A template is the design of one kind of page on your Ghost site, such as a post, a tag archive or the front page. Every project starts with six built-in templates, and you add more for one post, a tag, a collection or an error page. Click the page icon at the top of the icon rail, Templates, to list them. Click a template to open it on the canvas and its settings in the right sidebar.
Built-in templates
These six are in every project and cannot be removed. Each starts with the sections listed.
Template
File
What Ghost shows with it
Sections it starts with
Homepage
home.hbs
The front page of your site, at /
Featured Posts, Newsletter CTA, Latest Posts
Collections
index.hbs
The next pages of your post list, /page/2/ and on, or the whole list when you give it its own Path
Posts
Post
post.hbs
Every post that no other template matches
Post Header, Featured Media, Post Content, Post Comments, Related Posts
Page
page.hbs
Every page that no other template matches
Page Header, Featured Media, Post Content
Tag
tag.hbs
The list of a tag's posts, such as /tag/travel/
Tag Header, Featured Media, Tag Posts
Author
author.hbs
The list of an author's posts, such as /author/sarah/
Click + next to Templates to open the Add Template menu. A template you add appears under the template it is based on, such as /about under Page. Custom templates get their own heading, Custom, and error pages get Error.
Menu item
What it adds
File
Ghost uses it for
Post template
Post for specific slug or Post by tag
post- and the slug, or a file under partials/templates/
One post, or every post with an internal tag
Page template
Page for specific slug or Page by tag
page- and the slug, or a file under partials/templates/
A new template for a slug, a tag or a custom name starts as a copy of the current Post, Page, Tag or Author template, so it already has your design. A new error page starts with one section, Error Message, which holds a heading, the error message and a Back to home button.
The menu also offers ready-made items. Each one disappears from the menu once your project has it.
Recommended pages: About, Contact, Authors, Tags and Recommendations add a Page template for that slug. Contact, Authors, Tags and Recommendations come with their own sections, such as a contact form or a list of all tags. The contact form needs the address of your form service, as Add a contact form explains. About starts as a copy of Page.
Recommended collections: Projects, Courses, Writings and News add a collection at that address, with a Post template for its internal tag: #project, #course, #writing and #news.
Custom: shows while your project has no custom template. It adds a custom template named Narrow, a post design with narrow text and no sidebar.
Template settings
Select a template in the list, and the Template tab of the right sidebar shows its settings. The first line says when Ghost uses the template. The fields depend on the kind of template.
Setting
Shows for
What it does
Slug
Templates for one post, page, tag or author
The Ghost slug the template is for, such as about.
Internal tag
Templates for a tag
The internal tag the template is for, such as #review.
Template name
Custom templates
The name, which also sets the file name, such as custom-longform.hbs.
Path
Collections and collections you add
The address of the post list, such as projects for /projects/.
Post permalink
Collections and collections you add
The address of each post in the list, such as /{slug}/. It must hold {slug} once.
Internal tag
Collections you add
The internal tag, without #, that writers add to a post in Ghost to put it into the collection.
URL slug
Tag and Author
The first part of the address of every tag or author page, tag or author by default.
File
All
The file name in your theme.
Sections
All
How many sections the template has.
Layout
All
The layout that gives the template its header, footer and dialogs. A template for a tag shows the layout of Post or Page instead, and follows it.
A change to Path, Post permalink or URL slug changes your site's addresses, which Ghost reads from a routes file. Upload routes.yaml explains it.
Template menu
Right-click a template in the list to open its menu.
Item
What it does
Open fullscreen
Shows the template alone on the canvas.
Add Post Template… and the other Add items
Opens the form that adds a template under this one. Shows on the built-in template at the top of each group, such as Post.
Layout
Picks the template's layout, or New layout to make an empty one for it. Not shown for a template for a tag.
Delete template
Removes a template you added, with its sections, after you confirm. The six built-in templates cannot be removed.
Limits
A project holds up to 36 templates besides the six built-in ones, of every kind together. Of those, up to 16 can be templates for a tag and up to 16 can be collections. At one of these limits, Fantasma shows a message such as "The project cannot accept more tagged templates."
When the slug, tag or name you enter already has a template, the template is not added, and Fantasma shows Could not create template.
A template is the design of one kind of page on your Ghost site, such as a post, a tag archive or the front page. Every project starts with six built-in templates, and you add more for one post, a tag, a collection or an error page. Click the page icon at the top of the icon rail, Templates, to list them. Click a template to open it on the canvas and its settings in the right sidebar.
Built-in templates
These six are in every project and cannot be removed. Each starts with the sections listed.
Template
File
What Ghost shows with it
Sections it starts with
Homepage
home.hbsThe front page of your site, at
/Featured Posts, Newsletter CTA, Latest Posts
Collections
index.hbsThe next pages of your post list,
/page/2/and on, or the whole list when you give it its own PathPosts
Post
post.hbsEvery post that no other template matches
Post Header, Featured Media, Post Content, Post Comments, Related Posts
Page
page.hbsEvery page that no other template matches
Page Header, Featured Media, Post Content
Tag
tag.hbsThe list of a tag's posts, such as
/tag/travel/Tag Header, Featured Media, Tag Posts
Author
author.hbsThe list of an author's posts, such as
/author/sarah/Author Header, Author Posts
Which template Ghost uses for each page explains which template wins when several match. Your Ghost site gets your templates when you publish your theme or upload it again.
Templates you can add
Click + next to Templates to open the Add Template menu. A template you add appears under the template it is based on, such as
/aboutunder Page. Custom templates get their own heading, Custom, and error pages get Error.Menu item
What it adds
File
Ghost uses it for
Post template
Post for specific slug or Post by tag
post-and the slug, or a file underpartials/templates/One post, or every post with an internal tag
Page template
Page for specific slug or Page by tag
page-and the slug, or a file underpartials/templates/One page, or every page with an internal tag
Collection
Custom collection
The collection's name, such as
resources.hbsA list of posts at its own address
Custom template
A template with the name you enter
custom-and the namePosts and pages a writer gives it in Ghost
Tag template
Tag for specific Slug
tag-and the slugOne tag's list of posts
Author template
Author for specific Slug
author-and the slugOne author's list of posts
Error pages
Error, 404 Error, 4xx Error or 5xx Error
error.hbs,error-404.hbs,error-4xx.hbs,error-5xx.hbsPages that show an error
A new template for a slug, a tag or a custom name starts as a copy of the current Post, Page, Tag or Author template, so it already has your design. A new error page starts with one section, Error Message, which holds a heading, the error message and a Back to home button.
The menu also offers ready-made items. Each one disappears from the menu once your project has it.
#project,#course,#writingand#news.Template settings
Select a template in the list, and the Template tab of the right sidebar shows its settings. The first line says when Ghost uses the template. The fields depend on the kind of template.
Setting
Shows for
What it does
Slug
Templates for one post, page, tag or author
The Ghost slug the template is for, such as
about.Internal tag
Templates for a tag
The internal tag the template is for, such as
#review.Template name
Custom templates
The name, which also sets the file name, such as
custom-longform.hbs.Path
Collections and collections you add
The address of the post list, such as
projectsfor/projects/.Post permalink
Collections and collections you add
The address of each post in the list, such as
/{slug}/. It must hold{slug}once.Internal tag
Collections you add
The internal tag, without
#, that writers add to a post in Ghost to put it into the collection.URL slug
Tag and Author
The first part of the address of every tag or author page,
tagorauthorby default.File
All
The file name in your theme.
Sections
All
How many sections the template has.
Layout
All
The layout that gives the template its header, footer and dialogs. A template for a tag shows the layout of Post or Page instead, and follows it.
A change to Path, Post permalink or URL slug changes your site's addresses, which Ghost reads from a routes file. Upload routes.yaml explains it.
Template menu
Right-click a template in the list to open its menu.
Item
What it does
Open fullscreen
Shows the template alone on the canvas.
Add Post Template… and the other Add items
Opens the form that adds a template under this one. Shows on the built-in template at the top of each group, such as Post.
Layout
Picks the template's layout, or New layout to make an empty one for it. Not shown for a template for a tag.
Delete template
Removes a template you added, with its sections, after you confirm. The six built-in templates cannot be removed.
Limits
A project holds up to 36 templates besides the six built-in ones, of every kind together. Of those, up to 16 can be templates for a tag and up to 16 can be collections. At one of these limits, Fantasma shows a message such as "The project cannot accept more tagged templates."
When the slug, tag or name you enter already has a template, the template is not added, and Fantasma shows Could not create template.