rendercv/docs/user_guide/yaml_input_structure.md

The YAML Input File

RenderCV uses a single YAML file to generate your CV. This file has four top-level fields:

cv:
  ...
  # Your content (name, sections, entries)
  ...
design:
  ...
  # Visual styling (theme, colors, fonts, spacing)
  ...
locale:
  ...
  # Language strings (month names, "present", etc.)
  ...
settings:
  ...
  # RenderCV behavior (current date, bold keywords)
  ...

Only cv is required. The others have sensible defaults.

!!! Tip To maximize your productivity while editing the input YAML file, set up RenderCV's JSON Schema in your IDE. It will validate your inputs on the fly and give auto-complete suggestions.

=== "Visual Studio Code"

    1. Install the [YAML extension](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=redhat.vscode-yaml).
    2. Name your file ending with `_CV.yaml`. The schema activates automatically.
    3. Press `Ctrl + Space` for suggestions.

=== "Other Editors"

    1. Add this line at the top of your file:
        ```yaml
        # yaml-language-server: $schema=https://github.com/rendercv/rendercv/blob/main/schema.json?raw=true
        ```
    2. Press `Ctrl + Space` for suggestions (if your editor supports JSON Schema).

The cv Field

Header Information

The cv field begins with your personal information. All fields are optional. RenderCV adapts to whatever you provide.

cv:
  name: John Doe
  headline: Machine Learning Engineer
  location: San Francisco, CA
  email: john@example.com # (1)!
  phone: +14155551234 # (2)!
  website: https://johndoe.dev # (3)!
  photo: photo.jpg
  social_networks:
    - network: LinkedIn # (4)!
      username: johndoe
    - network: GitHub
      username: johndoe
  custom_connections:
    - placeholder: Book a call # (5)!
      url: https://cal.com/johndoe
      fontawesome_icon: calendar-days

1. Multiple emails can be provided as a list.
2. Multiple phone numbers can be provided as a list.
3. Multiple websites can be provided as a list.
4. << available_social_networks >>
5. Custom connections let you add any extra link (or plain text if url is omitted) with your own display text (placeholder) and a Font Awesome icon name (e.g., calendar-days, envelope).

Sections

The sections field holds the main content of your CV. It's a dictionary where:

• Keys are section titles (displayed as headings). Section titles can be anything.
• Values are lists of entries

cv:
  name: John Doe
  sections:
    summary:
      - Software engineer with 10 years of experience in distributed systems.
    
    experience:
      - company: Acme Corp
        position: Senior Engineer
        start_date: 2020-01
        end_date: present
        highlights:
          - Led migration to microservices architecture
          - Reduced deployment time by 80%
    
    education:
      - institution: MIT
        area: Computer Science
        degree: BS
        start_date: 2012-09
        end_date: 2016-05
    
    skills:
      - label: Languages
        details: Python, Go, Rust, TypeScript
      - label: Infrastructure
        details: Kubernetes, Terraform, AWS

!!! info "Section names don't dictate entry types" Any of the << entry_count >> entry types can be used in any section. The section name is just a title. RenderCV doesn't enforce which entry type you use.

For example, an `experience` section could use `NormalEntry` instead of `ExperienceEntry`:

```yaml
sections:
  experience:  # Using NormalEntry, not ExperienceEntry
    - name: Acme Corp — Senior Engineer
      start_date: 2020-01
      end_date: present
      highlights:
        - Led migration to microservices architecture
```

Or even `BulletEntry` for a minimal approach:

```yaml
sections:
  experience:
    - bullet: "**Acme Corp** — Senior Engineer (2020–present)"
    - bullet: "**StartupXYZ** — Founding Engineer (2018–2020)"
```

Choose the entry type that best fits your content, not the section name.

!!! warning "One entry type per section" Each section must contain only one type of entry. You cannot mix ExperienceEntry and EducationEntry in the same section.

Entry Types

RenderCV provides << entry_count >> entry types: {$ for entry_name in entry_names $} << loop.index >>. << entry_name >> {$ endfor $} each designed for different kinds of content.

{$ for entry_name, entry in sample_entries.items() $}

<< entry_name >>

{$ if entry_name == "EducationEntry" $} For academic credentials.

Field	Required	Description
institution	Yes	School or university name
area	Yes	Field of study
degree	No	Degree type (BS, MS, PhD, etc.)
date	No	Custom date string (overrides start/end)
start_date	No	Start date
end_date	No	End date (or present)
location	No	Institution location
summary	No	Brief description
highlights	No	List of bullet points

{$ elif entry_name == "ExperienceEntry" $} For work history and professional roles.

Field	Required	Description
company	Yes	Employer name
position	Yes	Job title
date	No	Custom date string (overrides start/end)
start_date	No	Start date
end_date	No	End date (or present)
location	No	Office location
summary	No	Role description
highlights	No	List of accomplishments

{$ elif entry_name == "PublicationEntry" $} For papers, articles, and other publications.

Field	Required	Description
title	Yes	Publication title
authors	Yes	List of author names (use *Name* for emphasis)
doi	No	Digital Object Identifier
url	No	Link to the publication
journal	No	Journal, conference, or venue name
date	No	Publication date

{$ elif entry_name == "NormalEntry" $} A flexible entry for projects, awards, certifications, or anything else.

Field	Required	Description
name	Yes	Entry title
date	No	Custom date string (overrides start/end)
start_date	No	Start date
end_date	No	End date (or present)
location	No	Associated location
summary	No	Brief description
highlights	No	List of bullet points

{$ elif entry_name == "OneLineEntry" $} For compact key-value pairs, ideal for skills or technical proficiencies.

Field	Required	Description
label	Yes	Category name
details	Yes	Associated details

{$ elif entry_name == "BulletEntry" $} A single bullet point. Use for simple lists.

Field	Required	Description
bullet	Yes	The bullet text

{$ elif entry_name == "NumberedEntry" $} An automatically numbered entry.

Field	Required	Description
number	Yes	The entry content

{$ elif entry_name == "ReversedNumberedEntry" $} A numbered entry that counts down (useful for publication lists where recent items come first).

Field	Required	Description
reversed_number	Yes	The entry content

{$ elif entry_name == "TextEntry" $} Plain text without structure. Just write a string.

{$ endif $}

<< entry["yaml"] >>

{$ for figure in entry["figures"] $} === "<< figure["theme"] >> theme" ![<< figure["alt_text"] >>](<< figure["path"] >>) {$ endfor $}

{$ endfor $}

Using Markdown

All text fields support basic Markdown:

highlights:
  - Increased revenue by **$2M** annually
  - Developed [open-source tool](https://github.com/example) with *500+ stars*

Syntax	Result
**text**	bold
*text*	italic
[text](url)	hyperlink
`code`	code

Using Typst

All text fields support Typst math and commands.

highlights:
  - Showed that $$f(x) = x^2$$ is a parabola
  - "This is an #emph[emphasized] text"

Arbitrary Keys

You can add arbitrary keys to any entry. By default, they're ignored, but you can reference them in custom templates (see design.templates). See Arbitrary Keys in Entries for more information.

experience:
  - company: Startup Inc
    position: Founder
    start_date: 2020-01
    end_date: present
    revenue: $5M ARR  # Custom field
    highlights:
      - Built product from zero to profitability

The design Field

The design field controls the visual appearance of your CV. Start by choosing a theme:

design:
  theme: classic

Available themes: << available_themes >>

Each theme has different default styling, but all options can be customized. The themes share the same underlying template. You can recreate any theme by adjusting the design options.

!!! tip "Use the JSON Schema" The design options are extensive. Use an editor with JSON Schema support to explore all available options with autocomplete.

Below is a fully specified design field showing all available options:

design:
  theme: classic
  
  page:
    size: us-letter              # (1)!
    top_margin: 0.7in
    bottom_margin: 0.7in
    left_margin: 0.7in
    right_margin: 0.7in
    show_footer: true            
    show_top_note: true         
  
  colors:
    body: rgb(0, 0, 0)
    name: rgb(0, 79, 144)
    headline: rgb(0, 79, 144)
    connections: rgb(0, 79, 144)
    section_titles: rgb(0, 79, 144)
    links: rgb(0, 79, 144)
    footer: rgb(128, 128, 128)
    top_note: rgb(128, 128, 128)
  
  typography:
    line_spacing: 0.6em
    alignment: justified         # (2)!
    date_and_location_column_alignment: right
    font_family: # (11)!
      body: Source Sans 3        # (9)!
      name: Source Sans 3
      headline: Source Sans 3
      connections: Source Sans 3
      section_titles: Source Sans 3
    font_size:
      body: 10pt
      name: 30pt
      headline: 10pt
      connections: 10pt
      section_titles: 1.4em
    small_caps:
      name: false
      headline: false
      connections: false
      section_titles: false
    bold:
      name: true
      headline: false
      connections: false
      section_titles: true
  
  links:
    underline: false
    show_external_link_icon: false
  
  header:
    alignment: center            # (3)!
    photo_width: 3.5cm
    photo_position: left         # (8)!
    photo_space_left: 0.4cm
    photo_space_right: 0.4cm
    space_below_name: 0.7cm
    space_below_headline: 0.7cm
    space_below_connections: 0.7cm
    connections:
      phone_number_format: national  # (7)!
      hyperlink: true
      show_icons: true
      display_urls_instead_of_usernames: false
      separator: ''
      space_between_connections: 0.5cm
  
  section_titles:
    type: with_partial_line      # (4)!
    line_thickness: 0.5pt
    space_above: 0.5cm
    space_below: 0.3cm
  
  sections:
    allow_page_break: true
    space_between_regular_entries: 1.2em
    space_between_text_based_entries: 0.3em
    show_time_spans_in:          # (5)!
      - experience
  
  entries:
    date_and_location_width: 4.15cm
    side_space: 0.2cm
    space_between_columns: 0.1cm
    allow_page_break: false
    short_second_row: true
    summary:
      space_above: 0cm
      space_left: 0cm
    highlights:
      bullet: •                  # (6)!
      nested_bullet: •
      space_left: 0.15cm
      space_above: 0cm
      space_between_items: 0cm
      space_between_bullet_and_text: 0.5em
  
  templates: # (10)!
    footer: '*NAME -- PAGE_NUMBER/TOTAL_PAGES*'
    top_note: '*LAST_UPDATED CURRENT_DATE*'
    single_date: MONTH_ABBREVIATION YEAR
    date_range: START_DATE – END_DATE
    time_span: HOW_MANY_YEARS YEARS HOW_MANY_MONTHS MONTHS
    one_line_entry:
      main_column: '**LABEL:** DETAILS'
    education_entry:
      main_column: |-
        **INSTITUTION**, AREA
        SUMMARY
        HIGHLIGHTS
      degree_column: '**DEGREE**'
      date_and_location_column: |-
        LOCATION
        DATE
    normal_entry:
      main_column: |-
        **NAME**
        SUMMARY
        HIGHLIGHTS
      date_and_location_column: |-
        LOCATION
        DATE
    experience_entry:
      main_column: |-
        **COMPANY**, POSITION
        SUMMARY
        HIGHLIGHTS
      date_and_location_column: |-
        LOCATION
        DATE
    publication_entry:
      main_column: |-
        **TITLE**
        AUTHORS
        URL (JOURNAL)
      date_and_location_column: DATE

1. << available_page_sizes >>
2. << available_body_alignments >>
3. << available_alignments >>
4. << available_section_title_types >>
5. Sections that show duration (e.g., "2 years")
6. << available_bullets >>
7. << available_phone_number_formats >>
8. left, right
9. << available_font_families >>
10. Advanced: customize entry rendering
11. Font family can be directly specified as a string as well.

The locale Field

The locale field lets you customize all language-specific strings. This is how you create a CV in any language.

locale:
  language: german
  last_updated: Zuletzt aktualisiert am
  month: Monat
  months: Monate
  year: Jahr
  years: Jahre
  present: heute
  month_abbreviations:
    - Jan
    - Feb
    - März
    - Apr
    - Mai
    - Juni
    - Juli
    - Aug
    - Sept
    - Okt
    - Nov
    - Dez
  month_names:
    - Januar
    - Februar
    - März
    - April
    - Mai
    - Juni
    - Juli
    - August
    - September
    - Oktober
    - November
    - Dezember

Field	Description
language	Language name (for your reference only)
last_updated	Text before the date in the top note
month / months	Singular/plural for duration display
year / years	Singular/plural for duration display
present	Text shown when end_date is present
month_abbreviations	12 abbreviated month names (Jan–Dec)
month_names	12 full month names

The settings Field

The settings field configures RenderCV's behavior.

settings:
  current_date: '2025-12-03'
  render_command:
    design:
    locale:
    typst_path: rendercv_output/NAME_IN_SNAKE_CASE_CV.typ
    pdf_path: rendercv_output/NAME_IN_SNAKE_CASE_CV.pdf
    markdown_path: rendercv_output/NAME_IN_SNAKE_CASE_CV.md
    html_path: rendercv_output/NAME_IN_SNAKE_CASE_CV.html
    png_path: rendercv_output/NAME_IN_SNAKE_CASE_CV.png
    dont_generate_markdown: false
    dont_generate_html: false
    dont_generate_typst: false
    dont_generate_pdf: false
    dont_generate_png: false
  bold_keywords:
    - AWS
    - Python