Ghost Release: 3.24.0

TL;DR

Ghost 3.24.0 introduces enhanced tag metadata support, improved Content API resource ordering, and fixes for portal settings. This release enables developers to leverage tag-specific metadata for SEO and social sharing, adds the ability to order resources based on slug filters, and resolves issues with portal settings after upgrading from previous versions.

Highlight of the Release

• Enhanced tag metadata support for improved SEO and social sharing
• Content API resource ordering based on slug filters
• Fixed portal settings issues after upgrading from previous versions
• Improved error messages for duplicate member emails

Migration Guide

Settings Integrity

This release includes changes related to the settings table structure that was modified in v3.22, which added new columns for group and flags. If you've added custom settings to your Ghost installation, note that:

1. Any new setting needs explicit group and flag migrations, or they will fall back to the default group value of core
2. New integrity tests have been added to ensure:
   • The hash is updated in DB integrity tests whenever default settings are changed
   • A migration is present by maintaining a whitelist of allowed core settings

If you're upgrading from a version prior to 3.22, the migration included in this release will automatically update the new portal settings to the correct group.

Upgrade Recommendations

This is a minor release with new features and bug fixes. It's recommended for all users to upgrade, especially those who:

1. Use tag metadata for SEO purposes
2. Need to order Content API resources based on slug filters
3. Have experienced issues with portal settings after upgrading from pre-3.22 versions

The upgrade should be straightforward with no breaking changes reported. As always, it's recommended to backup your database before upgrading.

Bug Fixes

Portal Settings Fix

Fixed an issue where portal settings added in v3.23 (portal_button_style, portal_button_icon, portal_button_signup_text) were assigned to the incorrect group when migrating from pre-3.22 versions. This release includes a migration to update these settings to the correct group.

Member Error Message Improvement

Updated the error message when attempting to add a member with an email address that already exists. The message has been changed from "Duplicate email address" to a more descriptive message.

Author Resource Serializer Fix

Fixed the default filtering for the author resource in Content API. The serializer was previously missing from the serializers/index.js module.

New Features

Enhanced Tag Metadata Support

Ghost now supports tag-specific metadata for SEO and social sharing. The following frontend meta helpers have been updated to use tag metadata:

• canonicalUrl - Uses canonical_url with fallback to previous functionality
• ogTitle - Uses og_title with fallback to previous functionality
• ogImage - Uses og_image with fallback to previous functionality
• ogDescription - Uses og_description with fallback to previous functionality
• twitterTitle - Uses twitter_title with fallback to previous functionality
• twitterImage - Uses twitter_image with fallback to previous functionality
• twitterDescription - Uses twitter_description with fallback to previous functionality

Content API Resource Ordering

Added support for ordering resources based on slug filters in the Content API. This applies to posts, pages, tags, and authors. Resources can now be ordered in the same sequence as slugs appear in the filter.

Example usage in a query parameter:

?filter=slug:[kitchen-sink,bacon,chorizo]

Example usage in Handlebars templates:

{{#get "tags" filter="slug:[slugs,of,the,tags,in,order]"}}

Tag Code Injection Support

Added support for tag-specific code injection to work with the ghost_head and ghost_foot helpers, allowing for more granular control over code injection based on tags.

Security Updates

No security fixes were mentioned in this release.

Performance Improvements

No specific performance improvements were mentioned in this release.

Impact Summary

Ghost 3.24.0 enhances the platform's SEO capabilities by adding support for tag-specific metadata, making it easier to optimize tag pages for search engines and social sharing. The new Content API resource ordering feature provides developers with more control over how content is displayed, particularly when using slug filters.

The release also addresses an important issue with portal settings that affected users who upgraded from versions prior to 3.22, ensuring that the new portal settings introduced in v3.23 work correctly.

For theme developers, the updated frontend meta helpers provide more flexibility when working with tag pages, while the addition of tag code injection support allows for more granular control over code that appears in the ghost_head and ghost_foot sections.

Overall, this release improves both developer experience and end-user functionality, with a focus on enhancing SEO capabilities and fixing issues from previous updates.

Full Release Notes