Get Ready for WordPress 6.2

WordPress Hartford CT Meetup
March 21, 2023

Watch Recording on YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6_vkcZf3Z8

Agenda

  • Speaker Introductions
  • The WordPress Roadmap
  • Site Editor and Global Styling Enhancements (Ray)
  • Block Editor and Usability Improvements (Peter)
  • Wrap-Up

Ray Michno

Cute Yellow Wapuu WordPress Mascot
ray@ctwebgeek.com
  • Hartford WordPress Co-Organizer
  • 25+ years in IT
  • Developer/Software Architect
  • Pratt & Whitney, Aetna, UnitedHealthGroup
  • 7+ years using WordPress
  • Self-employed – CTWebGeek
  • Married, No Kids, Lives in Newington, CT
  • Geek

Peter Ingersoll

peter@ingersollinteractive.com
  • Hartford WordPress Co-Organizer
  • 25+ working on the Web
  • Marketing, communications, design, tech guy
  • Hartford Courant, logistics, agency
  • 10 years using WordPress
  • Self-employed – Ingersoll Interactive
  • Married, two adult kids, lives in South Windsor, CT
  • WordPress Admin & DIY Advocate – IngersollWP.com

The WordPress Roadmap

WordPress Roadmap

WordPress 6.2 is the “end” of Phase 2, but not the completion of its features.

What Is the Site Editor?

  • Edit ALL parts of your website without having to learn code or create a Child Theme
  • Header, Footer, Navigation Menus, Archive Pages, Search Results, Single Post/Page Templates, etc.
  • Replaces Customizer, Menus and Widgets
  • Site-Wide Styling can be set for a Theme
  • Only works with Block Themes
  • Many modern themes (ex. Kadence, Elementor, Divi) already allow site editing – including highly granular control
  • Building into WordPress Core should standardize the experience
  • Still in the early days, but should improve just like Block Editor

Site Editor Changes in 6.2

  • “Beta” Tag Removed
  • Browse Mode – view all templates and template parts
  • Preview Window Resizing – view different screen sizes
  • Highlighting of template parts with icon and colors during edit mode
  • Navigation Block usability enhancements
  • Classic Widgets Import as Template Parts
  • New categories of Patterns added for the Header and Footer

Global Styles

  • Preview global styles in a “zoomed out” view
  • Style Book
  • Shows all the blocks and how they are styled in your theme
  • Change a block style and have it apply globally across your theme
  • Provides a way to author/customize a theme before you begin building a website
  • Export your customized theme style for use on another site
  • Change site-wide settings (ex. logo, site title)
  • Add custom CSS to your theme or specific blocks

Site Editor Demo

Content Editor Changes in 6.2

Cute Yellow Wapuu WordPress Mascot
  • Block settings sidebar uses tabs, style previews
  • Copy & paste block styles
  • Block inserter improvements include better preview
  • Inserter includes media library & Openverse
  • List view and Outline & Info are merged & improved
  • “Distraction-free” editing
  • Sticky-positioning for root-level groups

Block Settings & Styles Tabs

Block Inserter

Distraction Free Editing

  • Under 3-dots Options menu
  • Hotkey: Ctrl + Shft + “\”
  • Also under options:
  • Top toolbar
  • Spotlight mode
  • Fullscreen mode
  • More under Preferences
  • Always open list view
  • Use theme styles
  • Display block breadcrumbs

Theme & Plugin Dependent

What you experience may not match what you see in demos or tutorials.

Content Editor Demo

Wrap-Up

Resources

Cute Yellow Wapuu WordPress Mascot

Links Shared During Meetup

Thanks to Eagle and Micro for sharing additional links in the chat.
Cute Yellow Wapuu WordPress Mascot