PDF export should not print the YAML header properties

[tooh]

If the document has a YAML header the preview shows you the properties in a table.

Although this is handy while editing, I see no purpose that this is exported to HTML and PDF.

This data should be considered as metadata.

[uranusjr]

You’re right, I’ll remove it.

[uranusjr]

A related issue: Should the exported HTML contain the front-matter table? If yes, should the table be printed when we print the exported HTML file?

[masukomi]

I don't use YAML frontmatter these days, but I used to, and while my gut is with @tooh the more I think about it the more i think maybe the inclusion should maybe be an option in the PDF but definitely NOT there in the HTML.

The thinking with the PDF is that if I've made a blog post (typical use-case where frontmatter is involved) and I want to print it out, wouldn't i want to have that printout show when the blog post was?

I agree it would absolutely look worse in either situation. The question I'm not sure about is "Is there value in having that date information (or any other meta-info)" in the printed / pdf version.... maybe.

Where the HTML is concerned, I can not think of a situation where the system that uses the frontmatter intends to have it in the HTML. They all strip it out. I think MacDown should too.

[uranusjr]

Maybe the best solution is to offer an option, then? I’ve always wanted to add options to PDF export; might as well be now.

[jgclark]

I personally don't use YAML frontmatter, but I think I use the equivalent in the mutlmarkdown flavour, so I'll comment here on the general feature.

I like the separation of document metadata (eg, date, author, tags) from content. I found when writing university essays that sometimes I needed to submit with my name and sometimes with my candidate number. (It seems to me that the document title is a difficult one, as it is metadata, but so important that it's always in the content too.)

So, in PDF output I would like to have metadata (optionally) available to render. The 'Title' field if present should have its own CSS/styling available, but perhaps all the other items could share a single frontmatter/metadata style.

[Jmuccigr]

Is this going anywhere? I'd love to be able to use YAML and not have it show up - except as appropriate metadata - in my output/export.

For example, title could become the title of the html file, in the header and not in the body. And PDFs have metadata too.