Jekyll Front Matter Turning into <hr> Tags: A Common Markdown Pitfall
Have you ever encountered a strange issue where your Jekyll front matter magically transforms into an <hr> tag in your rendered HTML? This can be frustrating, especially when you're meticulously setting up your blog post metadata. This article will dive into the root cause of this problem, explain why it happens, and provide clear solutions to prevent it.
The Problem: Jekyll Front Matter as <hr>
Imagine this: you diligently write a blog post in Markdown, adding your front matter at the top to specify the title, date, and other metadata. After you build your Jekyll site, you discover that your carefully crafted front matter has inexplicably morphed into a horizontal line in the final HTML.
Here's a typical scenario:
---
layout: post
title: My Blog Post Title
date: 2023-10-26
---
This is the content of my blog post.
After Jekyll builds the page, the HTML output might look like this:
<hr>
This is the content of my blog post.
The Cause: Markdown Interpretation
The culprit behind this frustrating behavior is the way Markdown parses the content. Markdown interprets three consecutive hyphens (---) as a horizontal rule. Jekyll uses Markdown to render your content, and since front matter also uses three hyphens, it gets misconstrued.
Solutions: Escaping the Hyphens
There are two main ways to resolve this issue:
-
Use YAML Blocks: The recommended approach is to explicitly define the front matter as a YAML block. This helps Jekyll clearly distinguish it from standard Markdown content.
Here's how:
--- layout: post title: My Blog Post Title date: 2023-10-26 --- This is the content of my blog post. -
Escape the Hyphens: If you're unable to use YAML blocks, you can escape the hyphens in your front matter with backslashes:
\--- layout: post title: My Blog Post Title date: 2023-10-26 \--- This is the content of my blog post.
Additional Notes
- Make sure your YAML front matter is correctly formatted. Errors in indentation or syntax can also lead to unexpected results.
- Use a Markdown editor that supports YAML blocks for a more seamless workflow.
- For more complex scenarios, consider using Liquid tags within your front matter to control how it is processed.
By understanding the interplay between Jekyll, Markdown, and YAML, you can confidently avoid this common pitfall and ensure your blog post metadata remains intact and accessible for your readers.
