transform.HTMLEscape

Returns the given string, escaping special characters by replacing them with HTML entities.

Syntax: transform.HTMLEscape INPUT
Returns: string
Alias: htmlEscape

Usage

The transform.HTMLEscape function returns the given string, escaping special characters by replacing them with HTML entities. It escapes these five characters:

& → &
< → <
> → >
' → '
" → "

When you print the result in an HTML template, Hugo escapes the entities again. To prevent this, pass the result through the safe.HTML function. See safe types for details.

Examples

{{ transform.HTMLEscape "Lilo & Stitch" }} → Lilo &amp; Stitch
{{ transform.HTMLEscape "7 > 6" }} → 7 &gt; 6

Comparing the result with and without safe.HTML, showing the raw HTML output:

{{ transform.HTMLEscape "Lilo & Stitch" }} → Lilo &amp;amp; Stitch
{{ transform.HTMLEscape "Lilo & Stitch" | safeHTML }} → Lilo &amp; Stitch

Last updated: October 27, 2026 : content: Standardize print and render usage (c165900b1)

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