gohugoio/hugo · error

want 1 or 2 arguments

Error message

want 1 or 2 arguments

What it means

Argument-count validation at the top of cachedContentScope.RenderString in page__content.go. The template method `.RenderString` accepts either just the string to render, or an options map plus the string; any other arity (zero args, or three or more) returns this error before any rendering happens.

Source

Thrown at hugolib/page__content.go:882

	ctx = c.prepareContext(ctx)
	cr, err := c.contentRendered(ctx)
	if err != nil {
		return "", err
	}
	return cr.contentWithoutSummary, nil
}

func (c *cachedContentScope) Summary(ctx context.Context) (page.Summary, error) {
	ctx = c.prepareContext(ctx)
	rendered, err := c.contentRendered(ctx)
	return rendered.summary, err
}

func (c *cachedContentScope) RenderString(ctx context.Context, args ...any) (template.HTML, error) {
	ctx = c.prepareContext(ctx)

	if len(args) < 1 || len(args) > 2 {
		return "", errors.New("want 1 or 2 arguments")
	}

	pco := c.pco

	var contentToRender string
	opts := defaultRenderStringOpts
	sidx := 1

	if len(args) == 1 {
		sidx = 0
	} else {
		m, ok := args[0].(map[string]any)
		if !ok {
			return "", errors.New("first argument must be a map")
		}

		if err := mapstructure.WeakDecode(m, &opts); err != nil {
			return "", fmt.Errorf("failed to decode options: %w", err)

View on GitHub ↗ (pinned to 8a468df065)

Solutions

1. Call it as `{{ .RenderString $content }}` or `{{ .RenderString (dict "display" "inline") $content }}` — exactly one or two arguments.
2. If using a pipeline, remember the piped value is appended as the last argument: `{{ $content | .RenderString $opts }}` is valid; don't also pass the content positionally.
3. Ensure the options map is the FIRST argument and the string last.

Example fix

{{/* before */}}
{{ .RenderString }}
{{/* after */}}
{{ .RenderString .Params.subtitle }}

{{/* RenderString takes ([options,] content) — 1 or 2 args */}}
{{ $s := .RenderString "**md**" }}
{{ $s2 := .RenderString (dict "display" "inline") "**md**" }}

When it happens

Trigger: Calling `$page.RenderString` from a template with no arguments or with 3+ arguments, e.g. `{{ .RenderString }}`, `{{ .RenderString $opts $s $extra }}`, or piping incorrectly so extra values become arguments.

Common situations: Forgetting the content argument when only passing an options dict; misusing pipelines like `{{ $a | .RenderString $b $c }}` (the piped value becomes a third argument); copying snippets that splat a slice of args; confusing RenderString with markdownify.

Related errors

• need at least 2 arguments to append
• must provide a Resource and optionally an options map
• operator argument must be string type
• can't evaluate the array by no match argument or more than o
• invalid arguments supplied to `time`

AI-assisted analysis of gohugoio/hugo@8a468df065 (2026-07-31). Data as JSON: /data/errors/c515da0891620837.json. Report an issue: GitHub ↗.