Everything You Wanted to Know About WordPress but Were Afraid to Ask

byphil1944

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2 years ago

Everything You Wanted to Know About WordPress but Were Afraid to Ask

Although it's off-subject, I'm wondering who here is old enough to recognize the 1969 best-seller that this title is based on?

Let me know in the comments if you do.

Like Winter in GoT, WordPress 6.0 Is Coming

The scheduled release is May 21st this year 2022.

Here's a sneak peek at some of the new features:

Block Editor Changes

Most WordPress users who haven't invested in a drag n drop editor create their posts and pages in the WordPress block editor. WordPress 6.0 introduces some changes and new features.

Featured Image in Cover Block

You can now select Featured Image as a Cover Block alternative. Changing the featured image in the post will automatically update it in the cover block.

Easier Text Selection in Multiple Blocks

WordPress 6.0 makes it easier to select text in multiple blocks. A defect in earlier releases caused all of the text in a block to be selected instead of just the wanted text.

Columns Border

This has been a highly requested feature and it's finally here. In 6.0, you can add a border around the Columns block and specify its parameters, including width and color.

Gallery Block Spacing

The Gallery block allows you to present a collection of images as a gallery. The new version of WordPress brings the ability to adjust the spacing between the individual images.

Quick Links Shortcut

Two square brackets followed by a post or page title will be automatically converted to a link to that post or page. Very useful for creating quick internal links.

Moving Stuff Around

In List view, you'll be able to select multiple blocks with SHIFT+Click or Shift+Up+Down keys and then rearrange them with drag n drop.

Improvements to Full Site Editing

This will allow you to customize your WordPress themes using the same block editor that you use to create posts and pages.

If your theme is block-enabled, you'll be able to make site-wide changes to your theme templates by visually editing them.

Switching Theme Styles

For themes that come with multiple styles, you can click on the Style button at the top right corner. This will bring up tabs that you can use to browse and select different Styles for that theme.

Not all theme developers will take advantage of this feature but for those who do, it will allow you, the user, to change the theme's look and feel instantly.

Export Themes Between Sites

After you've modified your theme using the new Theme editor, you can export the theme, along with all its modifications, and then install it on another WordPress website. This is a great example of single-sourcing and a massive time saver for those with multiple websites that need to share a consistent look and feel.

New Blocks in the Editor

Comments

You'll now have a lot more control over Comments blocks.

They come with sub-blocks including author name, avatar, comment content, edit link, and others. You can edit them individually to make your comments stand out.

Read More...

Read More can now be implemented as a separate block, allowing you to not only change the wording, but also the border and background, so that you can highlight it as required.

Query Loop Block

You can now add a text or other blocks that will display only if the query returns no results.

Author Biography and Avatar

These blocks allow you to display the author biography and avatar from the post author's user profile.

Conclusion

The WordPress block editor has come a long way since its initial release as the heavily criticised Gutenberg, designed to replace the classic editor, which they had to make available as a plugin for those who still wanted to use it.

With the release of WordPress 6.0 on May 24, the block editor might finally be a free competitor to the more expensive drag n drop third-party editors. It depends on the implementation, of course, but the feedback from beta testers has been positive.

We wait in anticipation.