Variables are placeholders that become real values from the current entry or context. Write {title} for system fields and {'field_name'} for fields you defined on the collection.
In short: {title} and {slug} need no quotes. Your own fields — excerpt, price, body, image — use quoted form: {'excerpt'}, {'price'}, {'content'}. Dates use {created_at format "Y-m-d"} (see Dates and formatting). Empty fields: wrap with {if entry has '…'} so you don’t print blanks.
Beginner
Basic pattern
<article>
<h1>{title}</h1>
<time>{created_at format "F j, Y"}</time>
<div class="body">{'content'}</div>
</article>- On a detail page, these refer to the entry from the URL (
?collection=&slug=). - Inside a loop, they refer to the current loop entry.
Inside a list loop
{for each entry in 'blog' with status = published ordered by newest}
<h2><a href="post.html?collection=blog&slug={slug}">{title}</a></h2>
{if entry has 'excerpt'}
<p>{'excerpt'}</p>
{endif}
{endfor}Text vs rich HTML
| Field type | Typical output |
|---|---|
| Text, Textarea | Escaped plain text |
| Editor (rich text) | HTML (headings, links, lists) |
| Number, URL, Email | String value |
| Image / media | Filename or URL string — use in <img src="…"> (see Media) |
| Checkbox | Truthy/empty for {if entry has '…'} |
System vs user fields
| Kind | Examples | Syntax |
|---|---|---|
| System | title, slug, id, status, created_at, updated_at, published_at | {title}, {created_at} |
| User-defined | excerpt, content, price, hero | {'excerpt'}, {'price'} |
Query and language
{query.'slug'}
{current.language}
{current_year}Advanced Users
For developers & AI
Resolution order
- Current loop /
{from … get entry}block scope - URL-resolved current entry (detail pages)
- Page / system data (
site_elements,query.*,current.language)
Quoted fields are required for user-defined API names. Bare {excerpt} is unreliable; prefer {'excerpt'}.
No speculative filters
Not implemented: truncate, strip_tags, default=, { media … }. Use CMS fields, conditionals, or CSS.
Array fields
{if entry has 'tags'}
{for each item in 'tags'}
<span>{item}</span>
{endfor}
{endif}Inline picks: {from 'tags' get item.1}, item.newest, item.oldest, item.'cms'.
Nested paths (when API shape provides them): {'content'.0.'value'} inside site_elements blocks.