WordPress Podcast (English)

With less than 3 months to go before the launch of WordPress 6.6, the leadership team is still not finalized, nor are the features that it will include clearly defined.

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Program transcript

Hello, I’m Javier Casares, and you’re listening to WordPress Podcast, bringing the weekly news from the WordPress Community.

In this program, you’ll find the information from April 22nd to 28th, 2024.

WordPress 6.6 has less than three months left, and the team that is supposed to lead this version is still not complete. That’s why there is a search for individuals who will lead the core triages, documentation, and themes.

Specifically for documentation, someone with experience is being sought who can manage the workload that a new version entails. In the case of themes, there is a dual focus: ensuring all WordPress themes are compatible with the new features and preparing WordPress 6.7 for the new default theme, which will likely be Twenty Twenty-Five.

However, some of the new features that we will see in the editor in these future versions of WordPress are clearer, thanks to the Gutenberg 18.2 plugin and its updates.

A first example in the editor is the ease of creating a structure using blocks, turning it into a pattern, and choosing the option whether it can be overwritten or not.

Another change included is the ability for non-administrator users to preview templates and edit them in the content editor, something that previously blocked the use of the editor for certain parts of the site.

One of the most requested features, and included by other visual editors, are the Starter Patterns. Up to now, when creating a new page, you face a blank canvas that you can start filling with some blocks or patterns you already have. But what if when creating a new page you were proposed complete pages with a content structure? Pages like about us, legal, contact, even a homepage, or blog page, that with one click allow you not to start with a blank screen, but with a structure to quickly launch your new site.

Another element that is beginning to be seen is the functionality that should come with WordPress 6.6, which should be the star project, the possibility of natively linking blocks thanks to the Blocks bindings. This system will require some technical knowledge, at least initially, such as the registration of custom fields. Currently, the only blocks that could synchronize with other data are paragraphs, headings, images, and buttons. This will allow for the creation of completely dynamic content that is filled in one place and displayed in another.

So far, it seems that WordPress 6.6 will be one of those versions that will bring many first versions of functionalities that will allow for better work in the next version, with the corresponding iterations.

Meanwhile, on May 7, WordPress 6.5.3 is expected to be released with some minor fixes.

On the Developer Blog, a post has been published explaining how to create a blueprint for quick demos with WordPress Playground, the tool that allows for temporarily loading a WordPress in the browser.

The text explains how to create these JSON files and run them in the browser, in addition to the possibility of using the Playground Query API to add functionality.

The Design team has presented some proposals. For example, the Style Book could have an iteration in terms of presentation and style in which the demonstration objects are shown, with a new summary page, the possibility of reordering blocks, adding subcategories to organize blocks, and expanding the demonstration content.

Another element that continues to advance and could be included in WordPress 6.6 is the grids, which would change the way content is displayed in the editor, with much simpler management.

In phase 3 of Gutenberg, the redesign of the WordPress admin panel was included, and work continues on the final form and the adaptability of the screens, possibly adding several levels of tool menus.

Shadows, list density, and filters are some other elements that are being worked on to improve the user experience within the editor.

The Documentation team has announced that in October 2024 there will be a WordCamp for Documentations lasting 24 hours, online, covering all possible time zones, with the aim of facilitating the work of all those who document WordPress, regardless of the team they belong to.

The Meta team has issued a note to plugin developers asking what should be the next steps for the integration of WordPress Playground in plugin directory previews.

It seems that most issues are centered on the creation of blueprints, and therefore, suggestions for future functionalities are also requested.

The Community team, now that the second edition of the mentorship program has concluded, is looking at the steps for future editions.

Some of the challenges are quite clear, considering the availability of both mentors and students and their involvement, in addition to seeking new ways, durations, and proposals for the program.

The second edition can be considered a success since the confidence and familiarity with contributions have grown from 50% to 80% among participants, and 80% of participants say they have achieved their goals with the program.

The BuddyPress team has disabled a feature that has been in compatibility mode for 10 years for user creation management. This functionality will now exit the plugin itself, and all those who used it are recommended to use the Signups API.

And finally, this podcast is distributed under a Creative Commons license as a derivative version of the WordPress Podcast in Spanish; you can find all the links for more information at WordPress Podcast .org.

You can follow the content in Catalan, German, Spanish, and French.

Thanks for listening, and until the next episode!