Ghost Release: 1.13.0

TL;DR

Ghost 1.13.0 introduces custom post templates and primary tag filtering, giving theme developers and content creators more flexibility in designing and organizing their content. This release enhances the theming system by allowing specific templates for individual posts and improves content organization with primary tag filtering capabilities. These features provide more granular control over content presentation and better organization options for Ghost-powered websites.

Highlight of the Release

• Custom post templates allow for unique layouts for individual posts
• Primary tag filtering enables better content organization
• Improved RSS feed handling for custom channels
• Request ID header for better system tracking
• Authors and Editors can now access theme information via API

Migration Guide

Custom Post Templates

If you're a theme developer, you should be aware of the new template priority system:

1. post/page-{{slug}}.hbs
2. {{custom_template}}.hbs
3. post/page.hbs

Your theme's custom templates will now be automatically detected by Ghost and made available for content creators to select.

Primary Tag Filtering

When using the primary_tag filter in the API, be aware that there are currently limitations on combining it with other tag filters. Until Ghost Query Language (GQL) is refactored, it won't be possible to create filters that use primary_tag AND/OR other tag filters together.

Upgrade Recommendations

This is a feature release that adds significant new capabilities without breaking existing functionality. It's recommended for all users to upgrade to take advantage of the new custom post templates and primary tag filtering features.

Theme developers should review their themes to ensure compatibility with the new custom template system and consider adding custom templates to enhance their themes' flexibility.

API users should test any implementations that rely on tag filtering to ensure compatibility with the new primary_tag filtering capabilities.

Bug Fixes

RSS Feed URL Structure

Fixed issues with hardcoded URL structures in RSS feeds that prevented proper functioning with custom channels. The system now generates feed URLs dynamically rather than relying on hardcoded configurations.

Controller Structure

Improved the controller/routing system for blogs by splitting preview and single controllers from the index, making the codebase less confusing and more maintainable.

New Features

Custom Post Templates

Ghost now supports custom templates for individual posts, giving theme developers and content creators more flexibility in designing unique layouts. The template priority system has been updated to:

1. post/page-{{slug}}.hbs
2. {{custom_template}}.hbs
3. post/page.hbs

This feature allows for more granular control over how specific content is displayed without requiring custom code for each post.

Primary Tag Filtering

Content can now be filtered based on primary_tag, which is a calculated field representing the first tag assigned to a post. This enhancement improves content organization capabilities and makes it easier to create tag-based navigation and filtering systems.

Custom Channel Contexts

Ghost now allows custom contexts to use existing channel logic, enabling the creation of custom tag-based channels that inherit the same metadata logic as built-in channels.

Request ID Header

A new request ID header has been added to help track requests through different systems. This header is case-insensitive and improves debugging and monitoring capabilities.

Improved RSS Feed Handling

Hardcoded URL structures have been removed from RSS feeds, ensuring that feeds work properly for custom channels. This change makes RSS feeds more flexible and adaptable to different site configurations.

Security Updates

No specific security fixes were mentioned in this release.

Performance Improvements

Controller Restructuring

The splitting of preview and single controllers from the index represents a step toward a more efficient and less confusing controller/routing system for blogs, which should improve code maintainability and potentially performance.

Impact Summary

Ghost 1.13.0 significantly enhances the theming system with custom post templates and improves content organization through primary tag filtering. These features give both theme developers and content creators more control over how content is presented and organized.

The custom post templates feature allows for unique layouts for individual posts without requiring custom code for each one, streamlining the process of creating visually diverse content. This is particularly valuable for sites that feature different types of content that benefit from distinct presentations.

The primary tag filtering capability enhances content organization by allowing filtering based on the first tag assigned to a post. This makes it easier to create tag-based navigation systems and improves content discoverability.

Additional improvements to RSS feeds and the introduction of request ID headers enhance the platform's flexibility and monitoring capabilities. The controller restructuring represents ongoing efforts to improve Ghost's codebase organization and maintainability.

Overall, this release focuses on giving users more control and flexibility while maintaining Ghost's commitment to a clean, user-friendly publishing experience.

Full Release Notes