Bootstrap Freelancer 1.1.0: Small Fixes, Better Guides

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What started as a quick health check on the Bootstrap Freelancer theme looked grim at first glance. The assumption was that the theme had drifted too far and needed a rewrite. After a closer look, the problems were smaller and specific. A few missing pieces explained the rough edges people were running into. Version 1.1.0 addresses those areas and makes the theme easier to use without changing its feel.

Categories as first class citizens

Posts and project cards already showed tags as small pills. Categories were not displayed at all, which made it hard to scan related content at a glance. The fix was simple and explicit. A separate loop now renders category pills before the tag section so both taxonomies are visible.

Keeping categories visually distinct helps with scanning, so the pills use a different Bootstrap color than tags. The exact shades are theme defaults. The point is clarity rather than decoration. If you prefer a different mapping, the color utility classes live in one place so it is easy to adjust them for your own site.

Nothing else changed about the data model. The goal was to surface information that was already in the front matter so readers can orient themselves without opening each page.

Rethinking taxonomy pages

Clicking view all categories or view all tags used to land on sparse pages with missing hero images. A quick fix could have been to ship templates for those pages. That would have produced something that worked out of the box, but it would also have pushed the theme toward a heavier aesthetic that does not match the rest of the layout.

Instead of templating around the gaps, the demo site now includes clear examples of how to create focused category and tag pages that suit the theme. The examples show:

  • A short description section that explains the purpose of a category or tag in plain text.
  • A hero image that fits the style rather than a placeholder.
  • A simple list of posts that belong to the taxonomy, without extra chrome.

The theme stays light. Site owners who want richer taxonomy pages can copy the examples and tune content to taste. People who prefer the minimal look can keep a plain list and be done.

Why not more features

The Freelancer theme works best when it stays direct and readable. The aim for 1.1.0 was not to add depth for its own sake. It was to remove small surprises that made the theme feel unfinished. Making categories visible and documenting a clean way to build taxonomy pages moves the theme forward without changing what it is.

Release notes and where to get it

All changes are tagged in v1.1.0 and published on GitHub:

It is a small update, but it improves day to day use in the places that mattered. If you are already running the theme, pull the release and review your taxonomy pages. The examples in the demo are a good starting point if you want something more descriptive than a plain list.

Upgrade notes

  • If your cards already show tags, you will now also see category pills above them. If you rely on a particular color palette, adjust the utility classes to match your site’s scheme.
  • For categories and tags index pages, copy the example content from the demo and fill in your real descriptions and images. This produces a more intentional result than a generic template and keeps the overall look consistent.

The 1.1.0 release is about small improvements that make the theme feel cared for. Nothing dramatic, just the kind of finish work that brings the original intent back into focus.

Thanks for reading.

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