Documentation

Version: 1.5.6 Framework: Ghost 6.x

Welcome to the official documentation for RAW theme. This guide covers everything from initial installation to advanced customization of the theme.

1. Getting Started

Installing the Theme

Follow these steps to add Raw to your Ghost site:

1. Log in to your Ghost Admin.
2. Go to Settings > Design & branding > Customize.
3. Click Change theme (bottom right).
4. Select Upload theme and choose the ghost-raw-theme.zip file you downloaded.
5. Once uploaded, click Activate.

Removing the Theme

If you need to remove Raw:

1. Go to Settings > Design & branding > Customize.
2. Click Change theme.
3. Find Raw in the list. Before deleting, activate a different theme (you can’t delete an active theme).
4. Click the ... menu next to Raw and select Delete. Confirm the deletion.

Updating the Theme

Keep Raw up-to-date with the latest features and improvements:

1. Download the latest version of the Raw theme zip file.
2. Go to Settings > Design & branding > Customize.
3. Click Change theme.
4. Select Upload theme and choose the new ghost-raw-theme.zip file.
5. Activate the updated theme.

Important: Updating overwrites any direct code changes you’ve made to theme files. If you’ve customized the code, back up your changes before updating.

Customization

Logo

Set your site’s logo for branding:

1. Go to Settings > Design & branding.
2. Under Brand, find Publication logo.
3. Click Upload logo and select your image file. Use a transparent background (like .png) for best results.
4. Click Save.

Social Media Links

Display social media icons in your site footer:

Facebook and X (formerly Twitter):

1. Go to Settings > General.
2. Scroll to Social accounts.
3. Enter your Facebook page URL and X profile URL.
4. Click Save.

Other Platforms (Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.):

1. Go to Go to Settings > Design & branding > Customize > Theme.
2. Find inputs for social link URLs.
3. Enter your social URLs.
4. Click Save.

Supported Platforms:

Use the lowercase platform name as the key (e.g., instagram, linkedin).

LinkedIn, Intagram, Youtube, TikTok, Threads, Bluesky

Author Social Links

Individual author profiles can display their personal social media links on author pages and in author bio sections:

Adding Social Links to Author Profiles:

1. Go to Settings > Staff in Ghost Admin.
2. Edit an author profile.
3. Scroll to the Social accounts section.
4. Fill in the relevant social platform fields.
5. Click Save.

Supported Platforms for Authors:

Authors can add links to these platforms directly in their Ghost profile:

Where Author Social Links Appear:

• Author archive pages (/author/username/)
• Author bio sections within posts
• The Authors listing page (if using the Authors template)

Author social links appear as icons with tooltips and open in new tabs when clicked.

Primary Navigation (Header)

Configure the main menu displayed in your site header:

1. Go to Settings > Navigation.
2. Edit items under Primary navigation.
3. To create dropdown submenus:
   • Add a main item (e.g., Resources). Set its URL to #.
   • Add sub-items directly below it, prefixing their labels with a dash - (e.g., - Documentation, - Tutorials). Assign actual URLs to these sub-items.
4. Click Save.

Secondary Navigation (Footer)

Configure the links displayed in your site footer, organized into columns:

1. Go to Settings > Navigation.
2. Edit items under Secondary navigation.
3. To create columns:
   • Add a column header item (e.g., Company). Set its URL to #.
   • Add the links for that column directly below the header (e.g., About Us, Contact).
   • Add another header item with URL # to start the next column (e.g., Legal).
   • Add links for the second column below its header (e.g., Privacy Policy, Terms of Service).
4. Click Save.

Links to external websites will automatically open in a new tab and show an indicator icon.

Homepage Setup

Hero Section

Create an eye-catching hero section on your homepage to welcome visitors and highlight your key message:

1. Go to Settings > Design & branding > Customize > Theme .
2. Expand the Homepage section.
3. Configure the hero section options:

Show hero:

• Toggle on/off.

Hero Headline:

• Add headline text in the Hero Headline field.

Hero Subheader:

• Add supporting text in the Hero Subheader field.

Hero Actions:

• Configure what buttons visitors can take in the Hero section.
• Buttons: Primary and Secondary with links assigned to every button

4. Click Save.

Note: The hero section only appears if toggle is on.

Header buttons

Raw header supports 2 custom buttons: Primary and Secondary

1. Go to Settings > Design & branding > Customize > Theme .
2. Expand the Homepage section.
3. Configure the header button options:

Primary button:

• Header primary button text
• Header primary button link

Secondary button:

• Header secondary button text
• Header secondary button link

4. Click Save.

Page Templates

Raw includes several templates for creating custom pages.

Authors Page

Create a page listing all site authors with their profiles:

1. Create a new page in Ghost Admin (e.g., title “Our Team”).
2. Open page settings (gear icon).
3. Under Template, select Authors.
4. Set the page URL to /authors.
5. Publish the page.

Ensure author profiles in Staff settings have a profile image, bio, and any relevant social links filled out.

Tags Page

Create a page listing all tags used on your site:

1. Create a new page (e.g., title “Topics”).
2. Open page settings.
3. Under Template, select Tags.
4. Publish the page.

Add this page to your site navigation for easy access. For best results, ensure your tags have descriptions and feature images set under Tags in Ghost Admin.