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WordPress 6.0, codenamed ‘Arturo,’ is now available with over a thousand enhancements and new features.
This update contains nearly 1,000 updates and improvements that make WordPress more user-friendly for both developers and end-users.
Among the notable updates, which you can learn more about in the sections that follow, are:
- Improved website performance
- Patterns of page creation
- Locking blocks
- Variations on stacking and rowing
- Variations in global style
- Text selection across multiple blocks
Some of the changes, such as faster website performance, will be noticeable right away. Others, such as the brand new page creation patterns, are features that theme developers will implement.
Every WordPress update is named after a jazz musician. Arturo O’Farrill, a Grammy-winning jazz musician, inspired this version. He is a member of the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra.
According to the official WordPress announcement:
“The latest version of the software takes full site editing a step further and aims to consolidate the ‘no code’ experience for site-building by expanding on the existing customization tools, introducing new blocks, and focusing on the writing and design workflows.”
The new style switcher for block themes, for example, is one of the most anticipated features due to the flexibility and creative opportunities it introduces without the need to switch themes.
‘I’m really proud of the work that’s been done in this release to make a great site editing experience,’ says WordPress’ Executive Director, Josepha Haden Chomphosy.”
WordPress 6.0 Is An Iterative Update
WordPress 6.0 is the result of the efforts of over 500 people from at least 58 countries, and it includes nearly 1,000 enhancements.
End users typically expect dramatic changes when a product undergoes a version change, such as a new Android phone model. That is not the case with WordPress version updates.
While this is a “dot 0” release, version 6.0 is best understood as part of a series of incremental improvements designed to maintain backwards compatibility while introducing improvements.
WordPress 6.0 is a version number change, but it is not a major overhaul. Versions 5.9 and 6 improve the publishing experience.
According to the official WordPress announcement, there is no need to be concerned about updating, and all site owners are encouraged to do so immediately in order to reap the many benefits of this release.
“To take full advantage of today’s many stability, performance, and usability enhancements, site owners and administrators should upgrade.”
WordPress content creators will benefit from a slew of new features aimed at improving their writing and design experiences.”
WordPress’s spokesperson said:
“This release continues where 5.9 left off, focusing on bringing full site editing into focus and improving the overall experience of the block editor, wherever you may use it.”
6.0 includes a number of new features aimed at improving the writing and design experiences shared by the majority of WordPress users.
Of course, as with all recent WordPress releases, this one includes performance improvements, standard stability improvements to the core code, and a slew of minor tweaks to improve the site-building experience.”
Enhancements to WordPress Performance
WordPress 6.0 includes performance enhancements that will help make WordPress faster for site visitors.
Improvements have been made to how queries are executed against the database as well as how caches are managed.
This means fewer database calls of various types, resulting in greater efficiency and faster performance.
New Features That End Users Will Appreciate
Page Design Patterns
The Page Creation Patterns feature is one of the most significant changes.
Typically, a publisher will begin with a blank layout when creating a web page. Page creation patterns allow you to choose from a variety of layouts as a starting point.
The layouts will not be shipped with the WordPress core; theme developers must include them in their themes.
Block Locking
Block Locking is a feature that prevents an end user from deleting or moving an important block by accident. The new feature is accessible via a drop-down menu in the block settings.
While 6.0 includes “tons” of improvements that end users will appreciate, Andrew Wilder of WordPress support company NerdPress (@NerdPress) believes that the page creation patterns feature is the one that they will most appreciate.
Wilder stated:
“The Page Creation Patterns will be extremely useful for many of our clients, especially once plugins for pre-built patterns that are specific to their content become available.” That could save a lot of time!
I’m also pleased to see the new Block Locking feature – it currently does not allow you to lock changes to the block content, but it can prevent you from accidentally moving or deleting a block.”
Variations on Stacking and Rowing
The ability to create dynamic flex-based containers by stacking blocks into a column or row layout is a useful addition.
A flex-based container is so named because it is adaptable and automatically shrinks for smaller mobile devices and expands when necessary.
Multi-Select: Choose Text from Multiple Blocks
Creating a web page layout in the new blocked-based WordPress editors is done using what are known as blocks, or building blocks.
Blocks are containers into which content can be inserted. Content can be images, text, or anything else.
The ability to select text across multiple content blocks is an example of a small but exciting change in WordPress 6.0.
This enables a user to select content from multiple blocks without having to select multiple blocks themselves. This enables publishers to write and control content in a predictable manner, resulting in a more intuitive writing experience.
Variations in Style
Global Style Variations is another exciting new feature.
Style variations enable theme authors to offer their customers the ability to easily change the look and feel of their website without having to edit CSS or HTML, significantly speeding up the process of getting a website up and running.
This is a feature added by WordPress theme developers that improves the WordPress publishing experience for end users.
The WordPress team shared the following information:
“The addition of style variations in block themes enables theme authors to provide multiple options for people to change the look and feel of a site with a few clicks in a single theme.”
This means you can quickly change font weights and default colors without having to edit CSS.”
Notable Changes for Developers
I asked the WordPress team about the most significant changes that developers should be aware of.
They replied:
- A private theme powers style variations such as different fonts theme.json handler.
- Improved tooling and block theme creation from within the site editor.
- Easier pattern incorporation (creating a new page, in the inserter itself, etc.):
- Block registration from within themes.
- The @wordpress/create-block templating system has been updated.
WordPress 6.0 Accessibility Enhancements
WordPress accessibility has seen numerous improvements, which have been documented here.
Among the highlights are the following:
- Several accessibility improvements were made to the alt text used on featured images.
- There are also improvements to tab into a block placeholder.
- Several enhancements to screen readers were also notable.
- Navigation Block Enhancements
- WordPress List View Enhancements
- Media Handling Enhancements
Aria-Related Accessibility Improvements in WordPress 6.0
To determine the aria-multiline state, reverse disableLineBreaks.
Remove role attributes from SVGs that are intended for “decoration.”
WordPress described changes to how media is handled in 6.0 for accessibility as follows:
- “When cropping a custom logo, keep the attachment properties in mind.” This means that after cropping, the alternative text, title, description, and caption of an image will migrate over to the cropped copy of the image.
- If the URL is focused, stop using the arrow keys to switch media.
- To the list table view, add a “Copy URL to clipboard” function.
- Set the break-word property on the sample permalink so that the full permalink is visible on mobile devices in posts, media, and comments.
- Remove the attribute target blank from media uploader edit links.
- Remove the target=” blank” attribute from the link to change the permalink structure, and change the link text to clarify the link’s purpose.”
According to the official WordPress announcement:
“Accessibility is an essential component of WordPress’s mission of fostering an inclusive community and supporting users of all types worldwide.”
With this in mind, WordPress 6.0 includes more than 50 updates aimed specifically at improving the platform’s accessibility. You can read about these updates and learn more about the ongoing accessibility initiatives.”
WordPress Full Site Editor Beta Certification
Something to keep in mind about WordPress 6.0 is that the Full Site Editor (FSE) is still marked as Beta.
WordPress 6.0 enhances the editing experience for end-users by simplifying the writing process and making it easier to create unique website layouts without having to deal with code. However, FSE is still considered a Beta product.
The good news, as shared by the WordPress team with Viva Digital team, is that the full site editor will continue to improve.
WordPress’s team shared:
“While 6.0 moves WordPress in the right direction, there’s still work to be done around creating a cohesive site editing experience, so expect full site editing to feel more intuitive in 6.1 and beyond.”
About the author
PAUL SMITH - For over 20 years I have worked with businesses, enterprises and brands in Australia, NZ, UK and US to drive digital marketing growth using organic and paid traffic strategies. No fluff or BS, just straight-forward return on investment.
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