Useful File Variables in Hugo

Hugo’s .File variable exposes information about the content file behind a page. It is handy when a template needs the filename, directory, language, or a stable identifier derived from the path.

The important limitation is that .File is only available when the page has a content file attached to it. Do not assume every page object has one.

Fields on .File

• .File.Path is the path relative to the content directory, such as articles/post.md.
• .File.LogicalName is the content filename, such as post.md.
• .File.TranslationBaseName is the filename without its extension, such as post.
• .File.ContentBaseName is the translation base name, or the directory name for a leaf bundle.
• .File.BaseFileName is the filename without its extension, such as post.
• .File.Ext is the extension, such as md.
• .File.Lang is the language when Hugo’s multilingual features are enabled, such as en.
• .File.Dir is the content file’s relative directory, such as articles/abc/def/.
• .File.UniqueID is an MD5 checksum of the content file’s path.

For most templates, .File.Path and .File.Dir are the useful starting points. Use .File only when the template genuinely cares about storage on disk; page-level values are usually a better fit for content semantics.