Ghost Release: 0.4.0 RC3

TL;DR

Ghost 0.4.0-pre3: Stability Improvements and UI Refinements

This pre-release focuses on fixing several critical issues including random admin log-outs, improving error messages, and enhancing the editor experience. While still not production-ready, this release brings Ghost closer to a stable 0.4.0 with important fixes for the admin interface and asset handling.

Highlight of the Release

• Fixed random admin log-outs by improving cookie handling
• Enhanced editor experience by preventing text selection in preview mode
• Improved error messaging for image uploads
• Fixed duplicate binding issue with debug importer upload button
• Updated to latest Casper theme

Migration Guide

This is a pre-release version (0.4.0-pre3) and is intended for testing purposes only. No specific migration steps are required from 0.4.0-pre2, but as with any pre-release:

• Back up your content before testing
• Do not use on production environments
• Install using npm install --production (no Grunt tasks required)

For full installation instructions, refer to the Ghost documentation.

Upgrade Recommendations

This is a pre-release version intended for testing only. If you're already running 0.4.0-pre2 for testing purposes, upgrading to pre3 is recommended to test the latest fixes.

Do not upgrade production environments to this version. Wait for the final 0.4.0 release for production use.

For developers and testers who want to help identify issues before the stable release, this update provides important fixes for the admin interface and editor experience.

Bug Fixes

• Admin Session Stability: Fixed random log-outs by ensuring cookies are only set for admin paths with proper trailing slashes (#1901).
• Editor Preview Improvements: Prevented text selection cursor in rendered preview mode, which also stops the backspace key from causing unintended navigation/deletion (#1595).
• Debug Importer Fix: Prevented duplicate binding of upload button on debug importer (#1899).
• Asset Helper Enhancements:
  • Now correctly ignores when theme developers specify the asset directory
  • Properly strips leading slashes
  • Fixed incorrect static asset tests
• Image Upload Errors: Improved error handling and messaging when uploading images.

New Features

• Updated Casper Theme: The default theme has been updated to the latest version.
• Improved Settings Page: Updated help text wording on the settings page for better clarity.
• Enhanced Error Messages: More informative non-fatal error messages when running Ghost.

Security Updates

• Cookie Handling: Improved security by ensuring cookies are only ever set for admin paths, with proper trailing slashes added to cookie paths.

Performance Improvements

No specific performance improvements were mentioned in this pre-release. The focus appears to be on bug fixes and UI enhancements rather than performance optimizations.

Impact Summary

Ghost 0.4.0-pre3 is primarily a bug-fix release that addresses several important issues affecting the admin experience. The most significant impact is the resolution of random log-outs by improving cookie handling, which should make the admin interface more stable for testing.

Content creators will benefit from improvements to the editor, particularly the fix that prevents text selection in preview mode and stops the backspace key from causing unintended navigation or content deletion.

The update to the latest Casper theme and improvements to asset handling will be of interest to theme developers. While this release doesn't introduce major new features, it represents an important step toward stability for the upcoming 0.4.0 release.

As a pre-release, this version should still only be used in testing environments, not in production.

Full Release Notes