> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://buttercms.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Long Text field

> Detailed explanation of the Long Text field in ButterCMS, including input, output, configuration options, and use cases

The **Long Text** field can be used to enter multi-line alphanumeric content, such as a meta-description, article summary, or Markdown snippet.

<Tip>If your content includes multiple paragraphs, they'll appear as `\n` characters in the API Response.</Tip>

![Long Text field configuration](https://cdn.buttercms.com/rgr0eQjLREKISGYz96CJ)

## Long Text at a glance

### Input and output

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Input type" icon="arrow-right-to-bracket">
    Multi-line text area
  </Card>

  <Card title="API output" icon="arrow-right-from-bracket">
    `string` (preserves line breaks with `\n`)
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

### API response example

```json theme={null}
"article_summary": "A comprehensive guide.\nWe'll cover all aspects of content modeling in ButterCMS.\nWe'll explore Pages, Collections, and Components.",
```

### Field configuration options

<Tip>
  Set reasonable limits via min/max length. For example, meta descriptions should use a max length of \~160 characters.
</Tip>

| `Option Name`            | `Type`   | `Function`                                                                                                                                          |
| ------------------------ | -------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Required?                | boolean  | Make field required to save page                                                                                                                    |
| Help text                | string   | Add help text to describe usage to your team                                                                                                        |
| Min length               | number   | Set a minimum length in characters                                                                                                                  |
| Max length               | number   | Set a maximum length in characters                                                                                                                  |
| Default value            | string   | Set a default value for the field                                                                                                                   |
| Exclude from translation | boolean  | Exclude the field from translation function                                                                                                         |
| Specific pattern         | Dropdown | Validates field data against your choice of: <ul><li>Email</li><li>URL</li><li>US Phone Number</li><li>US Zip Code</li><li>Custom (Regex)</li></ul> |

## Common use cases

* Meta descriptions for SEO
* Article summaries and excerpts
* Product descriptions
* Author bios
* Plain text instructions
* Markdown content (when you'll parse it on the frontend)
* JSON data (advanced use)

## Using Long Text as a Markdown editor

Many developers use the Long Text field to store Markdown content, which is then parsed and rendered on the frontend. This approach is popular for:

* Technical documentation
* Developer blogs
* Content where authors are comfortable with Markdown syntax

### Example workflow

1. Create a Long Text field named `content_markdown`
2. Authors write content using Markdown syntax
3. Frontend application parses the Markdown using a library (e.g., `marked`, `remark`, or `markdown-it`)

```javascript theme={null}
// Example: Parsing Markdown in JavaScript
import { marked } from 'marked';

const markdownContent = page.fields.content_markdown;
const htmlContent = marked.parse(markdownContent);
```

### API response with Markdown

````json theme={null}
{
  "content_markdown": "## Getting Started\n\nFollow these steps:\n\n1. Install the SDK\n2. Configure your API key\n3. Fetch your first page\n\n```javascript\nconst butter = require('buttercms')('your-key');\n```"
}
````

## Best practices

1. **Consider WYSIWYG instead** - If editors need formatting, use the WYSIWYG field
2. **Document Markdown expectations** - If using for Markdown, provide help text explaining the format
3. **Set reasonable limits** - For meta descriptions, use max length of \~160 characters
4. **Use for SEO fields** - Meta descriptions work great with Long Text

## Field validation examples

### Example: meta description (Long Text)

```text theme={null}
Field Name: meta_description
Max Length: 160
Help Text: "Enter a brief description for search results (max 160 characters)"
Required: No
```

### Example: article excerpt (Long Text)

```text theme={null}
Field Name: excerpt
Min Length: 50
Max Length: 300
Help Text: "Summarize the article in 1-2 sentences"
Required: Yes
```