---
title: Shortcode, Git, Menu, and Hugo Variables
linktitle: Shortcode, Git, and Hugo Variables
description:
date: 2017-02-01
publishdate: 2017-02-01
lastmod: 2017-02-01
categories: [variables and params]
tags: [shortcodes,git]
draft: false
weight: 50
aliases: [/extras/gitinfo/,/variables/other-variables/]
toc: true
wip: false
---
## Shortcode Variables
[Shortcodes][shortcodes] have access to parameters delimited in the shortcode declaration via [`.Get`][getfunction], page- and site-level variables, and also the following shortcode-specific fields:
`.Parent`
: provides access to the parent shortcode context in nested shortcodes. This can be very useful for inheritance of common shortcode parameters from the root.
`.IsNamedParams`
: boolean that returns `true` when the shortcode in question uses [named rather than positional parameters][shortcodes]
`.Inner`
: represents the content between the opening and closing shortcode tags when a [closing shortcode][markdownshortcode] is used
## Git Variables
Hugo provides a way to integrate Git data into your website.
{{% note "`.GitInfo` Performance Considerations" %}}
Hugo's Git integrations should be fairly performant but *can* increase your build time. This will depend on the size of your Git history.
{{% /note %}}
### `.GitInfo` Prerequisites
1. The Hugo site must be in a Git-enabled directory.
2. The Git executable must be installed and in your system `PATH`.
3. The `.GitInfo` feature must be enabled in your Hugo project by passing `--enableGitInfo` flag on the command line or by setting `enableGitInfo` to `true` in your [site's configuration file][configuration].
### The `.GitInfo` Object
The `GitInfo` object contains the following fields:
`.AbbreviatedHash`
: the abbreviated commit hash (e.g., `866cbcc`)
`.AuthorName`
: the author's name, respecting `.mailmap`
`.AuthorEmail`
: the author's email address, respecting `.mailmap`
`.AuthorDate`
: the author date
`.Hash`
: the commit hash (e.g., `866cbccdab588b9908887ffd3b4f2667e94090c3`)
`.Subject`
: commit message subject (e.g., `tpl: Add custom index function`)
## Hugo Variables
The `.Hugo` variable provides easy access to Hugo-related data and contains the following fields:
`.Hugo.Generator`
: ``` tag for the version of Hugo that generated the site. `.Hugo.Generator` outputs a *complete* HTML tag; e.g. ``
`.Hugo.Version`
: the current version of the Hugo binary you are using e.g. `0.13-DEV`
`.Hugo.CommitHash`
: the git commit hash of the current Hugo binary e.g. `0e8bed9ccffba0df554728b46c5bbf6d78ae5247`
`.Hugo.BuildDate`
: the compile date of the current Hugo binary formatted with RFC 3339 e.g. `2002-10-02T10:00:00-05:00`
{{% note "Use the Hugo Generator Tag" %}}
We highly recommend using `.Hugo.Generator` in your website's ``. `.Hugo.Generator` is included by default in all themes hosted on [themes.gohugo.io](http://themes.gohugo.io). The generator tag allows the Hugo team to track the usage and popularity of Hugo.
{{% /note %}}
## Menu Variables
A menu entry in a [menu template][] has the following properties:
`.URL`
: string
`.Name`
: string
`.Menu`
: string
`.Identifier`
: string
`.Pre`
: template.HTML
`.Post`
: template.HTML
`.Weight`
: int
`.Parent`
: string
`.Children`
: Menu
## Sitemap Variable
A sitemap is a `Page` and therefore has all the [page variables][pagevars] available to use sitemap templates. They also have the following sitemap-specific variables available to them:
`.Sitemap.ChangeFreq`
: the page change frequency
`.Sitemap.Priority`
: the priority of the page
`.Sitemap.Filename`
: the sitemap filename
[configuration]: /getting-started/configuration/
[getfunction]: /functions/get/
[markdownshortcode]: /content-management/shortcodes/#shortcodes-with-markdown
[menu template]: /templates/menu-templates/
[shortcodes]: /templates/shortcode-templates/