Hugo Pagination Error Fix

In this tutorial, you'll learn about Hugo Pagination Error Fix. We cover key concepts, practical examples, and best practices.

The Problem

ERROR: render of "page" failed: ".../layouts/index.html:15:5":
execute of template failed: template: index.html:15:5: executing "main"
at <.Paginator>: nil pointer evaluating interface {...}

Hugo's .Paginator is only available in list page contexts (section, homepage, taxonomy). Using it on a single page returns nil.

Wrong

{{ range .Paginator.Pages }}
    <article>{{ .Title }}</article>
{{ end }}

Output: nil pointer evaluating interface

.Paginator is nil because the current template is a single page, not a list page.

Right

{{ $paginator := .Paginate (where .Site.RegularPages "Type" "posts") 10 }}
{{ range $paginator.Pages }}
    <article>{{ .Title }}</article>
{{ end }}

Output: paginated list of post titles, 10 per page

Always call .Paginate with a collection on single pages. On list pages, .Paginator is automatically populated.

Prevention

• Use .Paginator only on list pages (section, homepage, taxonomy)
• Use .Paginate with an explicit collection on single pages
• Check if .Paginator is nil before accessing it

Common Mistakes with pagination error

1. Misunderstanding that String is [Char] with poor performance for large text operations
2. Using foldl instead of foldl' causing stack overflow on large lists
3. Forgetting deriving (Show, Eq) on custom data types needed for debugging

These mistakes appear frequently in real-world HUGO code. DodaTech's contributors have identified these patterns through analysis of open-source projects and production systems.

Practice Exercise

Write a pure function that safely divides two integers using Maybe, then test it with edge cases like division by zero and negative numbers.

This exercise reinforces the concepts covered in this guide. Try implementing it before checking online solutions.

FAQ