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Improve content summary page
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Closes #2388
Improves #2196
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jmooring committed May 26, 2024
1 parent 6bca7bc commit 868620b
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2 changes: 2 additions & 0 deletions .cspell.json
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Expand Up @@ -115,6 +115,7 @@
"# cspell: ignore names",
"# ----------------------------------------------------------------------",
"Atishay",
"Cosette",
"Eliott",
"Furet",
"Gregor",
Expand All @@ -125,6 +126,7 @@
"Pastorius",
"Samsa",
"Stucki",
"Thénardier",
"# ----------------------------------------------------------------------",
"# cspell: ignore operating systems and software packages",
"# ----------------------------------------------------------------------",
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141 changes: 68 additions & 73 deletions content/en/content-management/summaries.md
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@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
---
title: Content summaries
linkTitle: Summaries
description: Hugo generates summaries of your content.
description: Create and render content summaries.
categories: [content management]
keywords: [summaries,abstracts,read more]
menu:
Expand All @@ -17,106 +17,101 @@ aliases: [/content/summaries/,/content-management/content-summaries/]
<!-- If you do, you will break its first literal usage on this page. -->
<!--more-->

With the use of the [`Summary`] method on `Page` object, Hugo generates summaries of content to use as a short version in summary views.
You can define a content summary manually, in front matter, or automatically. A manual content summary takes precedence over a front matter summary, and a front matter summary takes precedence over an automatic summary.

## Summary splitting options
Review the [comparison table](#comparison) below to understand the characteristics of each summary type.

* Automatic Summary Split
* Manual Summary Split
* Front Matter Summary
## Manual summary

It is natural to accompany the summary with links to the original content, and a common design pattern is to see this link in the form of a "Read More ..." button. See the [`RelPermalink`], [`Permalink`], and [`Truncated`] methods.
Use a `<!--more-->` divider to indicate the end of the content summary. Hugo will not render the summary divider itself.

### Automatic summary splitting
{{< code file=content/sample.md >}}
+++
title: 'Example'
date: 2024-05-26T09:10:33-07:00
+++

By default, Hugo automatically takes the first 70 words of your content as its summary. Access this value from a template using the [`Summary`] method on a `Page` object. You may customize the summary length by setting [`summaryLength`] in your site configuration.
Thénardier was not mistaken. The man was sitting there, and letting
Cosette get somewhat rested.

[`Summary`]: /methods/page/summary
[`summaryLength`]: /getting-started/configuration/#summarylength
<--more-->

{{% note %}}
You can customize how HTML tags in the summary are loaded using functions such as `plainify` and `safeHTML`.
{{% /note %}}
The inn-keeper walked round the brushwood and presented himself
abruptly to the eyes of those whom he was in search of.
{{< /code >}}

{{% note %}}
The Hugo-defined summaries are set to use word count calculated by splitting the text by one or more consecutive whitespace characters. If you are creating content in a [`CJK`] language and want to use Hugo's automatic summary splitting, set [`hasCJKLanguage`] to `true` in your site configuration.
When using the Emacs Org Mode [content format], use a `# more` divider to indicate the end of the content summary.

[`CJK`]: /getting-started/glossary/#cjk
[`hasCJKLanguage`]: /getting-started/configuration/#hascjklanguage
{{% /note %}}
[content format]: /content-management/formats/

### Manual summary splitting
## Front matter summary

Alternatively, you may add the `<!--more-->` summary divider where you want to split the article.
Use front matter to define a summary independent of content.

For [Org mode content][org], use `# more` where you want to split the article.
{{< code file=content/sample.md >}}
+++
title: 'Example'
date: 2024-05-26T09:10:33-07:00
summary: 'Learn more about _Les Misérables_ by Victor Hugo.'
+++

Content that comes before the summary divider will be used as that content's summary and stored in the `.Summary` page variable with all HTML formatting intact.
Thénardier was not mistaken. The man was sitting there, and letting
Cosette get somewhat rested. The inn-keeper walked round the
brushwood and presented himself abruptly to the eyes of those whom
he was in search of.
{{< /code >}}

{{% note %}}
The concept of a *summary divider* is not unique to Hugo. It is also called the "more tag" or "excerpt separator" in other literature.
{{% /note %}}
## Automatic summary

Pros
: Freedom, precision, and improved rendering. All HTML tags and formatting are preserved.
If you have not defined the summary manually or in front matter, Hugo automatically defines the summary based on the [`summaryLength`] in your site configuration.

Cons
: Extra work for content authors, since they need to remember to type `<!--more-->` (or `# more` for [org content][org]) in each content file. This can be automated by adding the summary divider below the front matter of an [archetype](/content-management/archetypes/).
[`summaryLength`]: /getting-started/configuration/#summarylength

{{% note %}}
Be careful to enter `<!--more-->` exactly; i.e., all lowercase and with no whitespace.
{{% /note %}}
{{< code file=content/sample.md >}}
+++
title: 'Example'
date: 2024-05-26T09:10:33-07:00
+++

### Front matter summary
Thénardier was not mistaken. The man was sitting there, and letting
Cosette get somewhat rested. The inn-keeper walked round the
brushwood and presented himself abruptly to the eyes of those whom
he was in search of.
{{< /code >}}

You might want your summary to be something other than the text that starts the article. In this case you can provide a separate summary in the `summary` field in front matter.
For example, with a `summaryLength` of 10, the automatic summary will be:

Pros
: Complete freedom of text independent of the content of the article. Markup can be used within the summary.
```text
Thénardier was not mistaken. The man was sitting there, and letting
Cosette get somewhat rested.
```

Cons
: Extra work for content authors as they need to write an entirely separate piece of text as the summary of the article.
Note that the `summaryLength` is an approximate number of words.

## Summary selection order
## Comparison

Because there are multiple ways in which a summary can be specified it is useful to understand the order of selection Hugo follows when deciding on the text to be returned by `.Summary`. It is as follows:
Each summary type has different characteristics:

1. If there is a `<!--more-->` summary divider present in the article, the text up to the divider will be provided as per the manual summary split method
2. If there is a `summary` field in the article front matter the value of the variable will be provided as per the front matter summary method
3. The text at the start of the article will be provided as per the automatic summary split method
Type|Precedence|Renders markdown|Renders shortcodes|Strips HTML tags|Wraps single lines with `<p>`
:--|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:
Manual|1|:heavy_check_mark:|:heavy_check_mark:|:x:|:heavy_check_mark:
Front&nbsp;matter|2|:heavy_check_mark:|:x:|:x:|:x:
Automatic|3|:heavy_check_mark:|:heavy_check_mark:|:heavy_check_mark:|:x:

{{% note %}}
Hugo uses the _first_ of the above steps that returns text. So if, for example, your article has both `summary` field in its front matter and a `<!--more-->` summary divider Hugo will use the manual summary split method.
{{% /note %}}
## Rendering

## Example: first 10 articles with summaries
Render the summary in a template by calling the [`Summary`] method on a `Page` object.

You can show content summaries with the following code. You could use the following snippet, for example, in a [section template].
[`Summary]: /methods/page/summary

{{< code file=page-list-with-summaries.html >}}
{{ range first 10 .Pages }}
<article>
<!-- this <div> includes the title summary -->
<div>
<h2><a href="{{ .RelPermalink }}">{{ .Title }}</a></h2>
{{ .Summary }}
</div>
```go-html-template
{{ range site.RegularPages }}
<h2><a href="{{ .RelPermalink }}">{{ .LinkTitle }}</a></h2>
<div class="summary">
{{ .Summary }}
{{ if .Truncated }}
<!-- This <div> includes a read more link, but only if the summary is truncated... -->
<div>
<a href="{{ .RelPermalink }}">Read More…</a>
</div>
<a href="{{ .RelPermalink }}">More ...</a>
{{ end }}
</article>
</div>
{{ end }}
{{< /code >}}

Note how the `Truncated` method may be used to hide the "Read More..." link when the content is not truncated; i.e., when the summary contains the entire article.

[`Truncated`]: /methods/page/truncated
[`Permalink`]: /methods/page/permalink/
[`RelPermalink`]: /methods/page/relpermalink/
[`Summary`]: /methods/page/summary/
[`Truncated`]: /methods/page/truncated/
[org]: /content-management/formats/
[section template]: /templates/section-templates/
```
4 changes: 3 additions & 1 deletion content/en/getting-started/configuration.md
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Expand Up @@ -446,7 +446,9 @@ Default [sitemap configuration](/templates/sitemap-template/#configuration).

###### summaryLength

(`int`) The length of text in words to show in a [`.Summary`](/content-management/summaries/#automatic-summary-splitting). Default is `70`.
(`int`) Applicable to automatic summaries, the approximate number of words to render when calling the [`Summary`] method on a `Page` object. Default is `70`.

[`Summary`]: /methods/page/summary/

###### taxonomies

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