Content Reuse

Snippets, data files, and DRY patterns

1 min read 297 words

Write once, publish everywhere. Bengal provides multiple ways to avoid repeating yourself.

Note

Do I need this? Yes when the same block appears on multiple pages or you pull shared data from YAML/JSON. Skip until you notice copy-paste across pages.

Content Snippets

Reusable content fragments with include directives

Advanced Filtering

Build dynamic pages that filter content by multiple tags or criteria

Reuse Strategies

flowchart LR subgraph "Single Source" A[Snippet] B[Data File] C[Shortcode] end subgraph "Multiple Outputs" D[Page 1] E[Page 2] F[Page 3] end A --> D A --> E B --> D B --> F C --> E C --> F

Quick Reference

Reusable Markdown fragments stored in_snippets/:

_snippets/
├── install/
│   ├── pip.md
│   └── uv.md
└── warnings/
    └── experimental.md

Include in any page:

markdown

MARKDOWN

:::{include} _snippets/install/pip.md
:::

Structured YAML/JSON indata/:

yaml

YAML

# data/team.yaml
- name: Jane Doe
  role: Lead Developer
  github: janedoe

Access in templates:

kida

KIDA

{% for member in site.data.team %}
  {{ member.name }} - {{ member.role }}
{% end %}

Query content dynamically:

kida

KIDA

{# All tutorials #}
{% let tutorials = site.pages
   |> where('type', 'tutorial') %}

{# Recent posts #}
{% let recent = site.pages
   |> sort_by('date', reverse=true)
   |> take(5) %}

When to Use What

Method	Best For	Example
Snippets	Repeated prose blocks	Installation instructions, warnings
Data Files	Structured data	Team members, product features
Filtering	Dynamic lists	Recent posts, related pages
Shortcodes	Parameterized components	Video embeds, API badges

Tip

Start with snippets for common content blocks. Graduate to data files when you need structured data, and filtering when you need dynamic queries.

In This Section

Advanced Filtering Build dynamic pages that filter content by multiple tags or criteria

Content Snippets Reusable content fragments with include directives