Ghost Release: 1.8.0

TL;DR

Ghost 1.8.0 brings improved error handling for theme helpers, fixes for admin UI issues, and updates to the default Casper theme. This release focuses on stability and user experience improvements, addressing several bugs that could cause unexpected behavior or poor error feedback. The update to Casper 2.1.0 includes styling refinements for blockquotes and h5 elements that theme developers should note.

Highlight of the Release

• Updated default Casper theme to version 2.1.0 with styling improvements
• Fixed redirects loop when using custom admin URL
• Improved error handling in theme helpers
• Fixed UI issues in the admin interface including post saving indicator and code injection editor

Migration Guide

Casper Theme Changes

If you're using the default Casper theme or have customized it, be aware that version 2.1.0 includes styling changes to <blockquote> and <h5> elements. If you've made custom modifications to these elements in your CSS, you may need to review and adjust your customizations.

Theme Development

The {{img_url}} helper now issues warnings instead of errors for incorrect usage. While this makes development more forgiving, it's still recommended to fix any instances where the helper is being used incorrectly in your themes.

Upgrade Recommendations

This is a minor version update (1.7.1 → 1.8.0) that focuses on bug fixes and stability improvements. It's recommended for all Ghost users to upgrade to benefit from the improved error handling and fixed UI issues.

The update should be straightforward with no breaking changes reported. As always, it's recommended to:

1. Back up your Ghost installation before upgrading
2. Test the upgrade in a staging environment if possible
3. Review any custom theme modifications, especially if you've customized the Casper theme's blockquote or h5 styling

Bug Fixes

Admin Interface Fixes

• Fixed post saving indicator that previously only showed for autosaves (TryGhost/Admin#842)
• Fixed issue where tags added via Post Settings Menu (PSM) had "public" visibility instead of respecting settings (TryGhost/Admin#841)
• Fixed double-scrollbar in code injection editor (TryGhost/Admin#838)

Core System Fixes

• Fixed redirects loop that occurred when admin URL was configured differently from blog URL (#8950)

Theme Helper Improvements

• Improved error handling in async helpers to ensure callbacks are always called even when errors occur
• Added proper error handling to prev/next post helpers
• Changed {{img_url}} helper to show warnings instead of throwing errors for incorrect usage
• Better differentiation between cases where no attribute is passed to {{img_url}} versus when the attribute evaluates to undefined

New Features

Casper Theme Update

Ghost's default theme Casper has been updated to version 2.1.0, which includes:

• Refined styling for <blockquote> elements
• Updated styling for <h5> heading elements

For more details on these changes, refer to the Casper 2.1.0 Release Notes.

Security Updates

No security fixes were mentioned in this release.

Performance Improvements

No specific performance improvements were highlighted in this release. The focus appears to be on bug fixes and stability improvements rather than performance enhancements.

Impact Summary

Ghost 1.8.0 is primarily a maintenance release that improves stability and fixes several bugs. The most notable changes include:

1. Better error handling: Multiple improvements to how errors are handled in theme helpers, making the system more robust and providing better feedback during development.

2. Admin UI fixes: Several quality-of-life improvements in the admin interface, including fixes for the post saving indicator, tag visibility in the Post Settings Menu, and the code injection editor.

3. Casper theme update: The default theme now has refined styling for blockquotes and h5 elements.

4. Redirect fix: Resolved an issue where users could get caught in a redirect loop when using a custom admin URL.

These changes collectively improve the development experience when working with Ghost themes and enhance the usability of the admin interface for content creators and site administrators.

Full Release Notes