v1.5.8
Frontmatter
Every MDX file can start with a YAML block to set page metadata, connect to works, or toggle special layouts. This guide consolidates every supported key so you do not have to hunt through other docs.
| Key | Purpose |
|---|---|
title | Page title used for <h1> and <title>. |
description | Optional blurb for <meta name="description">. |
type | Overrides the computed page type (used for layout + meta tags). |
referencedManifests | List of manifest URLs consumed by <ReferencedItems /> / <References />. |
search | When set to false, removes the page from the search index. |
canonical | Absolute or relative canonical URL for the page. |
image | URL or path to a image for and open graph and search results. |
Title and Description
Provide a human-readable title and a short description for every page. Titles drive the <h1> inside the body, the document <title>, navigation labels, and search results. Descriptions are trimmed to roughly 240 characters and power the <meta name="description">, Open Graph cards, and search snippets when no searchSummary is set. When omitted, Canopy falls back to structural data (file name, first heading, or extracted Markdown text), but filling them explicitly ensures consistent SEO across contexts.
---title: Amanda Ira Aldridge Correspondencedescription: Letters between Amanda Ira Aldridge and Mihailo Kovačević documenting the 1955 season.---Referenced Manifests
Link essays or exhibition notes back to IIIF works and unlock the <ReferencedItems /> / <References /> components. Provide one or more manifest URLs (Presentation 2 or 3) and Canopy resolves them to cached manifests during the build. Work pages automatically render backlinks whenever they detect a page referencing the same manifest.
---title: Amanda Ira Aldridge Correspondencedescription: Letters between Amanda Ira Aldridge and Mihailo Kovačević documenting the 1955 season.referencedManifests: - https://api.dc.library.northwestern.edu/api/v2/works/14a6f47b?as=iiif - https://data.getty.edu/museum/api/iiif/manifest/6da0...64d6---Image
Point to an image that represents the page in search results, cards, or any component that lists MDX-driven content. Use absolute URLs or site-relative paths (/images/featured.jpg). When omitted, cards render without an image and the search runtime falls back to a text-only layout.
---title: January 1955 Correspondencedescription: Seven letters between Amanda Ira Aldridge and Mihailo Kovačevićimage: https://iiif.example.org/iiif/3/hero-canvas/full/!800,800/0/default.jpg---Search Index
MDX pages contribute type: 'page' records unless explicitly excluded. The build process scans every .mdx file in your content directory. Any file with the frontmatter search: false is excluded. This is useful for content that does not add scholarly value to your digital project.
---title: Privacy Policysearch: false--- # Privacy Policy Your privacy is important to us...Canonical URLs
Every rendered page emits a canonical link that points back to itself. Work pages default to /works/<slug>.html, but if a manifest exposes a Presentation 3 homepage entry the builder will use that homepage[].id as the canonical instead. The resolved value is cached in .cache/iiif/index.json so incremental runs keep the override even when manifests are reused.
You can override the canonical for any MDX page by adding a canonical key to its frontmatter. Provide either an absolute URL or a site-relative path.
---title: About Canopycanonical: https://example.org/projects/canopy---