Knowledge Base › Ultimate Markdown › Front Matter

What Is Front Matter?

Front Matter is a structured block of metadata placed at the beginning of a Markdown file. It is widely used by static site generators and content tools such as Jekyll, Hugo, and Gatsby to define settings and data related to the content.

With Front Matter, you can store information beyond the main content (such as titles, excerpts, categories, and publication status) directly inside your Markdown files.

This approach allows you to keep both content and configuration in a single file, making it easier to manage, share, and reuse content across different systems.

Quick Technical Overview of Front Matter

Front Matter is typically written in YAML format and enclosed between triple dashes (---) at the top of the file.

It consists of simple key-value pairs, for example:

title: My Article
excerpt: A short summary
status: publish

This metadata is parsed separately from the Markdown content and used to configure how the content is handled.

Using Front Matter

Front Matter must appear at the very beginning of the Markdown file and follow valid YAML syntax.

---
title: The post title
excerpt: The post excerpt
status: private
---

## First Heading

Paragraph content.

In this example, the Front Matter defines metadata, while the rest of the file contains the actual content.

Front Matter in the Plugin

Ultimate Markdown uses Front Matter to bridge Markdown content with WordPress post configuration.

With this feature, you can:

  • Define post settings directly inside Markdown files
  • Import content with metadata already configured
  • Export content while preserving its configuration

The list of supported Front Matter fields is described in the dedicated guide on using Front Matter within the plugin.

Using Front Matter in Imported Content

Front Matter can be used in all import workflows, including:

  • Editor panels (e.g., Insert Markdown)
  • Bulk imports via the Tools menu
  • REST API requests

When importing content, Front Matter allows you to configure:

  • Post title
  • Excerpt
  • Status (draft, publish, private)
  • Categories and tags
  • Author and other metadata

This means you can create fully configured posts directly from Markdown, without additional manual setup in the editor.

Using Front Matter in Exported Content

When exporting content, the plugin can include Front Matter in generated Markdown files.

This allows you to:

  • Preserve post metadata outside WordPress
  • Maintain a portable and complete representation of your content
  • Re-import content later without losing configuration

This creates a complete workflow where content can move in and out of WordPress while retaining both structure and metadata.

Why Use Front Matter?

Using Front Matter provides several advantages:

  • Keeps content and metadata together
  • Simplifies content migration and backups
  • Enables external editing workflows
  • Makes Markdown files a reliable source of truth
  • Supports automation and integrations (e.g., with APIs or LLMs)

Where to Go Next

Learn how to use supported fields in Using Front Matter in the Plugin. Learn how to include metadata in exports in Include Front Matter in Exported Posts.