */}}
{{ partial "components/card.html" . }}  {{/* File: layouts/partials/components/card.html */}}

Build with Template Metrics

# Show template execution times
hugo --templateMetrics

# With detailed hints
hugo --templateMetrics --templateMetricsHints

# Example output helps identify slow templates

Development Helpers

{{/* Conditional debug output */}}
{{ if site.IsServer }}
  <div class="debug">
    Page: {{ .Title }}<br>
    Kind: {{ .Kind }}<br>
    Type: {{ .Type }}<br>
    Section: {{ .Section }}
  </div>
{{ end }}

{{/* Check what variables are available */}}
{{ range $key, $value := .Params }}
  {{ $key }}: {{ $value }}<br>
{{ end }}

name	hugo-templating
description	This skill should be used when the user mentions "go template", "hugo template", "partial", "shortcode", "template syntax", "layout", "baseof", "block define", "{{ range }}", "{{ if }}", "{{ with }}", "{{ partial }}", "template lookup", "layout hierarchy", or any Hugo templating concepts. Provides comprehensive guidance on Go template syntax, layouts, partials, shortcodes, and template debugging.

hugo-templating

More from this repository

More from this repository

Hugo Templating

Go Template Syntax Fundamentals

Variables

Conditionals

Loops with range

Pipes and Function Chaining

Context: The Dot (.) and Global Context ($)

Layout Hierarchy and Lookup Order

The baseof.html Template

Layout Lookup Order

Directory Structure

Block Definitions

Defining and Using Blocks

Block Best Practices

Partials

Basic Partial Usage

Partials That Return Values

Cached Partials

Inline Partials

Shortcodes

Shortcode Syntax in Content

Creating Shortcode Templates

Shortcode Context and Methods

Shortcodes vs Partials

Common Hugo Functions

Data Structure Functions

Context Functions

Asset Pipeline Functions

Template Debugging

Inspecting Variables

Common Errors and Solutions

Build with Template Metrics

Development Helpers

Hugo Templating

Go Template Syntax Fundamentals

Variables

Conditionals

Loops with range

Pipes and Function Chaining

Context: The Dot (.) and Global Context ($)

Layout Hierarchy and Lookup Order

The baseof.html Template

Layout Lookup Order

Directory Structure

Block Definitions

Defining and Using Blocks

Block Best Practices

Partials

Basic Partial Usage

Partials That Return Values

Cached Partials

Inline Partials

Shortcodes

Shortcode Syntax in Content

Creating Shortcode Templates

Shortcode Context and Methods

Shortcodes vs Partials

Common Hugo Functions

Data Structure Functions

Context Functions

Asset Pipeline Functions

Template Debugging

Inspecting Variables

Common Errors and Solutions

Build with Template Metrics

Development Helpers