OrchardCMS/OrchardCore · error · ArgumentException

render_section tag requires a name argument

Error message

render_section tag requires a name argument

What it means

The Liquid `render_section` tag needs a `name` argument identifying which layout zone to render (e.g. Navigation, Content, Footer). The name is looked up as the first positional argument or a named `name:`; when both are absent the tag throws an ArgumentException because it has no zone to resolve on the layout shape.

Solutions

1. Provide the zone name positionally: `{% render_section 'Footer' %}`.
2. Or name it explicitly: `{% render_section name:'Footer', required:false %}`.
3. Verify the layout shape actually defines a zone with that name (see also the 'Zone not found' error for the required case).

Example fix

// before
{% render_section required:true %}
// after
{% render_section name:'Footer', required:true %}

{% if section_name == blank %}{% // render_section requires a name argument %}{% else %}{% render_section section_name %}{% endif %}

When it happens

Trigger: `{% render_section %}` with no arguments at all, or only unrelated named arguments such as `{% render_section required:true %}` (no `name` / first positional value).

Common situations: Template scaffolds with the zone name left as a TODO placeholder; refactoring that removed the literal name; dynamic zone names passed as a null variable.

Understand the failure class

Background: "missing required argument" and "the following required arguments were not provided": what required-argument errors mean and how to fix them — this error's family across 20 libraries.

Related errors

• page_title tag requires a segment argument
• Cannot override href with other properties
• Format of the link cannot be determined based on the…
• Zone not found while invoking 'render_section':
• An implementation of 'LiquidTemplateContext' is required

AI-assisted analysis of OrchardCMS/OrchardCore@4306c0717f (2026-09-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/f3e508b94b83c0a1. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at src/OrchardCore/OrchardCore.DisplayManagement.Liquid/Tags/RenderSectionTag.cs:21

using Fluid.Ast;
using Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection;
using OrchardCore.DisplayManagement.Layout;
using OrchardCore.Liquid;

namespace OrchardCore.DisplayManagement.Liquid.Tags;

public class RenderSectionTag
{
    public static async ValueTask<Completion> WriteToAsync(IReadOnlyList<FilterArgument> argumentsList, TextWriter writer, TextEncoder encoder, TemplateContext context)
    {
        var services = ((LiquidTemplateContext)context).Services;

        var layout = await services.GetRequiredService<ILayoutAccessor>().GetLayoutAsync();
        var displayHelper = services.GetRequiredService<IDisplayHelper>();

        var arguments = new NamedExpressionList(argumentsList);

        var nameExpression = arguments["name", 0] ?? throw new ArgumentException("render_section tag requires a name argument");
        var name = (await nameExpression.EvaluateAsync(context)).ToStringValue();

        var requiredExpression = arguments["required", 1];
        var required = requiredExpression != null && (await requiredExpression.EvaluateAsync(context)).ToBooleanValue();

        var zone = layout.Zones[name];

        if (zone.IsNullOrEmpty())
        {
            if (required)
            {
                throw new InvalidOperationException("Zone not found while invoking 'render_section': " + name);
            }

            return Completion.Normal;
        }

        var htmlContent = await displayHelper.ShapeExecuteAsync(zone);

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