Custom shortcodes

Diagram shortcode

Mermaid diagrams

Mermaid is a a diagramming and charting tool that uses text and code to generate diagrams. It supports flowcharts, sequence diagrams, Gantt charts, and more.

To include a Mermaid diagram in your post, there are two steps:

1. Set mermaid = true in the [extra] section of the front matter of your page, section or config.toml. This will load the JavaScript needed to render the diagrams.

2. Use the mermaid() shortcode to define your diagram in your posts. For example:

{% mermaid() %}
classDiagram
    class CognitiveDistortions {
        +AllOrNothingThinking()
        +Overgeneralization()
        +MentalFilter()
        +JumpingToConclusions()
    }
    class AllOrNothingThinking {
        +SeeInExtremes()
    }
    class Overgeneralization {
        +GeneralizeFromSingle()
    }
    class MentalFilter {
        +FocusOnNegative()
    }
    class JumpingToConclusions {
        +MakeAssumptions()
    }
    CognitiveDistortions *-- AllOrNothingThinking
    CognitiveDistortions *-- Overgeneralization
    CognitiveDistortions *-- MentalFilter
    CognitiveDistortions *-- JumpingToConclusions
{% end %}

The diagram will be rendered as follows:

    classDiagram
    class CognitiveDistortions {
        +AllOrNothingThinking()
        +Overgeneralization()
        +MentalFilter()
        +JumpingToConclusions()
    }
    class AllOrNothingThinking {
        +SeeInExtremes()
    }
    class Overgeneralization {
        +GeneralizeFromSingle()
    }
    class MentalFilter {
        +FocusOnNegative()
    }
    class JumpingToConclusions {
        +MakeAssumptions()
    }
    CognitiveDistortions *-- AllOrNothingThinking
    CognitiveDistortions *-- Overgeneralization
    CognitiveDistortions *-- MentalFilter
    CognitiveDistortions *-- JumpingToConclusions

The Mermaid shortcode supports two parameters:

• invertible: If set to true (default), the diagram will be inverted in dark mode, just like invertible images.
• full_width: Allows the diagram to take up the width of the header. See full-width image.

Usage

{% mermaid(invertible=true, full_width=false) %}

Your diagram goes here.

`invertible` or `full_width` can be omitted if default values are used.

{% end %}

Image shortcodes

All image shortcodes support absolute paths, relative paths, and remote sources in the src parameter.

All image shortcodes have these optional parameters:

• raw_path. Defaults to false. If set to true, the src parameter will be used as is. Useful for colocated assets with a custom slug (see Zola issue #2598).
• inline. Defaults to false. If set to true, the image will be displayed inline with the text.
• full_width. Defaults to false (see below)
• lazy_loading. Defaults to true.

Dual theme images

Useful if you want to use a different image for the light and dark themes:

Usage

{{ dual_theme_image(light_src="img/paris_day.webp", dark_src="img/paris_night.webp" alt="The Eiffel tower") }}

Invertible image

Good for graphs, line drawings, diagrams… Inverts the colours of the image. The source image will be used for the light theme.

Usage

{{ invertible_image(src="img/graph.webp", alt="Invertible graph") }}

Dimmable image

Images with too much brightness or contrast can be jarring against a dark background. Here’s an example of a photograph that dims when the dark theme is active.

Usage

{{ dimmable_image(src="img/desert_by_oskerwyld.webp", alt="Photograph of a desert, heavenly sky") }}

Swap image on hover

Provides an interaction where the image displayed changes as the user hovers over it. Useful for before-after comparisons, for example.

Usage

{{ image_hover(default_src="img/before.webp", hovered_src="img/after.webp", default_alt="Edited picture", hovered_alt="Original shot") }}

Interactive image toggle

Display an image and switch to a different one on click. Ideal for highlighting differences or drawing attention to details.

Usage

{{ image_toggler(default_src="img/mojave_day.webp", toggled_src="img/mojave_night.webp", default_alt="Mojave during the day", toggled_alt="Mojave at night") }}

Full-width image

The image will expand to match the width of the header, which is usually wider than the article text (except on mobile/small windows).

All other image shortcodes can be made into full-width by setting the optional parameter full_width to true.

Usage

{{ full_width_image(src="img/amsterdam_by_oskerwyld.webp", alt="Photograph of a canal in Amsterdam") }}

Code shortcodes

Show source or path

You can display a path or URL for a code block using Zola’s native syntax:

```rust,name=src/main.rs
fn main() {
    println!("Hello, world!");
}
```

This renders:

fn main() {
    println!("Hello, world!");
}

If you set the name to a URL (i.e. it starts with http or https), you can turn it into a clickable link. This is particularly useful when used in conjunction with the remote text shortcode.

__pycache__/
*coverage*
.vscode/
dist/

Legacy shortcode support

The add_src_to_code_block shortcode is still supported for backward compatibility but will be deprecated in a future release. Please use Zola’s native syntax shown above instead:

# Old way (deprecated):
{{ add_src_to_code_block(src="path/to/file.rs") }}

# New way (preferred):
```rust,name=path/to/file.rs

Text shortcodes

Aside (side/margin note)

Add supplementary content in the margins on wide screens, or as distinct blocks on mobile.

The shortcode accepts two parameters:

• position: Set to "right" to place in right margin (defaults to left)
• Content can be provided via text parameter or between shortcode tags

Usage

Using the text parameter:

{{ aside(text="*Sidenote* comes from Latin *nota* ('mark') + Old English *síde* ('side').") }}

Using the content body and setting the position to right:

{% aside(position="right") %}
A longer note that
can span multiple lines.

_Markdown_ is supported.
{% end %}

Remote text

Embed text from a remote URL or a local file. To display the path or URL on the code block, see the show source or path shortcode.

The shortcode accepts three parameters:

• src: The source URL or file path (required)
• start: First line to display (optional, starts at 1)
• end: The ending line number (optional, defaults to 0, meaning the last line)

Important:

• Remote VS local files: If src starts with “http”, it will be treated as a remote file. Otherwise, it assumes a local file path.
• Files access: As it uses Zola’s load_data, local files must be inside the Zola directory—see File searching logic. As of tabi 2.16.0, the shortcode supports both relative and absolute paths.
• Code block formatting: To display the text as a code block, you must manually add the Markdown code fences (backticks) and, optionally, specify the programming language for syntax highlighting.

Usage

Embedding a remote Python script within a code block with syntax highlighting:

```python
{{ remote_text(src="https://example.com/script.py") }}
```

Displaying text from a local file:

{{ remote_text(src="path/to/file.txt") }}

Display lines 3 to 7 (both inclusive) of a local file:

{{ remote_text(src="path/to/file.txt", start=3, end=7) }}

Admonitions

Bring attention to information with these admonition shortcodes. They come in five types: note, tip, info, warning, and danger.

You can change the title and icon of the admonition. Both parameters take a string and default to the type of admonition. icon can be any of the available admonition types.

Usage

You can use admonitions in two ways:

1. Inline with parameters:

{{ admonition(type="danger", icon="tip", title="An important tip", text="Stay hydrated~") }}

2. With a content body:

{% admonition(type="danger", icon="tip", title="An important tip") %}
Stay hydrated~

This method is particularly useful for longer content or multiple paragraphs.
{% end %}

Both methods support the same parameters (type, icon, and title), with the content either passed as the text parameter or as the body between tags.

Multilingual quotes

This shortcode allows you to display both the translated and original text for a quote. The quotation marks will be added automatically:

Usage

{{ multilingual_quote(original="Qué sosiego, ir por la vida en silencio, saludando sólo a los amigos.", translated="What tranquillity, to go through life in silence, greeting only friends.", author="Francisco Umbral") }}

References with hanging indent

This shortcode formats a reference section with a hanging indent like so:

Usage

{% references() %}

Your references go here.

Each in a new line. Markdown (links, italics…) will be rendered.

{% end %}

Spoiler

This shortcode allows you to blur text until the user clicks on it. Like this: Goldfish have a memory span of a few months. Yes, really.

As you can see, Markdown is rendered. You can even add newlines with <br>.

This shortcode has the optional flag fixed_blur to blur a fixed placeholder (“SPOILER”), instead of blurring the actual contents. Like this: it is not necessary to wait 24 hours before filing a missing person report.

Usage

{{ spoiler(text="text to hide", fixed_blur=false) }}

Containers

Wide container

Use this shortcode if you want to have a wider table, paragraph, code block… On desktop, it will take up the width of the header. It will have no effect on mobile, except for tables, which will get a horizontal scroll.

Usage

{% wide_container() %}

Place your code block, paragraph, table… here.

Markdown will of course be rendered.

{% end %}

Force text direction

Force the text direction of a content block. Overrides both the global force_codeblock_ltr setting and the document’s overall direction.

Accepts the parameter direction: the desired text direction. This can be either “ltr” (left-to-right) or “rtl” (right-to-left). Defaults to “ltr”.

def مرحبا_بالعالم():
    print("مرحبا بالعالم!")

Usage

In a LTR page we can force a code block to be RTL (as shown above) like so:

{% force_text_direction(direction="rtl") %}

```python
def مرحبا_بالعالم():
    print("مرحبا بالعالم!")
```

{% end %}