Front Matter Properties

All front matter implementations must implement the IFrontMatter interface, which defines the base contract for content metadata.

public interface IFrontMatter
{
    /// <summary>
    /// The title of the content page.
    /// </summary>
    public string Title { get; init; }

    /// <summary>
    /// Tags for the content.
    /// </summary>
    string[] Tags { get; init; }
    
    /// <summary>
    /// If true, the content page will not be generated.
    /// </summary>
    bool IsDraft { get; init; }

    /// <summary>
    /// Currently unused, but maybe one day we can support xref links.
    /// </summary>
    string? Uid { get; init; }
    
    /// <summary>
    /// Converts the FrontMatter into structured metadata for RSS and SiteMap generation.
    /// </summary>
    public Metadata AsMetadata();
}

Required Properties

Title

  • Type: string
  • Purpose: The title of the content page
  • Usage: Used in page headers, metadata, RSS feeds, and navigation
  • Example: title: "Getting Started with Blazor"

Optional Properties

Tags

  • Type: string[] (array of strings)
  • Purpose: Content categorization and tagging
  • Usage: Used for tag-based navigation, filtering, and content organization
  • Example:
    tags:
  - Blazor
  - .NET
  - Web Development

Uid

  • Type: string? (nullable string)
  • Purpose: Unique identifier for the content page
  • Usage: Used for cross-referencing and unique identification
  • Default: null
  • Example: uid: "getting-started-blazor"

IsDraft

  • Type: bool
  • Purpose: Controls whether the content page will be generated
  • Usage: When true, the page is excluded from static generation
  • Default: false
  • Example: isDraft: true

Required Methods

Metadata Properties

The Metadata class provides additional computed information for RSS feeds and sitemaps.

Metadata Properties

LastMod

  • Type: DateTime?
  • Purpose: Date when the page was last modified
  • Usage: Used in XML sitemaps and RSS feeds

RssItem

  • Type: bool
  • Purpose: Controls whether page should be included in RSS feed
  • Usage: RSS feed filtering
  • Default: true

Order

  • Type: int
  • Purpose: Controls page order in navigation or table of contents
  • Usage: Navigation ordering, TOC generation
  • Default: int.MaxValue

YAML Front Matter Examples

Blog Post Example

public class BlogFrontMatter : IFrontMatter
{
    public string Title { get; init; } = "Empty title";
    public string? Uid { get; init; } = null;
    public bool IsDraft { get; init; } = false;
    public string[] Tags { get; init; } = [];

    // custom properties for blog posts
    public string Description { get; init; } = string.Empty;
    public DateTime Date { get; init; } = DateTime.Now;
    
    public Metadata AsMetadata()
    {
        return new Metadata()
        {
            Title = Title,
            Description = Description,
            LastMod = Date,
            RssItem = true
        };
    }
}
---
title: "Getting Started with Blazor"
description: "A comprehensive guide to building your first Blazor application"
date: 2025-01-15
tags:
  - Blazor
  - .NET
  - Tutorial
isDraft: false
uid: "blazor-getting-started"
---

Documentation Page Example

internal class DocsFrontMatter : IFrontMatter
{
    public string Title { get; init; } = "Empty title";
    public bool IsDraft { get; init; } = false;
    public string[] Tags { get; init; } = [];
    public string? Uid { get; init; } = null;
    
    // custom properties for documentation pages
    public string Description { get; init; } = string.Empty;
    public int Order { get; init; } = int.MaxValue;
    
    public Metadata AsMetadata()
    {
        return new Metadata()
        {
            Title = Title,
            Description = Description,
            LastMod = DateTime.MinValue,
            RssItem = false,
            Order = Order
        };
    }

}
---
title: "API Reference"
description: "Complete API documentation for MyLittleContentEngine"
order: 4001
tags:
  - Reference
  - API
isDraft: false
---

Best Practices

  1. Consistent Naming: Use consistent property names across your content
  2. Meaningful Defaults: Provide sensible defaults for optional properties
  3. Type Safety: Leverage C# type system for validation
  4. Required Properties: Mark essential properties as required
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