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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

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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

Variable	Type	Description
site.name	String	The platform name.
site.contact_email	String	Platform contact email.
site.home_link	String	URL to the platform home page.
site.country	String	Default country setting.
site.distance_unit	String	Unit for distance measurements (e.g., “mi” or “km”).
site.has_logo	Boolean	Whether the site has a custom logo configured.
site.emphasis_logo_url	String	URL to the scaled logo (250×52, supports 2x) derived from the uploaded logo image.
site.emphasis_logo_srcset	String	Responsive image srcset for the logo.
site.emphasis_logo_width	Integer	Width of the logo in pixels.
site.emphasis_logo_height	Integer	Height of the logo in pixels.
site.mail_logo_url	String	URL to the logo used in email templates.
site.mail_logo_height	Integer	Height of the email logo in pixels.
site.header_foreground_color	String	Header text/foreground color (hex). Primary intent is email templates; web inherits via CSS.
site.header_background_color	String	Header background color (hex). Primary intent is email templates; web inherits via CSS.
site.header_colors	Hash	All header color settings grouped together.
site.mail_header_foreground_color	String	Stub that delegates to header_foreground_color; preserved so email templates can diverge from web without forking.
site.mail_header_background_color	String	Stub that delegates to header_background_color; preserved so email templates can diverge from web without forking.
site.show_navigation	Boolean	Whether the top navigation bar is visible.
site.show_info_bar	Boolean	Whether to display an info/notification bar.
site.footer_links	Array	Array of footer navigation links.
site.social_links	Array	Array of social media links.

Example:

<header style="background-color: {{ site.header_background_color }};">
  {% if site.has_logo %}
    <img src="{{ site.emphasis_logo_url }}" alt="{{ site.name }}">
  {% endif %}
  <h1>{{ site.name }}</h1>
</header>

Authentication and Login

Variable	Type	Description
site.login_methods	Array	List of available login methods.
site.has_external_login	Boolean	Whether external SSO/SAML login is configured.
site.show_login_fields	Boolean	Whether traditional email/password fields are shown on login.
site.custom_login_url	String	URL to a custom login page (if configured).
site.can_local_auth	Boolean	Whether local (username/password) authentication is enabled.
site.has_signup	Boolean	Whether user signup is allowed.
site.can_social_auth	Boolean	Whether social login is available.
site.social_auth_methods	Array	List of available social login providers.
site.must_sso_login	Boolean	Whether SSO is required (local login disabled).
site.openid_connect_providers	Array	List of configured OpenID Connect providers.
site.can_change_password	Boolean	Whether users are allowed to change their password.
site.has_sso_name	Boolean	Whether a trusted user name was received from the SSO system for the current session.
site.has_sso_email	Boolean	Whether a trusted email address was received from the SSO system for the current session.

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

Variable	Type	Description
site.has_places	Boolean	Whether places/venues are supported.
site.has_departments	Boolean	Whether departments are supported.
site.has_groups	Boolean	Whether user groups/communities are supported.
site.event_filters	Array	Array of available event type filters/tags.
site.department_label	String	Custom label for departments (default: “Department”).
site.group_label	String	Custom label for groups (default: “Group”).
site.public_event_custom_fields	Array of Custom Field	Custom fields displayed on public event creation.
site.public_user_custom_fields	Array of Custom Field	Custom fields displayed on user profiles.
site.event_experiences	Array	Array of configured event experience types.
site.can_post_comments	Boolean	Whether event comments are enabled.

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

Variable	Type	Description
site.root_url	String	Root URL of the platform.
site.login_url	String	URL to the login page.
site.logout_url	String	URL to log out.
site.calendar_url	String	URL to the calendar view.
site.search_url	String	URL to the main search page.
site.search_events_url	String	URL to search events specifically.
site.search_places_url	String	URL to search places/venues.
site.search_groups_url	String	URL to search groups.
site.search_departments_url	String	URL to search departments.
site.search_people_url	String	URL to search users.
site.stylesheet_url	String	URL to the compiled CSS stylesheet.
site.signup_url	String	URL to the signup page.
site.settings_url	String	URL to user settings/profile page.
site.digests_url	String	URL to manage email digests.

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

Variable	Type	Description
site.format	Site Format	Date and time formatting patterns (localized).
site.snippets	Site Snippets	Platform snippet strings (labels, copy).
site.features	Site Features	Feature flags and configuration.
site.theme	Theme	Theme configuration including header navigation.

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

Other Properties

Variable	Type	Description
site.url_input_pattern	String	Regex pattern for validating URLs.
site.has_unbranded_widget	Boolean	Whether unbranded widgets are available.
site.has_campusbird	Boolean	Whether the Concept3D Map integration is enabled. (Property name retained for backward compatibility.)
site.campusbird_map_id	String	Concept3D Map identifier when the integration is enabled.

---

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

Variable	Type	Description
user.visible_name	String	The name displayed publicly (alias: name). Use this for displaying a user’s name.
user.real_name	String	The user’s full name. In practice this equals visible_name because Localist requires a name; prefer visible_name.
user.username	String	The user’s unique username.
user.first_name	String	The user’s first name.
user.url	String	URL to the user’s public profile.

Content

Variable	Type	Description
user.description	String	User’s public bio/description (alias: blurb).
user.description_text	String	Plain text version of the description.
user.photo	Photo	User’s profile photo object.
user.has_profile_photo?	Boolean	Whether the user has uploaded a profile photo.
user.homepage	String	URL to user’s homepage (from profile).
user.website	String	URL to user’s website.
user.location	String	User’s location as entered in profile.

Social

Variable	Type	Description
user.twitter_name	String	User’s Twitter handle.

Friends and Activity

Variable	Type	Description
user.friends	Array	Array of the user’s friends.
user.num_friends	Integer	Total number of friends.
user.num_people_friends	Integer	Number of people-only friends.
user.places_i_go	Array	Array of places/venues the user frequents.
user.reviews	Array	Array of reviews the user has written.
user.num_places	Integer	Number of places in the user’s list.

Permissions

Variable	Type	Description
user.can_edit	Boolean	Whether the user can edit their own profile.
user.is_event_publisher	Boolean	Whether the user is allowed to create events.
user.is_verified	Boolean	Whether the user’s account is verified.
user.trusted?	Boolean	Whether the user is marked as trusted.
user.is_pending	Boolean	Whether the user’s account is pending approval.
user.privacy	Object	Privacy settings object.

Groups

Variable	Type	Description
user.groups	Array	Array of groups the user belongs to.
user.has_groups	Boolean	Whether the user is in any groups.

Custom Fields

Variable	Type	Description
user.custom_fields	Custom Fields	Custom field values for the user.

Profile Visibility

Variable	Type	Description
user.can_view_profile	Boolean	Whether the current visitor can view this user’s profile.
user.can_view_future_plans	Boolean	Whether future events/attendance is visible.
user.can_view_past_plans	Boolean	Whether past events/attendance is visible.
user.can_view_friends	Boolean	Whether the friends list is visible.
user.can_view_comments	Boolean	Whether comments are visible.
user.can_view_photos	Boolean	Whether uploaded photos are visible.
user.can_view_places	Boolean	Whether the places list is visible.

Actions

Variable	Type	Description
user.can_friend_request	Boolean	Whether a friend request can be sent.
user.can_receive_message	Boolean	Whether the user can receive messages.

URLs

Variable	Type	Description
user.dashboard_url	String	URL to the user’s personal dashboard.
user.calendar_url	String	URL to the user’s calendar.
user.message_center_url	String	URL to the user’s messages.

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

Variable	Type	Description
site.format.date_time_detailed	String	Full date and time with day of week.
site.format.date_time_compact	String	Compact date/time format.
site.format.date_time_compact_time	String	Compact format showing mainly time.
site.format.date_time_long	String	Long date/time format.
site.format.date_time_long_year	String	Long format with explicit year.

Time Formats

Variable	Type	Description
site.format.time_long	String	Long time format with AM/PM.
site.format.time_long_with_zone	String	Long time format including timezone.
site.format.time_short	String	Short time format (e.g., “2:30 PM”).
site.format.time_short_with_zone	String	Short time with timezone.

Date Formats

Variable	Type	Description
site.format.date_long	String	Long date format (e.g., “January 15, 2026”).
site.format.date_long_year	String	Long date with explicit year.
site.format.date_list	String	Format for event list dates.
site.format.date_list_past	String	Format for past event list dates.
site.format.date_widget	String	Format for calendar widget dates.
site.format.date_widget_year	String	Calendar widget format with year.
site.format.date_navigation	String	Format for date navigation headers.
site.format.featured_date	String	Format for featured event dates.
site.format.date_range	String	Format for displaying date ranges.

Separators

Variable	Type	Description
site.format.date_time_separator	String	Separator between date and time (e.g., ” at “).
site.format.featured_date_time_separator	String	Separator for featured events.
site.format.list_date_time_separator	String	Separator for event lists.

Calendar Formats

Variable	Type	Description
site.format.minicalendar	String	Format for mini calendar dates.
site.format.minicalendar_year	String	Mini calendar format with year.
site.format.minicalendarjs_month	String	JavaScript mini calendar month format.
site.format.minicalendarjs_month_year	String	JavaScript mini calendar month/year format.

Newsletter Formats

Variable	Type	Description
site.format.bulletin_spotlight_date	String	Format for newsletter spotlight dates.
site.format.bulletin_event_item_date	String	Format for newsletter event item dates.

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.

Variable	Type	Description
site.theme.name	String	The name of the active theme.
site.theme.header_size	String	Size/style of the header for the Emphasis theme (typically base or extended; values come from theme style settings).
site.theme.header_links	Array of Navigation Link	Array of navigation links in the header.

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.

Variable	Type	Description
link.id	Integer	Unique identifier for the link.
link.name	String	Display text of the link.
link.url	String	Target URL for the link.
link.link_type	String	Either "link" (single link row) or "dropdown" (parent with children).
link.link?	Boolean	Whether this navigation item is a single link row (as opposed to a dropdown).
link.dropdown?	Boolean	Whether this is a dropdown menu with children.
link.children	Array of Navigation Link	Array of child links (for dropdowns).

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 %}

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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