WordPress has announced a substantial list of improvements for WordPress 6.0, particularly focusing on the block editor enhancements that promise to make webpage design easier and more inspiring.
In many aspects, WordPress 6.0 is realizing the objectives set forth by the Gutenberg block-based editor.
How?
By finally providing a user-friendly interface that simplifies both webpage design and text editing.
A member of the WordPress design team and a core contributor commented on a recent official WordPress podcast:
“I think some of the features being released in 6.0 are absolutely going to empower that end-user.
Particularly in terms of improvements around design tools and some of the quality of life improvements.
For example, partially selecting across multiple blocks and being able to partially select text there.
That’s the type of thing that really brings the writing experience in the editor to be on par with how you would expect a text editing experience to work.”
WordPress Gutenberg Blocks
The WordPress block system has previously faced criticism from users who felt it was not ready. WordPress 6.0 brings notable improvements, aligning it with the expectations for a visual website editor that is both intuitive and easy to use.
Key improvements include a new, intuitive user interface that simplifies content creation and website design. However, these improvements rely on theme designers adopting the new changes, particularly offering theme.json configuration files that allow for easy switching between different page patterns and styles.
While WordPress 6.0 is not the final goal for WordPress, it represents a significant milestone.
Page Creation Patterns in WordPress 6.0
WordPress 6.0 introduces page patterns, allowing users to select from various design templates to kickstart their webpage creation process. Users can choose patterns suited for different types of pages such as contact, about us, and article pages. However, these patterns do not come pre-installed with the WordPress core.
Page patterns are a feature available for theme designers to utilize, and they will function with both non-Gutenberg and Gutenberg block themes.
Global Styles Switcher
In WordPress 6.0, theme developers can now include multiple style presets that change the look and feel of a webpage instantly. This feature is one of the most significant changes in WordPress.
The global style switcher is crucial as it allows theme designers to offer users an easy way to modify their website’s appearance, making them unique.
Channing Ritter, Design Director at Automattic, explained the impact in a recent WordPress Briefing podcast, Episode 30: A Sneak Peek at WordPress 6.0:
“I’m most excited about the style switcher within the global styles panel.
It’s the ability to change between different variations of the theme.json without actually switching the theme.
So this is a way to get a drastically different look and feel across your site with just a single click.
And I see it as a really fun place to experiment and get inspired for the different ways your site could appear without ever having to change your theme.
But now, with 6.0, it’s starting to showcase the real power of block themes and what can actually be done there.
Style variations are a huge first step into this new world of block themes and the flexibility they offer.”
The configuration files (called theme.json) control elements like colors, fonts, custom CSS, page width, and other factors that define a webpage’s appearance, allowing users to switch between different design options seamlessly.
Code Improvements for Image, Quote, List, and Group Blocks
Among the updates is the removal of a DIV tag that previously surrounded every image, making the code leaner and more efficient.
The old way:
<div class="wp-block-image alignleft"><figure><img src="someimage.jpg" alt="" width="100" height="100"/></figure></div>The new way:
<figure class="wp-block-image alignleft"><img src="someimage.jpg" alt="" width="100" height="100"/></figure>This change applies only to themes that support the new theme.json file. Additionally, unnecessary HTML elements called "divs" that were automatically added to any blocks with alignments have been removed.
Additional Improvements:
- Separator block: Updated to use block supports color settings
- Block Editor miscellaneous Dev Notes for WordPress 6.0
- Support for handling resolution errors for Editor data module
WordPress 6.0: A Major Release
The aforementioned changes are only a fraction of the upgrades coming with WordPress 6.0. There are also improvements to accessibility, performance enhancements to Bootstrap/Load, cache API, media handling, and 97 enhancements along with 131 bug fixes in total.
WordPress 6.0 is set to release on May 24, 2022.
Citation
Read the WordPress Announcement
WordPress 6.0 Field Guide
