Ghost Release: 5.59.0

TL;DR

Ghost v5.59.0 introduces a new enhanced Header Card for better content presentation, adds support for relative links in emails, and includes several bug fixes for member filtering, newsletter subscriber counts, and the beta editor. The update also improves the handling of custom routed pages and fixes issues with member signup attribution. This release enhances both content creation capabilities and member management functionality.

Highlight of the Release

• New enhanced Header Card for better content presentation
• Support for relative links in emails improving reader experience
• Tips & Donations feature with currency and suggested amount support
• Fixed member filtering and newsletter subscriber count issues
• Improved file drop area in beta editor

Migration Guide

No breaking changes were introduced in this release that would require migration steps. The new features like the enhanced Header Card and Tips & Donations support are added in a way that maintains compatibility with existing content.

If you're using custom themes that interact with the header card, you may want to review the updated styling to ensure compatibility with the new enhanced Header Card.

For developers working with the Redis cache adapter, note that synthetic timestamp-based cache resets have been removed in favor of native reset support.

Upgrade Recommendations

This release is recommended for all Ghost users, especially those who:

1. Create content with header cards and want access to the enhanced version
2. Want to implement Tips & Donations to monetize their content
3. Have experienced issues with member filtering or newsletter subscriber counts
4. Use the beta editor and have encountered file drop limitations

The update includes important bug fixes and performance improvements with no breaking changes, making it a safe upgrade for all installations. As always, it's recommended to backup your database before upgrading.

Bug Fixes

Member Management Fixes

• Fixed incorrect newsletter subscriber count on the dashboard that wasn't taking into account members with disabled emails
• Fixed member filtering by single newsletter subscription, which was erroneously returning members with disabled emails
• Fixed member signup source attribution to Stripe, ensuring the original referrer is preserved

Theme and Rendering Fixes

• Fixed missing @page object in themes when rendering custom routed pages
• Fixed bookmark card renderer for consistency between mobiledoc and lexical
• Fixed enormous site icon issue in Outlook by adding explicit image size markup

Editor Fixes

• Fixed overly small file drop area in beta editor by adding drop handler to the whole editor pane
• Fixed Portal temporary donation link saved in browser history
• Added Sentry reporting for slow editor saves to help diagnose performance issues

New Features

Enhanced Header Card

The new Header Card provides improved content presentation options with better styling and functionality. This update removes the previous headerUpgrade feature flag, making the new header card available by default in the editor.

Tips & Donations Support

This release adds comprehensive support for the Tips & Donations feature:

• Added logic for currency selection and suggested donation amounts
• Implemented email notifications for new donations
• Added donation events to activity feeds
• Created validation for minimum and maximum suggested amounts based on currency
• Wired up "Connect with Stripe" button for tips and donations setup

Relative Links in Emails

Added support for relative URLs in emails, which will be automatically replaced with absolute URLs using the post URL. This enables a smoother experience for readers clicking Portal links in emails, keeping them in context rather than redirecting to the homepage.

AdminX Code Injection Section

Added a new AdminX code injection section, providing a modern interface for managing site-wide code injection.

Lexical Editor Improvements

• Added feature to convert and open mobiledoc posts in the lexical editor
• Added origin tracking to beta editor feedback for better error association
• Improved file drop area in the beta editor

Security Updates

No specific security fixes were mentioned in this release.

Performance Improvements

Database Performance

Added an index on the posts table for the published_at column, which improves performance for prev/next helpers and other queries that use published_at for comparisons. This prevents full table scans and should provide a slight performance boost across the system.

Cache Management

• Added support for non-cluster connections in the Redis cache adapter
• Added methods to get all raw keys and reset the Redis cache
• Improved error handling for cache reset function
• Removed synthetic timestamp-based cache resets in favor of native reset support

Explore Interface Optimization

Prevented the Explore iframe from loading before needed, which reduces initial load time and resource usage in the Admin interface.

Impact Summary

Ghost v5.59.0 delivers significant enhancements to content creation tools with the new Header Card and improved email link handling. The introduction of Tips & Donations functionality opens up new monetization options for publishers beyond traditional memberships.

The bug fixes for member management and newsletter metrics ensure more accurate data for site administrators, while performance improvements to the database and cache systems should result in better overall site performance.

For developers, the fixes to theme rendering and the addition of Sentry reporting for editor performance issues provide better tools for troubleshooting and optimization.

This release balances new features with important fixes and optimizations, making it a valuable update for all Ghost users without introducing breaking changes or requiring complex migrations.

Full Release Notes