Ghost Release: 1.22.6

TL;DR

Ghost 1.22.6 is a maintenance release that fixes critical Internet Explorer 11 compatibility issues, improves transaction handling in the database layer, enhances the Koenig editor with versioned rendering capabilities, and fixes a client build log issue. This release ensures better browser compatibility and lays groundwork for the upcoming Koenig editor while maintaining backward compatibility.

Highlight of the Release

• Fixed critical Internet Explorer 11 compatibility issues that were causing invalid character and 'define' is undefined errors
• Standardized database transaction handling using models.Base.transaction
• Added versioned rendering support for the Koenig editor
• Improved client build process with better error handling for failed builds

Migration Guide

No migration steps are required for this release. The update can be installed normally without any additional configuration changes.

For developers working with custom code that uses database transactions:

• Consider updating any instances of knex.transaction to use models.Base.transaction for better consistency with the core codebase

Upgrade Recommendations

This release is recommended for all Ghost installations, especially for sites with visitors using Internet Explorer 11. The bug fixes for IE11 compatibility issues are important for maintaining a consistent experience across all supported browsers.

The upgrade process is standard:

1. Back up your Ghost installation
2. Follow the normal update procedure for your installation method (Git, Docker, or direct install)
3. No database migrations or special steps are required

Bug Fixes

Browser Compatibility

• Fixed invalid character errors in Internet Explorer 11
• Fixed 'define' is undefined errors in Internet Explorer 11

Build Process

• Fixed an issue where the repeating client build log would continue even after a build error
• Modified bgShell config to cancel the repeating message when there is output on the stderr pipe from ember-cli
• Improves developer experience when working with the Ghost client

New Features

Koenig Editor Versioned Renderer

The Koenig editor implementation continues to progress with the addition of a versioned renderer for mobiledoc content:

• Added version support to the mobiledoc converter's render method:

  • Version 1: Original Ghost 1.0 markdown-only renderer output
  • Version 2: Full Koenig mobiledoc renderer with enhanced formatting

• Automatic version selection in the Post model's onSaving hook:

  • Uses version 1 by default for backward compatibility
  • Switches to version 2 when Koenig is enabled (currently behind dev experiments config and labs flag)
  • Falls back to version 2 if the post's mobiledoc isn't compatible with the markdown-only renderer

• Enhanced rendering in version 2:

  • Content wrapped in a .kg-post div for better styling control
  • Removed unnecessary wrappers around markdown and HTML card output
  • Added classes to image card output for selected image size/style options

Security Updates

No security fixes were included in this release.

Performance Improvements

Database Transaction Handling

• Standardized the approach to database transactions by replacing mixed usage of knex.transaction with models.Base.transaction
• This change ensures consistent transaction handling throughout the codebase
• Improves compatibility with Bookshelf transactions, which is particularly important following changes in commit fb79f24

Impact Summary

Ghost 1.22.6 is primarily a maintenance release focused on browser compatibility and internal improvements. The IE11 fixes ensure Ghost sites work properly for all visitors regardless of browser choice.

The standardization of database transaction handling improves code consistency and reliability. The Koenig editor versioned renderer lays important groundwork for the upcoming editor while maintaining backward compatibility with existing content.

This release demonstrates Ghost's commitment to both browser compatibility and forward-looking editor improvements, balancing immediate fixes with strategic enhancements that will benefit users in future releases.

Full Release Notes