Document (dev.stxt.website): CMS and publishing | STXT

	Metadata:
		Last modif: 2026-09-19
		Description: STXT as the source format for CMS and publishing: content lives in plain-text files, structure is visible and validation is a template.

	Header: CMS and publishing

	Assert >>
		@STXT@ as the **source format** of a website, a blog or a book: the content lives
		in text files and the presentation is decided afterwards.

	Content >>
		This portal is built that way. Each page of `stxt.dev` is an @STXT@ document
		of the `dev.stxt.website` namespace, and a generator turns it into HTML.
		It can be checked by adding `.stxt` to the address of any page,
		for example [use-cases-cms.stxt](use-cases-cms.stxt).

	Subheader: A page

	Code >>
		Page (com.acme.cms.page):
			Title: About STXT
			Slug: about-stxt
			Language: en
			Status: Published

			SEO:
				Description: A readable, validatable text language
				Keywords:
					Keyword: stxt
					Keyword: documents

			Content >>
				## What is STXT?

				STXT is a language designed for writing documents
				that people read and programs process.

				## Principles

				- Human First
				- Minimal syntax
				- Optional validation

			Footer >>
				Last updated: January 2026

	Content >>
		In this example we have:

		* **Metadata**: `Title`, `Slug`, `Language`, `Status` and `SEO`. They are nodes the generator reads directly.
		* **Content**: `Content` and `Footer`. They are block nodes, and the document contains no HTML, CSS or layout.

	Subheader: The template

	Code >>
		Template (@stxt.template): com.acme.cms.page
			Structure >>
				Page:
					Title: (1)
					Slug: (1)
					Language: (?) ENUM [es, en, fr]
					Status: (1) ENUM [Draft, Published, Archived]
					SEO: (?)
						Description: (?)
						Keywords: (?)
							Keyword: (+)
					Content: (1) MARKDOWN
					Footer: (?) TEXT

	Content >>
		The [template](stxt-template-ref) guarantees what the generator needs in order to work:
		a title, a slug, a status from the list and a content.

		`Content` is of type `MARKDOWN` ([STXT-SCHEMA-SPEC §9.7](stxt-schema-ref#s9-7)).
		@STXT@ does not interpret that Markdown: it hands it over as is, and the type tells whoever receives it
		(the generator, the editor or the playground) how to treat it. `Footer` is `TEXT`, and it is shown literally.
		One lesson written with Frontmatter, MDX, Markdoc, YAML and @STXT@, and what each one validates:
		[STXT, prose inside structure](stxt-vs-markdown).

	Subsubheader: A page that does not validate

	Code >>
		# ERROR: this document does not validate
		Page (com.acme.cms.page):
			Title: About STXT
			# `Slug` is missing
			# Lowercase `published` is not `Published`
			Status: published
			# `Author` is not in the template
			Author: Joan Costa
			Content >>
				## What is STXT?

	Content >>
		A page that does not validate is not generated.

	Subheader: A book in chapters

	Content >>
		A long publication follows the same pattern. Each chapter is a node with
		its number and its text:

	Code >>
		Publication (com.acme.editorial.publication):
			Title: STXT, the book
			ISBN: 978-1-23456-789-0
			Language: en
			Status: In Progress

			Chapter: Introduction
				Number: 1
				Content >>
					This chapter introduces the basic concepts of STXT.
			Chapter: Syntax
				Number: 2
				Content >>
					The syntax of the language is described with examples.
			Chapter: Validation
				Number: 3
				Content >>
					Templates and schemas add semantic rules.

	Content >>
		And its template:

	Code >>
		Template (@stxt.template): com.acme.editorial.publication
			Structure >>
				Publication:
					Title: (1)
					ISBN: (?)
					Language: (1) ENUM [es, en, fr]
					Status: (1) ENUM [In Progress, Published]
					Chapter: (+)
						Number: (1) NATURAL
						Content: (1) MARKDOWN

	Content >>
		An @STXT@ document is an ordered tree, so the chapters come out in the order
		in which they are written. A book of forty chapters can be split into forty files
		with the same namespace, and the template works for all of them.

	Subheader: The publishing flow

	Content >>
		1. The document is written with any editor.
		2. It is kept in a repository. The editorial review is a diff.
		3. It is validated with `stxt validate` ([The command line](tools-cli)), locally or in continuous integration.
		4. The generator reads the [tree](stxt-tree-ref) and produces HTML, PDF, EPUB or a feed.

		The presentation is decided in step 4, and it can be changed entirely without touching the content.

	Subheader: Limits

	Content >>
		@STXT@ is not a CMS: it has no editing interface, users, approval workflow
		or preview. It is the format in which the content is stored.

		It does not define which Markdown dialect is accepted in a `MARKDOWN` block either.
		That is decided by whoever renders it.

		Pages can also be written by a model, see [AI and LLMs](ai-llms).