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Overview

This article covers the core global objects available on every Localist Events template. The Site object and its related nested objects control platform-wide settings, branding, features, and authentication across the entire theme. These objects are always available without needing to be explicitly passed to templates.

The following objects are covered in this article:

• Site — Platform configuration, branding, and nested settings
• User — Current visitor and user-specific data
• Site Format — Localized date/time formatting patterns
• Theme — Theming configuration and navigation
• Navigation Link — Header navigation link structure

The Site Object

The Site object is the primary global configuration object. It is accessed as site and contains settings for branding, authentication, features, URLs, and nested configuration objects.

Identity and Branding

Example:

<!-- Web template: set header colors via CSS, not inline styles -->
<header class="site-header">
  {% if site.has_logo %}
    <img src="{{ site.emphasis_logo_url }}" alt="{{ site.name }}">
  {% endif %}
  <h1>{{ site.name }}</h1>
</header>

<!-- Mail template: use mail_ variants for inline color -->
<header style="background-color: {{ site.mail_header_background_color }}; color: {{ site.mail_header_foreground_color }};">
  <img src="{{ site.mail_logo_url }}" alt="{{ site.name }}">
</header>

Authentication and Login

Example:

{% if site.has_signup %}
  <a href="{{ site.signup_url }}">Create an Account</a>
{% endif %}

{% if site.can_local_auth %}
  <form method="post" action="/login">
    <input type="email" name="email" placeholder="Email">
    <input type="password" name="password" placeholder="Password">
    <button type="submit">Login</button>
  </form>
{% elsif site.has_external_login %}
  <p>Login via your organization account.</p>
  <a href="{{ site.custom_login_url }}">Sign In</a>
{% endif %}

Features and Filters

Example:

{% if site.has_places %}
  <div class="venue-section">
    <h3>Find a Venue</h3>
    <!-- Show venue listing -->
  </div>
{% endif %}

<div class="filters">
  <h3>Event Types</h3>
  {% for filter in site.event_filters %}
    <label>
      <input type="checkbox" name="filter_{{ filter.id }}">
      {{ filter.name }}
    </label>
  {% endfor %}
</div>

URLs

Example:

<nav>
  <a href="{{ site.root_url }}">Home</a>
  <a href="{{ site.search_url }}">Search</a>
  {% if current_user %}
    <a href="{{ site.settings_url }}">Settings</a>
    <a href="{{ site.logout_url }}">Logout</a>
  {% else %}
    <a href="{{ site.login_url }}">Login</a>
  {% endif %}
</nav>

Nested Objects

See dedicated sections below for details on Site Format, Theme, and other nested objects.

Other Properties

The User Object

The User object represents the current logged-in visitor. It is available as current_user, the_user, or user depending on context.

Checking if User is Logged In

{% if current_user %}
  <p>Welcome, {{ current_user.visible_name }}!</p>
{% else %}
  <p><a href="{{ site.login_url }}">Please log in</a></p>
{% endif %}

Profile

Content

Social

Friends and Activity

Permissions

Groups

Custom Fields

Profile Visibility

Actions

URLs

Example:

{% if current_user %}
  <div class="user-card">
    {% if current_user.has_profile_photo? %}
      <img src="{{ current_user.photo.medium }}" alt="{{ current_user.visible_name }}">
    {% endif %}
    <h3>{{ current_user.visible_name }}</h3>
    <p>{{ current_user.description }}</p>
    <a href="{{ current_user.url }}">View Full Profile</a>
  </div>
{% endif %}

The Site Format Object

The Site Format object contains localized date and time format patterns. These patterns are designed for use with Liquid’s date filter. The patterns respect the site’s configured locale and timezone.

Recommendation: For displayed event timestamps, prefer the {% local_time_tag %} and {% local_event_time_tag %} tags (Article 6). Those tags handle timezone offsets and browser-side conversion automatically. The unified date_time_* patterns below are preferred over the older individual date_* and time_* groups.

Access these patterns via site.format and pass them to Liquid’s date filter:

{{ event.start_date | date: site.format.date_long }}
{{ event.start_date | date: site.format.date_time_detailed }}

Date/Time Formats

Time Formats

Date Formats

Separators

Calendar Formats

Newsletter Formats

Example:

<h3>Upcoming Event</h3>
<p class="date">{{ event.start_date | date: site.format.date_long }}</p>
<p class="time">{{ event.start_date | date: site.format.time_long }}</p>

<!-- Display with full formatted date/time -->
<p class="datetime">
  {{ event.start_date | date: site.format.date_time_detailed }}
</p>

<!-- For event lists -->
<p class="list-item">
  {{ event.start_date | date: site.format.date_list }}
  {{ site.format.list_date_time_separator }}
  {{ event.start_date | date: site.format.time_short }}
</p>

The Theme Object

The Theme object contains theming configuration for the site, including navigation settings. It is accessed via site.theme.

Example:

<header class="header-{{ site.theme.header_size }}">
  <nav>
    <ul>
    {% for link in site.theme.header_links %}
      <li>
        <a href="{{ link.url }}">{{ link.name }}</a>
        {% if link.dropdown? %}
          <ul class="submenu">
            {% for child in link.children %}
              <li><a href="{{ child.url }}">{{ child.name }}</a></li>
            {% endfor %}
          </ul>
        {% endif %}
      </li>
    {% endfor %}
    </ul>
  </nav>
</header>

The Navigation Link Object

The Navigation Link object represents a single link in the site’s navigation. Navigation links can be simple links or dropdowns containing child links. They are accessed via site.theme.header_links.

Example:

{% for link in site.theme.header_links %}
  {% if link.dropdown? %}
    <div class="dropdown">
      <button>{{ link.name }}</button>
      <div class="dropdown-menu">
        {% for child in link.children %}
          <a href="{{ child.url }}">{{ child.name }}</a>
        {% endfor %}
      </div>
    </div>
  {% else %}
    <a href="{{ link.url }}" class="nav-link">{{ link.name }}</a>
  {% endif %}
{% endfor %}

Related Articles

This article is part of a 9-part series on Localist developer theming:

1. Introduction to Localist Developer Theming
2. Site Configuration and Global Objects
3. Events, Instances, and Related Objects
4. Places, Groups, Departments, and Channels
5. Shared Object Types
6. Custom Liquid Tags Reference
7. Custom Liquid Filters Reference
8. Template Variable Reference
9. Forms and User Management