Hydeout

Hydeout is a Jekyll theme that modernizes the classic Hyde theme for Jekyll 3.x and 4.x, adding tag and category pages, a Google search layout, and pre-wired Disqus and Google Analytics integration.

What is Hydeout?

Hydeout is a refreshed version of Poole's Hyde theme, maintained by fongandrew, designed for Jekyll 3.x and 4.x. It takes standard Jekyll site content — posts, pages, and configuration in _config.yml — and renders a two-column blog layout with a sticky sidebar. The theme is distributed as a Ruby gem and can also be used as a remote theme on GitHub Pages via remote_theme: fongandrew/hydeout. It ships with a master branch for Jekyll 3.x and a recommended jekyll-v4 branch for new projects on Jekyll 4.x.

Key Features

• Tag pages — Add a page with the tags layout to get a sidebar-accessible archive of all site tags.
• Category pages — Create a category page with the category layout; category pages appear automatically in the sidebar.
• Sidebar sorting — Control the order of sidebar links with the sidebar_sort_order front-matter parameter; non-category pages sort first.
• Google search layout — Create a page with the search layout to add a redirect-to-Google search box.
• Disqus integration — Enable comments by setting disqus.shortname in _config.yml; override comments.html to swap in another provider.
• Google Analytics — Add a google_analytics property ID in the config to load analytics only when the variable is present.
• SASS variable theming — Customize sidebar colors, sticky positioning, layout direction, and link color by overriding variables like $sidebar-bg-color and $link-color in a custom assets/css/main.scss.
• Replaceable partials — Drop-in overrides for copyright, custom head/foot snippets, navigation links, icon links, favicons, and font loading via files in _includes.

Who is it for?

Jekyll bloggers who want a lightweight, plugin-free theme with a sidebar and built-in taxonomy pages. GitHub Pages users who rely on Jekyll 3.x on legacy deployments can keep using the master branch, while new projects should switch to the jekyll-v4 branch for full Jekyll 4 compatibility. Theme customizers who are comfortable editing SCSS and front matter can restyle the entire look by overriding a handful of SASS variables and partials.

What can you do with Hydeout?

• Publish a categorized blog — Set up a category page for each topic you write about, and they automatically appear in the sidebar without extra configuration.
• Add a search entry point — Create a search layout page to give readers a simple Google search that queries your site.
• Enable reader comments — Plug in a Disqus shortname and every post gets a comment thread; replace comments.html if you prefer a different service.
• Rebrand the sidebar — Change the sidebar background, text color, and link color with SCSS variables to match your personal brand.

How does Hydeout work?

Hydeout is installed like any Jekyll theme: add it to your Gemfile or use remote_theme: fongandrew/hydeout in _config.yml. It relies on Jekyll's pagination, so an index page must use the index layout and the config must include a paginate value (for example, paginate: 5). JavaScript stays out of the page unless you set the Disqus or Google Analytics variables.

FAQ

Which Hydeout branch should I use?

For all new projects, use the jekyll-v4 branch, which is actively maintained and supports Jekyll 4.x. The master branch exists for legacy Jekyll 3.x sites, particularly those deployed on GitHub Pages that still pin Jekyll 3.

How do I add Disqus comments?

Add disqus: shortname: your-shortname to your _config.yml file. The theme loads Disqus only when that variable is present; to use a different comment system, override the comments.html partial.

How do I change the sidebar colors?

Create an assets/css/main.scss file with front matter, define new values for SASS variables like $sidebar-bg-color and $link-color, then @import "hydeout";. See the _variables.scss file for the full list.

Does Hydeout include any JavaScript?

Hydeout keeps JavaScript to a minimum: it loads only Disqus and Google Analytics scripts, and only when you provide the corresponding configuration variables. Otherwise the theme is plugin-free and CSS-only.