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Include Front Matter in Exported Posts

Ultimate Markdown allows you to include Front Matter when exporting WordPress content to Markdown. This ensures that important metadata (such as title, excerpt, categories, and more) is preserved alongside the content.

Where Export Applies

You can export Markdown files in the following contexts:

  • From the post editor using the Export Markdown panel
  • From the Tools → Export section when Posts is selected as the source

Enabling Front Matter in Exports

To include Front Matter in exported files, configure the options available in:

Settings → Advanced → Export

Two options control this behavior:

Ultimate Markdown advanced settings showing the Export section with two Front Matter options.

Add Front Matter

Enable this option to prepend a Front Matter block to each exported Markdown file.

When enabled, the plugin generates a YAML block at the beginning of the file using the post metadata.

Include Empty Front Matter Fields

This option controls how empty metadata fields are handled:

  • Enabled → Empty fields are included as empty values (e.g., empty strings or arrays)
  • Disabled → Empty fields are omitted entirely

Use this setting based on the requirements of your workflow or external tools.

How Front Matter Is Generated

When exporting posts, the plugin automatically converts WordPress post data into Front Matter key-value pairs.

For example, a post with metadata may be exported as:

---
title: Example Post
excerpt: This is a sample excerpt
slug: example-post
date: 2025-01-15 10:30:00
categories:
  - News
  - Updates
tags:
  - WordPress
  - Markdown
status: publish
---

This block is added at the top of the exported Markdown file, followed by the post content.

Why Use Front Matter in Exports

Including Front Matter in exported files provides several advantages:

  • Preserve post configuration outside WordPress
  • Enable round-trip workflows (export → edit → re-import)
  • Maintain a consistent content structure across tools
  • Simplify migrations and backups

Notes

  • Front Matter is generated only when exporting Posts (not Documents)
  • The available fields depend on the post data
  • The structure follows standard YAML syntax, ensuring compatibility with external tools

For details on supported fields and usage, see the related article on Using Front Matter within the plugin.