Just ahead of WordCamp US, an exciting WordPress update was released, WordPress 6.3 named for Lionel Hampton. Hampton was a jazz vibraphonist, pianist, and percussionist who worked with the likes of Quincy Jones, Benny Goodman, and Charles Mingus. In 2021, he was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Grammy.
Image source: make.wordpress
Enjoy some of Hampton’s fast fingers in “Hot Mallets” as we go through the exciting updates to WordPress.
WordPress “Lionel” 6.3, makes creating beautiful and powerful sites easier than ever before. There are updates for non-coders creating their first website and ones for long-time developers looking to optimize theirs.
We have compiled some of our favorite new features, for a comprehensive list, check out the blog post.
Site Editor Updates
The update bookends Phase 2 of Gutenberg and lays the groundwork for Phase 3. Because of this, the Site Editor was the centerpiece of WordPress 6.3.
According to contributor Justin Tadlock in an interview with Torque, “I’m really excited about being able to play around with a visual interface. I feel like we’ve kind of reached that point that we’ve been waiting for, for 5 years or so. And there’s still a lot more work to do, but it should be really nice for especially non coders to make changes to their site in any way they want.”
Check out the full interview here.
There were a variety of enhancements that make the CMS more intuitive and streamlined. Let’s get into it.
Improved Navigation
Navigation enhancements make the Site Editor even more powerful. A new sidebar makes it much faster to pull up what you want to edit. With a few simple clicks you can edit:
- Pages
- Templates and template parts
- Patterns
- Styles
This simple change saves clicks and speeds up the editing process by having everything in one place.
See Themes Before Choosing Them
For years, WordPress users have been asking for a way to see what a theme looks like before committing to it. In the past, this was only an option for classic themes but now even block themes can be previewed.
The next time you’re shopping for a new theme from the repository, simply hit Live Preview and get a good idea for what your website will look like with it activated.
Style Revision History
Over the years, revisions have been a huge topic of discussion among the community. While they’re a great way to save content that could be lost if something goes wrong, they can slow down your site.
The feature has gotten a facelift and can now be used for design changes. Click on the block you want to edit, select the little clock icon in the upper right and review the style changes made to the block and even restore old versions.
Block Updates
It wouldn’t be a WordPress update without some great updates to blocks. While Gutenberg is being updated twice a month, these updates were done especially for 6.3.
New Blocks
Two new blocks were introduced with WordPress 6.3, the Details Block and the Footnote Block.
The Details Block allows a user to click an arrow and reveal more information. This is a great tool for hiding spoilers in movie or book reviews, or FAQ’s.
The Footnote Block lets you quickly add a footnote and a link. This feature looks really good and is incredibly easy to use. It’s a huge win for academic and professional content.
Introducing the Command Tool
We have saved the best for last. If you have ever found yourself unable to find a feature in WordPress and wishing you could just CTRL + F, your prayers have been answered! The new Command Tool works just like the Spotlight Tool on Mac. Hit CTRL + K and you can type what you’re looking for. When it comes up, select it and you’ll be taken right there.
Other Updates
There are so many more things “Lionel” has to offer:
- Distraction-free mode can now be used when designing your site.
- You can now drag and drop and delete directly from the List View.
- Support for PHP 5 is being discontinued so update now.
WordPress 6.3 and Beyond
Back when the Gutenberg Editor was announced in 2018, Phase 2, Site Editing, seemed like a decade off. Thanks to all the incredible work from the contributors and volunteers, we are now moving onto Phase 3.
This exciting release brings WordPress into the future. With every new update, the CMS is easier to design and create with. It’s powerful, intuitive, and inspiring. Welcome to the family, Lionel!
