WordPress Podcast (English)

There are only 2 months left until the release of WordPress 6.7, and the roadmap is ready, focusing on what this version could bring.

Remember that you can listen to this program from Pocket Casts, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts or subscribe to the feed directly.

Program transcript

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

In this episode, you’ll find the information from September 2nd to 8th, 2024.

What are the key aspects of WordPress 6.7? The roadmap has been published with the main ideas intended for the November 12, 2024 release. These include:

Starting with the new default theme: Twenty Twenty-Five, designed to be versatile, from simple blogs to more advanced setups. This theme takes better advantage of blocks and patterns in the editor, making it flexible for different types of websites.

User experience improvements are also being introduced in data views, allowing for more efficient and personalized management of large volumes of information. These improvements include more filtering and display options, benefiting content administrators.

Improving the Query Loop block is another focus, with several points such as making its configuration more intuitive, including an option to exclude the current post ID, improving warning messages, and adding filters by post format. Additionally, adjustments are being made to the default settings and interface to enhance user experience and make it clearer and more accessible.

Another important aspect is the work on the block editor. New features such as zoom mode will make it easier to view and customize block patterns, allowing for more precise design adjustments. The template registration API is also being refined, improving the creation and customization of templates for block themes.

In media handling, WordPress 6.7 introduces support for the HEIC format, used by Apple devices. This expands compatibility with more image formats, optimizing the use of media files on the web without sacrificing quality or performance.

On the more technical side, we have:

• The Template Registration API, simplifying template registration for plugins, reducing complexity with a more intuitive API.
• The Preview Options API, allowing plugins to add custom options to the editor’s preview menu.
• The Interactivity API, improving stability and performance, adding support for new features like the gallery with lightbox.
• The Block Bindings API, facilitating the linking of dynamic data to blocks and adding an interface to connect attributes.
• And the HTML API, increasing confidence in HTML manipulation in blocks and improving integration with the interactivity API.

While there’s a lot here, this is just the highlight of what we’re likely to see in the new version.

But WordPress 6.7 isn’t the only version coming our way. WordPress 6.6.2 will be released to fix several CSS issues that caused some users to remain on the previous major version, WordPress 6.5. This version addresses all these problems and should be available on September 10.

Following previous security incidents, WordPress will introduce security changes starting October 1, 2024 for plugin and theme authors.

These changes include mandatory two-factor authentication, 2FA, to secure accounts with commit access and the introduction of specific Subversion passwords for accessing the code repository. These measures aim to strengthen WordPress’s ecosystem security and protect key developer accounts.

Using 2FA will protect primary accounts, while SVN passwords will separate commit access from general credentials, increasing security and flexibility in password management.

The Design team is working on consolidating and improving the design system of the platform, integrating tools like the Figma library and Storybook. The goal is to create a unified reference system that facilitates consistency and accessibility in design and development contributions. This effort is crucial for WordPress Phase 3, particularly in the redesign of the admin interface, providing consistent experiences for users and developers.

Improvements include updating the component library and enhancing modularity. Additionally, a single reference source for design patterns is being developed, ensuring everyone works with the same visual and technical language.

The Data Views update focuses on improving the user experience within the admin system and data display functionality.

Key features include:

• Consolidation of the user interface for bulk actions.
• Various improvements to the filtering user experience.
• Some adjustments to display options.
• Optimization of grid density design.
• Evolution of quick editing.

If you have experience with WordPress and are passionate about teaching, this is your chance! Join the Training team as an online workshop host and help the global community improve their skills.

You don’t need to be an expert, just the willingness to share knowledge and contribute to the growth of others. You can become a key member of this team, create impact, and connect with other WordPress enthusiasts.

The Community team has issued a reminder for local communities that are not reactivating their events, indicating that these communities will be closed in a matter of weeks. The process involves several steps, and in many cases, someone steps up to take over leadership before the final moment.

Additionally, during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many online events were being prepared, the WordPress community opened several Zoom accounts and made them available for everyone to use for events. After several months with little use, it has been decided to close these accounts available for Meetups or to seek a local organization that can provide them.

The GatherPress project has made significant progress and is now seeking feedback from WordPress Meetup organizers. The goal is to encourage users to test the platform and provide feedback on its functionality, particularly in event management. This “Call for Feedback” is crucial to improving integration with WordPress.org and ensuring its future success.

Recent improvements include accessibility, integration with OpenStreetMap, event import/export, and a live preview feature. New features like recurring event management and integration with ActivityPub are also being developed.

The Sustainability team has defined its roadmap for the remainder of 2024, focusing on three areas: environmental, social, and economic.

Initiatives include creating a sustainability plugin, promoting the sustainable events handbook, developing contribution dashboards, and collaborating with external organizations to secure financial support for the project.

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, and the podcast in other languages, at WordPress Podcast .org.

Thanks for listening, and until the next episode!