Markdown
Structure your content using Markdown and Frontmatter
Markdown is a lightweight markup language that lets you format text using plain characters, no clunky toolbars or complex syntax. It’s perfect for writing clean, readable content that works beautifully inside the Elements CMS.
Here are a few basics to get you started:
# creates a heading. More # symbols = smaller headings.
# heading 1
## heading 2
### heading 3
#### heading 4
**bold** and _italic_ give your text emphasis.
- or * can be used to create bullet lists.
`code` adds inline code styling.
Links look like this: [text](https://example.com)
Images are similar: 
Markdown files in Elements are stored as plain .md text files, making them easy to version control, edit, and preview.
If you’re familiar with writing in a notes app or using a basic text editor, you’ll feel right at home.
# Welcome to the Elements CMS
Elements CMS lets you manage content using simple Markdown files with frontmatter. It’s fast, flexible, and built to fit seamlessly into your Elements projects.
This is a sample post to show you how content is structured. You can write normal Markdown below the frontmatter, and Elements will handle the rest.
## What You Can Do
- Add headings, lists, images, and links
- Include metadata in the frontmatter
- Preview your content instantly
- Keep everything version-controlled with Git
> Markdown gives you the structure. Elements gives you the style.
Ready to get started? Save this file and start editing!Adding Frontmatter
The Elements CMS uses YAML Frontmatter to define metadata and editable fields for your Markdown content. This is a block of structured data placed at the top of a Markdown file, enclosed by triple dashes.
Frontmatter is how you tell Elements what kind of content is in the file, like titles, images, links, or anything else you want to edit via the CMS. It lets you create custom data models for different types of pages (blog posts, staff bios, projects, etc). Here's a small example file.
You’re in full control of the structure, the CMS will (eventually) automatically generate fields based on the frontmatter keys you define.
Everything below the frontmatter is treated as the main body content and can also be edited in Markdown.
---
title: Welcome to the Elements CMS
date: 2025-08-07
author: Jonny Appleseed
tags: [introduction, getting-started]
summary: A quick overview of how to get started with the Elements CMS.
image:
src: welcome.jpg
alt: Abstract illustration of a CMS interface
type: resource
---
# Welcome to the Elements CMS
Elements CMS lets you manage content using simple Markdown files with frontmatter. It’s fast, flexible, and built to fit seamlessly into your Elements projects.
This is a sample post to show you how content is structured. You can write normal Markdown below the frontmatter, and Elements will handle the rest.
## What You Can Do
- Add headings, lists, images, and links
- Include metadata in the frontmatter
- Preview your content instantly
- Keep everything version-controlled with Git
> Markdown gives you the structure. Elements gives you the style.
Ready to get started? Save this file and start editing!Last updated