WordPress Unveils Gutenberg 11.6 – Top 4 Achievements

SEO September 30, 2024

0 5 2 minutes read

WordPress Releases Gutenberg 11.6 with Exciting New Features

WordPress has unveiled Gutenberg 11.6, the latest update to its block-based website editing tool. This update brings several useful enhancements alongside a series of bug fixes. Notably, users can now crop and edit a logo image directly within the WordPress editor.

Gutenberg Site Editor

Gutenberg is a WordPress site builder designed to simplify website creation with a drag-and-drop web design interface. If you need an image within a section of a page, you simply drag the appropriate block and place it where needed. While the editor is still under development, it has reached a point where many consider it highly functional.

Numerous WordPress themes are currently compatible with the Gutenberg editor. One significant advantage of using this editor is the potential for faster website performance. Gutenberg’s evolution follows a four-phase development plan, with WordPress now in the second phase.

Gutenberg’s plugin page describes the project:

“‘Gutenberg’ is a codename for a whole new paradigm for creating with WordPress, aiming to revolutionize the entire publishing experience as much as Gutenberg did the printed word. The project is following a four-phase process that will touch major pieces of WordPress — Editing, Customization, Collaboration, and Multilingual.”

1. Native Site Logo Editing

Before Gutenberg 11.6, publishers needed to edit their logo images before uploading them. The latest release allows logos to be uploaded and edited directly within the editor. Available editing functions include cropping, zooming, and rotating the image.

A demo on the WordPress GitHub showcases the workflow for selecting and editing an image in the site logo block.

Movie of New Gutenberg Logo Editing Workflow

Below is another video focusing on the image editing functionality.

Movie Showing Gutenberg Logo Image Editing

2. Block Level Locking Control

Another new feature makes it easier for theme and site designers by allowing blocks to be locked to prevent them from being moved or deleted.

The WordPress announcement explains the new feature:

“Block-level lock takes priority over the templateLock feature, enabling you to lock the movement and removal of blocks. The toolbar of locked blocks will hide the movers, and the Remove block option will be unavailable.”

Screenshot of Unlocked WordPress Gutenberg Block

Unlocked Gutenberg Block

Screenshot of Locked WordPress Gutenberg Block

Screenshot of Locked Gutenberg Block

3. Basic Support for Child Themes

The addition of child theme support is a significant update. Child themes allow publishers to make styling changes without losing modifications during theme updates.

The new child theme support includes:

Site editor availability when the child theme is active
Inheritance of Theme.json
Ability to override parent theme template parts and templates in the child theme
Override ability for Theme.json in the child theme

4. Edit Template Part

WordPress has introduced a Template Part Focus Mode, which offers options for customizing specific sections of a template, such as the header, main content area, and widget area.

WordPress describes this feature:

“Template Part Focus Mode refers to the view that lets you focus and work on a single template part, like a header, and is available for any template part. This isolated template part editing is accessible from the ellipsis menu in the Template Part toolbar.”

Numerous Important Changes

Gutenberg 11.6 includes several significant updates that enhance the editor’s functionality, making it one of the leading tools for CMS and web design. Additionally, numerous bug fixes are included to improve the overall editing experience.