The framework includes a built-in metadata inspection overlay that lets you see exactly what SEO and OpenGraph information is being output for any page — without needing browser dev tools or external validators.
Activating the Overlay
Append ?meta=yes to any page URL on your site:
https://example.com/about?meta=yes
https://example.com/posts/my-post?meta=yes
Click here to activate it on this page
Click on the Home link on the Navigation bar to deactivate the Meta Tool.
A panel will appear on the page showing all resolved metadata values for that page.
What the Overlay Shows
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| PageTitle | The resolved pagetitle value |
| Layout | The pagelayout value in use |
| Date | The resolved pagedate (normalised) |
| Page Image | The full URL of the resolved pageimage |
| Excerpt | The resolved pageexcerpt |
| Keywords | The resolved pagekeywords |
| Author | The resolved pageauthor |
| Type | The resolved pagetype |
| Website Title | The $WebsiteTitle from config |
| Language/Country | The $WebsiteLanguageCountry from config |
| Current URL | The canonical URL of the current page |
| Language/Locale | The $WebsiteLanguageLocale from config |
All values shown are the resolved values — meaning fallbacks have already been applied. If a page doesn't set its own pageexcerpt, the overlay will show the site-wide $WebsiteDescription that will actually appear in search results, not a blank value.
Browsing in Meta Mode
When ?meta=yes is active and the $metaInfoBoxRewriteURL plugin option is enabled (the default), JavaScript automatically appends ?meta=yes to every link on the page. This means you can click through your entire site and the overlay stays active on every page — no need to manually add the query string to each URL.
To exit meta mode, click the Home link in the navigation bar. This navigates to the home page without the query string, which deactivates the overlay and restores all links to their normal targets.
Implementation
The overlay is output by required/metainfo.php, which is included at the bottom of header.php in the skeleton theme. The file checks for $_GET['meta'] and only renders the overlay div when the parameter is present.
If you are building a custom theme, include this file in the same position in your header.php to retain the debug tool:
<?php include 'required/metainfo.php'; ?>
The URL rewriting behaviour (keeping ?meta=yes active as you navigate) is handled by the $metaInfoBoxRewriteURL plugin in plugins/plugins.php. This is enabled by default but can be turned off in config/config.php if needed.