Configuration
Marque configuration is mostly about knowing which file owns which decision.
If you remember one rule, make it this one:
marque.tomlsets defaults- frontmatter overrides one page
navigation.mqcontrols navigation labels, order, and grouping
marque.toml
Site-wide defaults live here. Set your title, description, repo link, default layout, default theme, width, and alignment once.
Frontmatter
Individual .mq pages can override the defaults they care about without changing the rest of the site.
navigation.mq
Navigation is not configured in frontmatter. This file controls labels, ordering, grouping, and nested sections.
Minimal site config
title = Marque
description = Built with Marque
repo = https://github.com/Loxed/marque
layout = sidebar
theme = comte
width = full
align = centerThat is enough to define the site's baseline behaviour.
Choose the right file
Edit marque.toml when...
- the change should apply everywhere
- you want a default layout or theme
- you want the site title, repo, width, or alignment to be shared
Edit frontmatter when...
- one page needs a different layout
- one page needs a different theme or width
- you want to change a page title or output slug
Edit navigation.mq when...
- the menu order feels wrong
- a page should appear in navigation but does not
- you want section headings or a different label than the page title
What the settings actually control
Identity
title, description, and repo define the shared branding and metadata.
title: navigation branding and document titlesdescription: fallback page descriptionrepo: optional shared footer link
Presentation
layout, theme, width, and align change how the page is framed and how the content column behaves.
layout:sidebarortopnavtheme: the active theme CSS filewidth:narrow,normal,wide,full, or a custom sizealign: place the content columnleft,center, orright
Routing
nav in frontmatter changes the output slug for one page. navigation.mq changes how that page shows up in navigation.
Common jobs
Change the whole site's look
Edit marque.toml first. If the shared frame is wrong, go to Layouts. If the colours and typography are wrong, go to Themes.
Make one page special
Use frontmatter when a single page needs a different width, theme, title, layout, or slug.
Fix the menu
Do not fight frontmatter for this. Open navigation.mq, change the labels or order there, then rebuild.
Go deeper
Navigation
File format, labels, ordering, headings, and path-based nesting.
Open navigation docs
Frontmatter
Exact page-level keys, examples, slug behaviour, and width overrides.
Open frontmatter docs
Layouts
Compare sidebar and topnav, and see how navigation-driven hierarchy changes between them.
Open layout docs
Themes
Learn how theme files work, how to override a page theme, and which built-in themes ship with Marque.
Open theme docs