Theme Integration

This document explains how the Minimal Mistakes theme is integrated and customized.

Remote Theme Setup

The site uses Minimal Mistakes as a remote theme, loaded from GitHub:

# _config.yml
remote_theme: mmistakes/minimal-mistakes@4.27.0

Benefits of Remote Theme

• Smaller repository: Theme files not stored locally
• Easy updates: Change version number to upgrade
• GitHub Pages compatible: Works with standard GitHub Pages build
• Override capability: Local files take precedence

How Remote Theme Loading Works

Build Process:
1. Jekyll reads _config.yml
2. Downloads theme from GitHub
3. Merges local overrides
4. Builds the site

Theme Version

Current version: 4.27.0

To update the theme, change the version in _config.yml:

# Update to a new version
remote_theme: mmistakes/minimal-mistakes@4.28.0

Warning: Test updates locally before deploying. Theme updates may introduce breaking changes.

Skin Configuration

The theme uses skins for color schemes:

minimal_mistakes_skin: dirt

Available Skins

Local Overrides

Files in this repository override theme files. The following are customized:

Layouts (/_layouts/)

Includes (/_includes/)

SCSS (/_sass/)

Key Customizations

1. Disabled Features

Several theme features are disabled for a cleaner design:

# _config.yml
search: false              # No site search
atom_feed:
  hide: true               # No visible feed link

# In defaults
author_profile: false      # No author sidebar
read_time: false           # No reading time
comments: false            # No comments
share: false               # No share buttons
related: false             # No related posts

2. Typography Adjustments

In _sass/minimal-mistakes/_variables.scss:

// Custom type sizes
$type-size-6x: 0.85em;  // Added intermediate size
$type-size-6: 0.75em;
$type-size-7: 0.7em;

// Breakpoints adjusted
$x-large: 980px;
$max-width: $x-large;

3. Animation Removal

Transitions are disabled for faster perceived loading:

// _sass/minimal-mistakes.scss
$intro-transition: none;
$global-transition: none;

4. Footer Customization

Custom footer with year range in _includes/footer.html:

<div class="page__footer-copyright">
  &copy; 2021–2026 Henk van der Schuur
</div>

5. Font Awesome Integration

Custom Font Awesome kit in _includes/head.html:

<script src="https://kit.fontawesome.com/dac1d6028f.js" crossorigin="anonymous"></script>

Theme Components Used

Active Components

• Masthead: Top navigation bar
• Single layout: Post/page display
• Archive single: Post excerpts in lists
• Pagination: Multi-page navigation
• Footer: Site footer
• SEO tags: Meta tag generation

Inactive Components

• Author profile sidebar
• Comments (Disqus, Giscus, etc.)
• Search (Algolia, Lunr)
• Social sharing buttons
• Related posts
• Breadcrumbs
• Table of contents

Default Front Matter

Defaults are set in _config.yml to avoid repetition:

defaults:
  # Posts
  - scope:
      path: ""
      type: posts
    values:
      layout: single
      author_profile: false
      read_time: false
      show_date: true
      comments: false
      share: false
      related: false

  # Pages
  - scope:
      path: "_pages"
      type: pages
    values:
      layout: single
      author_profile: false
      related: false

How to Override Theme Files

1. Find the Original File

Browse the Minimal Mistakes repository for the file you want to override.

2. Copy to Local Directory

Copy the file to the same relative path in your repository:

# Example: Override the footer
# Theme file: _includes/footer.html
# Copy to: your-repo/_includes/footer.html

3. Modify as Needed

Edit the local copy. Jekyll will use your version instead of the theme’s.

4. Test Locally

bundle exec jekyll serve

Updating the Theme

Check for Updates

Visit the Minimal Mistakes releases page.

Update Process

1. Read the changelog for breaking changes
2. Update _config.yml:

   remote_theme: mmistakes/minimal-mistakes@NEW_VERSION
   

3. Test locally: bundle exec jekyll serve
4. Check all pages render correctly
5. Deploy

Handling Breaking Changes

If an update breaks customizations:

1. Check the changelog for migration notes
2. Compare your overridden files with the new theme versions
3. Update local overrides to match new structure

Theme Documentation

For comprehensive theme documentation, see:

• Minimal Mistakes Quick-Start Guide
• Configuration
• Layouts
• Helpers