Theme Version Display Implementation Summary

What Was Implemented

A complete automatic theme version display system for the zer0-mistakes Jekyll theme that shows version information and system details accessible from any page.

Key Components Created

1. Theme Information Display (_includes/components/theme-info.html)

• Automatically extracts theme version from gem specification (no hardcoding!)
• Displays comprehensive system information:
  • Theme name, repository, and version
  • Jekyll and Ruby versions
  • Build environment and timestamp
  • Active plugins
  • Technology stack
  • Site details
• Provides helpful links to:
  • Theme documentation
  • Changelog
  • Issue tracker
  • Discussions

2. Version Extraction Plugin (_plugins/theme_version.rb)

• Runs during Jekyll build process
• Scans for installed Jekyll theme gems
• Extracts version from Gem::Specification
• Makes version data available as site.theme_specs
• Handles both local gem and remote themes
• Logs version information during build

3. Modal Integration (Updated _includes/components/info-section.html)

• Added theme-info component to existing settings modal
• Maintains all existing functionality (breadcrumbs, search, dev shortcuts, dark mode)

4. Footer Access Point (Updated _includes/core/footer.html)

• Added “Info” button to footer for easy access
• Joins existing “Powered by” technologies list
• Opens the settings modal with theme information

5. Documentation (docs/THEME_VERSION_FEATURE.md)

• Complete feature documentation
• Usage instructions for theme users
• Developer guide for customization
• Troubleshooting section

How It Works

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    Jekyll Build Process                      │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                               │
│  1. Plugin Executes (_plugins/theme_version.rb)              │
│     ├─ Scans for jekyll-theme-* gems                        │
│     ├─ Extracts version from Gem::Specification             │
│     ├─ Handles remote_theme gracefully                       │
│     └─ Populates site.theme_specs array                     │
│                                                               │
│  2. Template Renders (_includes/components/theme-info.html)  │
│     ├─ Reads site.theme_specs data                          │
│     ├─ Displays version (or "Latest" for remote)            │
│     ├─ Shows Jekyll/Ruby versions                           │
│     ├─ Lists active plugins                                  │
│     └─ Provides documentation links                         │
│                                                               │
│  3. User Access Points                                        │
│     ├─ Header: Gear icon (⚙️) button                        │
│     ├─ Footer: "Info" button                                │
│     └─ Opens modal with all information                     │
│                                                               │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Benefits

✅ Zero Hardcoding: Version pulled automatically from gemspec
✅ Always Accurate: Reflects actual installed theme version
✅ User-Friendly: Accessible from any page via header/footer
✅ Comprehensive: Full system and environment information
✅ Maintainable: Single source of truth (version.rb)
✅ Helpful: Links to docs, changelog, support
✅ GitHub Pages Compatible: Works with remote_theme

Testing

To test this feature:

1. Build the site:

   bundle exec jekyll serve
   

2. Check build logs for theme version output:

   ThemeVersion: jekyll-theme-zer0 v0.5.0 (gem)
   

3. Access the info modal:
   • Click the gear icon (⚙️) in the header
   • Or click “Info” in the footer
4. Verify display:
   • Theme version shows correctly
   • Jekyll version matches your environment
   • Links work properly
   • Modal closes correctly

For it-journey Site

The it-journey site will automatically get this feature because it uses:

remote_theme: "bamr87/zer0-mistakes"

When GitHub Pages builds the site, it will:

1. Pull the latest zer0-mistakes theme
2. Run the theme_version.rb plugin
3. Display “Remote (Latest)” for the version
4. Show all system information in the modal

No changes needed to the it-journey repository!

Version Management

For Theme Developers (zer0-mistakes):

Update version in ONE place:

# lib/jekyll-theme-zer0/version.rb
module JekyllThemeZer0
  VERSION = "0.5.0"  # ← Only change here!
end

For Theme Users (it-journey):

No configuration needed! Version displays automatically.

Files Modified/Created

zer0-mistakes Repository:

• ✨ NEW: _includes/components/theme-info.html (Display template)
• ✨ NEW: _plugins/theme_version.rb (Version extraction)
• ✨ NEW: docs/THEME_VERSION_FEATURE.md (Documentation)
• 📝 UPDATED: _includes/components/info-section.html (Modal integration)
• 📝 UPDATED: _includes/core/footer.html (Info button)

it-journey Repository:

• ✅ NO CHANGES NEEDED (Feature works automatically!)

Next Steps

1. Test locally in zer0-mistakes repo
2. Commit and push to GitHub
3. Verify on it-journey site after theme updates
4. Optional: Add to theme README for user visibility

Future Enhancements

Consider adding:

• Version comparison (current vs latest available)
• Update notifications
• Inline changelog display
• Theme configuration preview
• Deprecation warnings

Result: A professional, maintainable, and user-friendly way to display theme version information that requires zero configuration and zero hardcoding! 🎉