---
template: overrides/main.html
---
# Reference
Material for MkDocs is packed with many great features that make technical
writing a pleasure. This section of the documentation explains how to set up
a page, and showcases all available specimen that can be used directly from
within Markdown files.
## Configuration
### Built-in meta plugin :material-alert-decagram:{ .mdx-pulse title="Added on July 17, 2022" }
[:octicons-heart-fill-24:{ .mdx-heart } Sponsors only][Insiders]{ .mdx-insiders } ·
[:octicons-tag-24: insiders-4.21.0][Insiders] ·
:octicons-cpu-24: Plugin ·
:octicons-beaker-24: Experimental
The built-in meta plugin allows to __set front matter per folder__, which is
especially handy to ensure that all pages in a folder use specific templates or
tags. Add the following lines to `mkdocs.yml`:
``` yaml
plugins:
- meta # (1)!
```
1. Note that the meta plugin should be located at the beginning of the list
of `plugins`, so that other plugins (including the [built-in blog plugin])
will pick up the set defaults.
> If you need to be able to build your documentation with and without
> [Insiders], please refer to the [built-in plugins] section to learn how
> shared configurations help to achieve this.
The following configuration options are available:
[`meta_file`](#+meta.meta_file){ #+meta.meta_file }
: :octicons-milestone-24: Default: `**/.meta.yml` – This option specifies the
name of the meta files that the plugin should look for. The default setting
assumes that meta files are called `.meta.yml`:
``` yaml
plugins:
- meta:
meta_file: '**/.meta.yml' # (1)!
```
1. Note that it's strongly recommended to prefix meta files with a `.`,
since otherwise they would be included in the build output.
[built-in blog plugin]: ../setup/setting-up-a-blog.md#built-in-blog-plugin
[built-in plugins]: ../insiders/getting-started.md#built-in-plugins
## Usage
### Setting the page title
The page title can be overridden for a document with the front matter `title`
property. Add the following lines at the top of a Markdown file:
``` yaml
---
title: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet # (1)!
---
# Document title
...
```
1. This will set the [`title`][title] inside the HTML document's [`head`][head]
for the generated page to this value. Note that the site title, which is set
via [`site_name`][site_name], is appended with a dash.
[title]: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/title
[head]: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/head
[site_name]: https://www.mkdocs.org/user-guide/configuration/#site_name
### Setting the page description
The page description can be overridden for a document with the front matter
`description` property. Add the following lines at the top of a Markdown file:
``` yaml
---
description: Nullam urna elit, malesuada eget finibus ut, ac tortor. # (1)!
---
# Document title
...
```
1. This will set the `meta` tag containing the site description inside the
document `head` for the current page to the provided value.
### Setting the page icon
[:octicons-heart-fill-24:{ .mdx-heart } Sponsors only][Insiders]{ .mdx-insiders } ·
[:octicons-tag-24: insiders-4.5.0][Insiders] ·
:octicons-beaker-24: Experimental
An icon can be assigned to each page, which is then rendered as part of the
navigation sidebar. Add the following lines at the top of a Markdown file:
``` yaml
---
icon: material/emoticon-happy # (1)!
---
# Document title
...
```
1. Enter a few keywords to find the perfect icon using our [icon search] and
click on the shortcode to copy it to your clipboard:
[Insiders]: ../insiders/index.md
[icon search]: icons-emojis.md#search
### Setting the page status
[:octicons-heart-fill-24:{ .mdx-heart } Sponsors only][Insiders]{ .mdx-insiders } ·
[:octicons-tag-24: insiders-4.22.0][Insiders] ·
:octicons-beaker-24: Experimental
A status can be assigned to each page, which is then displayed as part of the
navigation sidebar. First, associate a status identifier with a description by
adding the following to `mkdocs.yml`:
``` yaml
extra:
status:
: # (1)!
```
1. The identifier can only include alphanumeric characters, as well as dashes
and underscores. For example, if you have a status `Recently added`, you can
set `new` as an identifier:
``` yaml
extra:
status:
new: Recently added
```
The page status can now be set for a document with the front matter `status`
property. For example, you can mark a page as `new` with the following lines at
the top of a Markdown file:
``` yaml
---
status: new
---
# Document title
...
```
The following status identifiers are currently supported:
- :material-alert-decagram: – `new`
- :material-trash-can: – `deprecated`
### Setting the page template
If you're using [theme extension] and created a new page template in the
`overrides` directory, you can enable it for a specific page. Add the following
lines at the top of a Markdown file:
``` yaml
---
template: custom.html
---
# Document title
...
```
??? question "How to set a page template for an entire folder?"
With the help of the [built-in meta plugin], you can set a custom template
for an entire section and all nested pages, by creating a `.meta.yml` file
in the corresponding folder with the following content:
``` yaml
template: custom.html
```
[theme extension]: ../customization.md#extending-the-theme
[built-in meta plugin]: #built-in-meta-plugin
## Customization
### Using metadata in templates
#### on all pages
In order to add custom `meta` tags to your document, you can [extend the theme
][theme extension] and [override the `extrahead` block][overriding blocks],
e.g. to add indexing policies for search engines via the `robots` property:
``` html
{% extends "base.html" %}
{% block extrahead %}
{% endblock %}
```
[overriding blocks]: ../customization.md#overriding-blocks
#### on a single page
If you want to set a `meta` tag on a single page, or want to set different
values for different pages, you can use the `page.meta` object inside your
template override, e.g.:
``` html
{% extends "base.html" %}
{% block extrahead %}
{% if page and page.meta and page.meta.robots %}
{% else %}
{% endif %}
{% endblock %}
```
You can now use `robots` exactly like [`title`][title] and
[`description`][description] to set values. Note that in this case, the
template defines an `else` branch, which would set a default if none was given.
[title]: #setting-the-page-title
[description]: #setting-the-page-description