A Complete Guide to Series

8th Nov 2024
8 min read
Tags:
showcase,
tutorial,
FAQ,
series

A series organizes related posts in a sequential order, similar to chapters in a book. Unlike tags, which simply group related content, series suggest a specific reading order from start to finish.

Posts within a series do not need to be published consecutively; the series feature brings together thematically linked posts in a coherent sequence.

The diagram below illustrates how series posts (3, 5, and 8) exist within the main blog flow while maintaining their own ordered sequence within Series 1.

    flowchart
    subgraph main[BLOG]
        P1[Post 1]
        P2[P2]
        P3[P3]
        P4[P4]
        P5[P5]
        P6[P6]
        P7[P7]
        P8[P8]
        P9[P9]
    end
    subgraph series1[SERIES 1]
        PS1["Series Post 1 (=P3)"]
        PS2["Series Post 2 (=P5)"]
        PS3["Series Post 3 (=P8)"]
    end
    P3 o-.-o PS1
    P5 o-.-o PS2
    P8 o-.-o PS3

Quick Start

Create a directory for your series.
Create _index.md in the series directory.

Set up the _index.md front matter:

title = "Learning Rust"
template = "series.html"
sort_by = "slug"
transparent = true

[extra]
series = true

Create your series articles in this directory.

Want more? Keep reading!

How Do Series Work?

A series is just a section which is handled in a special way by tabi. For more details on sections, see the Zola documentation.

Taking the example from the diagram above, the directory structure would be as follow:

content/
    _index.md
    blog/
        _index.md
        post1/
            index.md
        post2/
            index.md
        post4/
            index.md
        post6/
            index.md
        post7/
            index.md
        post9/
            index.md
        series1/
            _index.md
            post3/
                index.md
            post5/
                index.md
            post8/
                index.md

To create a series, you need to:

Use the series.html template
Set series = true in the section’s [extra] configuration
Enable transparent = true to integrate series posts with the parent blog section

The series main page displays an overview followed by a list of all posts in the series:

Jump to Posts

If the content of a series (the Markdown after the front matter in _index.md) is over 2000 characters, a “Jump to posts” link appears next to the series title.

To force the feature on or off, set show_jump_to_posts in the [extra] section of your series section or in config.toml. This setting follows the hierarchy.

Series Pages and Order

All pages in the series section will be a series page. The series pages will be ordered as per the series section sort_by.

While series maintain their own internal order, they remain independent from the main section’s (e.g. blog/) chronological flow thanks to the transparent setting.

Sorting Options

Choose from these sorting methods, each with its own advantages:

`sort_by`	pros	cons
`slug`	The series pages order is made explicit in the path (e.g. `example.com/blog/series1/01-series-post-one`).	Each series page must be prefixed accordingly.
`weight`	The series pages order is easy to set up transparently. First series post has weight `1`, second series post has weight `2` and so on.	Each series page must have its weight set accordingly.
`date`	The series pages order can be configured once in the series section configuration. No need to do anything on each series page.	The series pages order has to be reversed because the first page is usually the oldest. This can only be achieved by paginating the series section (`paginate_by = 9999`) and reversing its order (`paginate_reversed = true`).

Zola version to sort by date

In order to properly reverse dates, Zola v0.19.3+ (unreleased) is required so that pagination information is available through the get_section function. Anything relying on the series pages order won’t be correct in a series page otherwise (e.g. previous/next series page, ordered and unordered list…) See Zola PR #2653.

Page Indexing

Pages in a series are indexed starting from 1, following their sort_by order. To reverse the indexing (making the first page have the highest index instead), add this setting to _index.md or config.toml:

[extra]
post_listing_index_reversed = true  # Defaults to false if unset.

This setting follows the hierarchy.

Intro and Outro Templates

Series articles can have automatic introduction and conclusion sections. These are configured in your series’ _index.md. A basic example:

[extra.series_intro_templates]
default = "This article is part of the $SERIES_HTML_LINK series."

[extra.series_outro_templates]
default = "Thanks for reading part $SERIES_PAGE_INDEX of $SERIES_HTML_LINK!"

The intro and outro sections each have their own CSS classes (series-page-intro and series-page-outro), allowing you to customize their appearance through custom CSS.

Template Types

The series system uses different templates based on an article’s position in the series:

next_only - Used for the first article (has next article but no previous)
middle - Used for articles with both previous and next articles
prev_only - Used for the last article (has previous article but no next)
default - Fallback template used when a specific position template isn’t defined

The system automatically determines which template to use based on the article’s position. The templates are defined in the series configuration (_index.md), as extra.series_intro_templates and extra.series_outro_templates.:

[extra.series_intro_templates]
next_only = "Welcome to part 1! Next up: $NEXT_HTML_LINK"
middle = "Previous: $PREV_HTML_LINK | Next: $NEXT_HTML_LINK"
prev_only = "The final chapter! Previously: $PREV_HTML_LINK"
default = "Part $SERIES_PAGE_INDEX of $SERIES_PAGES_NUMBER"

All templates are optional. Template selection follows a priority system:

If a position-specific template exists (next_only, middle, or prev_only), it will be used
Otherwise, the default template is used
If no templates are defined at all, no series information will be displayed

See the template example for a more elaborate example.

Placement in Content

By default:

Series introductions appear at the start of your article
Series outro appears at the end (before footnotes, if any)

You can control exactly where these appear using  and  in your Markdown:

This paragraph appears before the series introduction.

<!-- series_intro -->

Main content of the article.

<!-- series_outro -->

## Learning Resources

Extra content…

[^1]: Footnotes will always appear at the end.

Variables

Series templates use a flexible variable system that lets you:

Reference series information (title, links)
Add navigation between articles
Show progress indicators
Include custom information using your own variables

Variables are placeholders starting with $ that get replaced with actual content when your site builds. For example, $SERIES_HTML_LINK becomes a clickable link to your series index page.

There are three types of variables:

Basic Series Variables: General information about the series
Navigation Variables: Links to previous/next articles
Custom Variables: Your own placeholders for additional information

Basic Series Variables

Variable	Availability	Returns	Description	Example Usage	Example Output
`$SERIES_TITLE`	Always	Text	Plain text title of the series	`Part of $SERIES_TITLE`	Part of Learn Rust
`$SERIES_PERMALINK`	Always	Text	URL to series index	`[See all posts]($SERIES_PERMALINK)`	See all posts
`$SERIES_HTML_LINK`	Always	HTML	Ready-to-use link to series	`Welcome to $SERIES_HTML_LINK!`	Welcome to Learn Rust!
`$SERIES_PAGES_NUMBER`	Always	Number	Total articles in series	`A $SERIES_PAGES_NUMBER part series`	A 5 part series
`$SERIES_PAGE_INDEX`	Always	Number	Current article’s position	`Part $SERIES_PAGE_INDEX of $SERIES_PAGES_NUMBER`	Part 3 of 5
`$SERIES_PAGES_OLIST`	Always	HTML	Ordered list of all articles	`Articles in series: $SERIES_PAGES_OLIST`	Articles in series: Current article Other articles
`$SERIES_PAGES_ULIST`	Always	HTML	Unordered list of all articles	`Articles in series: $SERIES_PAGES_ULIST`	Articles in series: Current article Other articles

Variable	Availability	Returns	Description	Example Usage	Example Output
`$PREV_TITLE`	Previous exists	Text	Previous article’s title	`Previously: $PREV_TITLE`	Previously: Setting Up Your Environment
`$PREV_PERMALINK`	Previous exists	Text	URL to previous article	`[← Back]($PREV_PERMALINK)`	← Back
`$PREV_HTML_LINK`	Previous exists	HTML	Ready-to-use link to previous	`Read $PREV_HTML_LINK first`	Read Setting Up Your Environment first
`$PREV_DESCRIPTION`	Previous exists	Text	Description of previous article	`Recap: $PREV_DESCRIPTION`	Recap: Setting up Rust
`$NEXT_TITLE`	Next exists	Text	Next article’s title	`Next up: $NEXT_TITLE`	Next up: Advanced Patterns
`$NEXT_PERMALINK`	Next exists	Text	URL to next article	`[Continue →]($NEXT_PERMALINK)`	Continue →
`$NEXT_HTML_LINK`	Next exists	HTML	Ready-to-use link to next	`Continue with $NEXT_HTML_LINK`	Continue with Advanced Patterns
`$NEXT_DESCRIPTION`	Next exists	Text	Description of next article	`Coming up: $NEXT_DESCRIPTION`	Coming up: Learn about Rust’s advanced pattern matching features

First Article Reference

Variable	Availability	Returns	Description	Example Usage	Example Output
`$FIRST_TITLE`	Always	Text	First article’s title	`Start with $FIRST_TITLE`	Start with Introduction to Rust
`$FIRST_HTML_LINK`	Always	HTML	Ready-to-use link to first article	`Begin at $FIRST_HTML_LINK`	Begin at Introduction to Rust

Template Example

HTML vs text variables

Use HTML variables (ending in _HTML_LINK) when you want ready-made links. Use text variables (ending in _TITLE or _PERMALINK) when you want more control over the formatting.

# Introduction.
[extra.series_intro_templates]
next_only = """
Welcome to $SERIES_HTML_LINK! This $SERIES_PAGES_NUMBER-part series will teach you Rust from scratch.

Up next: $NEXT_HTML_LINK - $NEXT_DESCRIPTION
"""

middle = """
📚 Part $SERIES_PAGE_INDEX of $SERIES_PAGES_NUMBER in $SERIES_HTML_LINK

Previously: $PREV_HTML_LINK
Next up: $NEXT_HTML_LINK
"""

prev_only = """
Welcome to the final part of $SERIES_HTML_LINK!
New here? Start with $FIRST_HTML_LINK to build a strong foundation.

Previously: $PREV_HTML_LINK
"""

# Fallback template.
default = "This article is part of the $SERIES_HTML_LINK series."

# Outro.
[extra.series_outro_templates]
next_only = """
Thanks for reading! 🙌

Continue your journey with $NEXT_HTML_LINK, where $NEXT_DESCRIPTION
Or check out the complete [$SERIES_TITLE]($SERIES_PERMALINK) series outline.
"""

middle = """
---
📝 Series Navigation

- Previous: $PREV_HTML_LINK
- Next: $NEXT_HTML_LINK
- [Series Overview]($SERIES_PERMALINK)
"""

prev_only = """
🎉 Congratulations! You've completed $SERIES_HTML_LINK.

Want to review? Here's where we started: $FIRST_HTML_LINK
Or check what we just covered in $PREV_HTML_LINK.
"""

# Fallback.
default = """
---
This article is part $SERIES_PAGE_INDEX of $SERIES_PAGES_NUMBER in $SERIES_HTML_LINK.
"""

Custom Variables

Series templates support custom variables for additional information you want to include across your series. The process takes two steps:

First, define your placeholders in your series configuration (_index.md):

[extra]
series = true
series_template_placeholders = ["$POSITION", "$TOPIC", "$DIFFICULTY"]

Then, in each series article, provide the values for these placeholders in series_template_variables:

[extra.series_template_variables]
position = "first"
topic = "Variables and Types"
difficulty = "Beginner"

Using Custom Variables

You can use your custom variables in any template, alongside the built-in variables:

[extra.series_intro_templates]
default = """
This is the $POSITION article in $SERIES_HTML_LINK.
Today's topic: $TOPIC
Difficulty level: $DIFFICULTY
"""

WARNING

While placeholders are defined with uppercase ($POSITION), the variable names in series_template_variables must be lowercase (position).

Example with Custom Variables

# In the series configuration.
[extra]
series = true
series_template_placeholders = ["$LEARNING_TIME", "$KEY_CONCEPTS"]

series_intro_templates.default = """
📚 Part $SERIES_PAGE_INDEX of $SERIES_PAGES_NUMBER
⏱️ Estimated time: $LEARNING_TIME
🔑 Key concepts: $KEY_CONCEPTS
"""

# In an article of the series.
[extra.series_template_variables]
learning_time = "30 minutes"
key_concepts = "Functions, Error Handling, Pattern Matching"

This will output:

📚 Part 2 of 5
⏱️ Estimated time: 30 minutes
🔑 Key concepts: Functions, Error Handling, Pattern Matching

Missing Variables

If you use a placeholder in your templates but don’t provide its value in series_template_variables, the build will fail with an error listing the missing variables.

A Complete Guide to Series

Table of Contents

Quick Start

How Do Series Work?

Jump to Posts

Series Pages and Order

Sorting Options

Page Indexing

Intro and Outro Templates

Template Types

Placement in Content

Variables

Basic Series Variables

Navigation Variables

First Article Reference

Template Example

Custom Variables

Using Custom Variables

Example with Custom Variables