The WordPress coreCoreCore is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. development team builds WordPress! Follow this site for general updates, status reports, and the occasional code debate. There’s lots of ways to contribute:
Found a bugbugA bug is an error or unexpected result. Performance improvements, code optimization, and are considered enhancements, not defects. After feature freeze, only bugs are dealt with, with regressions (adverse changes from the previous version) being the highest priority.?Create a ticket in the bug tracker.
Below you find a table that lists all coreCoreCore is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. blocks available in the inserter marks in the grid the feature they support in the blockBlockBlock is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience. editor. It’s a basic lookup table that helps developers to find the information quickly.
While this post is released as part of 6.6, the content summarizes changes between 6.1 and 6.6. This is an update of the post published for the 6.1 release and provides a cumulative list of design supports added with the last five WordPress releases.
The features covered are:
Align
Typography,
Color,
Dimension,
Border,
Layout,
Gradient,
Duotone,
Shadow,
Background image*
Pattern overrides / Block Bindings (PO/BB)
*Note: In WordPress 6.6, the background image tools are only available for Group, Pull quote, Site Logo blocks and as side-wide feature. For Quote, Verse and Post content blocks, it’s only in GutenbergGutenbergThe Gutenberg project is the new Editor Interface for WordPress. The editor improves the process and experience of creating new content, making writing rich content much simpler. It uses ‘blocks’ to add richness rather than shortcodes, custom HTML etc.
https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/pluginPluginA plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https://wordpress.org/plugins/ or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party. 18.6 and slated for WordPress 6.7.
Updated on July 3 with the list tracking issues to add various design tools to core blocks, so one can follow along the progress.
AvatarAvatarAn avatar is an image or illustration that specifically refers to a character that represents an online user. It’s usually a square box that appears next to the user’s name.
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Post ExcerptExcerptAn excerpt is the description of the blog post or page that will by default show on the blog archive page, in search results (SERPs), and on social media. With an SEO plugin, the excerpt may also be in that plugin’s metabox.
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Post Featured ImageFeatured imageA featured image is the main image used on your blog archive page and is pulled when the post or page is shared on social media. The image can be used to display in widget areas on your site or in a summary list of posts.
In WordPress 6.6 you can define site-wide background images in theme.jsonJSONJSON, or JavaScript Object Notation, is a minimal, readable format for structuring data. It is used primarily to transmit data between a server and web application, as an alternative to XML. and the Site Editor.
A “site-wide” background image is one whose value is set on the body element using the background-imageCSSCSSCascading Style Sheets. property, and, therefore, appears on every page of a site.
An example might be a photo that stretches with the window size, or a repeating pattern background.
To customize how background images appear, WordPress 6.6 supports the following background style properties:
background position
background size
background repeat
Usage
In theme.json
In theme.json, site-wide background images and their properties are defined under "styles.background".
For example, as a single image URI in styles.background.backgroundImage.url:
The above examples use absolute paths to image files. Such files would need to be hosted and maintained.
Most likely, theme developers will want to define background images using paths to a theme’s own assets. This ensures that the theme is self-contained and portable.
Relative paths to theme assets are defined using the file:./ prefix:
Paths defined this way must be relative to the theme root, regardless of where the theme.json sits in your theme’s directory. This follows an existing pattern for web fonts.
Despite the dot in file:./, the special symbols dot (.) and double dot (..) for directory navigation are not supported in theme.json relative paths. This means, for example, that theme style variation files, which reside under the style/ directory, would use the same path as the theme’s main theme.json.
An issue exists to make the syntax more consistent.
In the Site Editor
Background images can be also be uploaded, and their properties tweaked through the Site Editor’s styles panel.
In WordPress 6.6, background image controls are located under Styles > Layout.
The styles panel navigation is undergoing review however, so in upcoming versions the location may change.
Relative paths to any images in theme.json are resolved on the backend, and are sent in the _links array of Global Styles REST responses. The Editor uses the resolved values to generate theme CSS in the client.
Limitations
In WordPress 6.6, the ability to define background images in theme.json exists only for top-level styles. Top-level styles apply to the body element. An open PR aims to also enable the feature at the blockBlockBlock is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience. level in the next WordPress release.
Work is also underway to:
add support for fixed images, using the background-attachment CSS property.
avoid conflicts between gradient backgrounds, whose values are currently set to the background property, and background-image. The proposal is that gradient backgrounds will also be set to background-image, and, where both an image and a gradient are defined, their values are merged .
Background images added in the CustomizerCustomizerTool built into WordPress core that hooks into most modern themes. You can use it to preview and modify many of your site’s appearance settings. take precedence over those set in theme.json or in the Site Editor.
“What’s new in GutenbergGutenbergThe Gutenberg project is the new Editor Interface for WordPress. The editor improves the process and experience of creating new content, making writing rich content much simpler. It uses ‘blocks’ to add richness rather than shortcodes, custom HTML etc.
https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/…” posts (labeled with the #gutenberg-new tag) are posted following every Gutenberg release on a biweekly basis, showcasing new features included in each release. As a reminder, here’s an overview of different ways to keep up with Gutenberg and the Editor.
51 contributors have shipped 157 pull requests in this release, and a big welcome to four new contributors. With WordPress 6.6 rapidly approaching, many contributors are focusing on bugbugA bug is an error or unexpected result. Performance improvements, code optimization, and are considered enhancements, not defects. After feature freeze, only bugs are dealt with, with regressions (adverse changes from the previous version) being the highest priority. fixes, with this release including a total of 62 fixes. There are still some great features being worked on, and this release introduces the new background image feature to several blocks.
Background image support for Quote, Verse and Post Content blocks
Freshen up the look of the quote, verse, and post content blocks using the new background image feature.
Previously, options for background images were limited to container blocks like the Cover and Group blocks, but with the feature now supported across several blocks, it’s easier for users to attain the look they want without nesting blocks.
Very early work on extensibility for DataViews was shipped in this release.
‘DataViews’ is the component that powers the post listing views available in the Site Editor, and in the future will become an important part of the new adminadmin(and super admin) design project.
The APIAPIAn API or Application Programming Interface is a software intermediary that allows programs to interact with each other and share data in limited, clearly defined ways. being explored will allow the registration of actions for different ‘entities’ (post types and other types of data represented by the listings). Right now, the API is private to the Gutenberg PluginPluginA plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https://wordpress.org/plugins/ or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party. and will undergo further development and testing before being made public for third parties.
Post content blockBlockBlock is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience.: Add background image and padding support. (62499)
Quote blocks: Add background image and minimum height support. (62497)
Verse block: Add background image and minimum height support. (62498)
Block Library
Post Date & Comment Date: Add relative date format. (62298)
Replace “Add new post” link text with more meaningful Label (v2). (62277)
Block Editor
LinkControl: Refined the display of the link preview title and URLURLA specific web address of a website or web page on the Internet, such as a website’s URL www.wordpress.org when both are same. (61819)
Unify DataViews HeaderHeaderThe header of your site is typically the first thing people will experience. The masthead or header art located across the top of your page is part of the look and feel of your website. It can influence a visitor’s opinion about your content and you/ your organization’s brand. It may also look different on different screen sizes. Title & Subtitle. (62429)
Template inspector: Small visual adjustments. (62537)
Document Settings
FlatTermSelector: Update the term suggestion limit. (62359)
Global Styles
Update custom CSSCSSCascading Style Sheets. handling to be consistent with block global styles. (62357)
Post Editor
Try: Re-enable ReactReactReact is a JavaScript library that makes it easy to reason about, construct, and maintain stateless and stateful user interfaces.
https://reactjs.org StrictMode. (61943)
CoreCoreCore is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. Data: Fix errors when the entities list doesn’t contain configuration key. (62346)
Data Views: Bulk toolbar covering other clickable elements. (62333)
Fix: Omit default parameters from pages, template parts, and patterns. (62372)
Fix: Show homepage link on frontpage instead of the slug. (62279)
Fix: Unquoted file argument in declaration check script. (62482)
Update instances of text-wrap: Pretty to fall back to balance. (62233)
MediaUpload: Remove dialog markup on close. (62168)
Global Styles
Add default-spacing-sizes and default-font-sizes options for classic themes. (62252)
Add custom CSS for block style variations. (62526)
Color Variations: Use Grid rather than VStack. (62445)
Don’t apply the background and text colors to typography previews. (62578)
Fix UIUIUser interface appearing on blocks that don’t support text alignment. (62376)
Fix UI order for theme.jsonJSONJSON, or JavaScript Object Notation, is a minimal, readable format for structuring data. It is used primarily to transmit data between a server and web application, as an alternative to XML. spacing sizes. (62199)
Fix registration of theme style variation defined block styles. (62495)
Only use single property variations as color/type presets. (62469)
Section Styles: Register block style variations on init. (62461)
Section styles: Support i18ni18nInternationalization, or the act of writing and preparing code to be fully translatable into other languages. Also see localization. Often written with a lowercase i so it is not confused with a lowercase L or the numeral 1. Often an acquired skill. for variations declared in theme.json or theme style variations. (62552)
Sort spacing sizes when all slugs begin numerically. (62567)
Update sidebarSidebarA sidebar in WordPress is referred to a widget-ready area used by WordPress themes to display information that is not a part of the main content. It is not always a vertical column on the side. It can be a horizontal rectangle below or above the content area, footer, header, or any where in the theme. title + icon + site title alignment. (62191)
Block Editor
Inserter: Allow focus to move to the toggle when opening the inserter. (62513)
Inserter: Return the same items when the state and parameters don’t change. (62263)
Remove ‘rootClientId’ argument for block lock selectors. (62547)
Update fetchLinkSuggestions to sort results by relevancy. (62397)
Block Library
Fixed Media Text Block Issue : When crop image to fill is enabled, the image in nested media & text blocks does not show. (62182)
Media & Text block: Fix nested Media & Text block media position issue with increased CSS specificity. (62184)
Query: Adjust the position of sticky search field in Patterns modal. (62370)
Editor: Make revisionsRevisionsThe WordPress revisions system stores a record of each saved draft or published update. The revision system allows you to see what changes were made in each revision by dragging a slider (or using the Next/Previous buttons). The display indicates what has changed in each revision. more prominent. (62323)
Editor: Refine availability of rename post action. (62248)
Fix move CONTENT_ONLY_BLOCKS into component body to ensure the editor.postContentBlockTypesfilterFilterFilters are one of the two types of Hooks https://codex.wordpress.org/Plugin_API/Hooks. They provide a way for functions to modify data of other functions. They are the counterpart to Actions. Unlike Actions, filters are meant to work in an isolated manner, and should never have side effects such as affecting global variables and output. gets called whenever the values are used. (62292)
Components
Ensure that openref is defined before accessing to .current. (62508)
Fix: Update styles for checkbox and radio controls. (61696)
Tabs: Prevent accidental overflow in indicator. (61979)
List View
Fix home and end key behaviour in very long lists. (62312)
Show context menu for content-only blocks in posts. (62354)
Block bindings
Fix applying bindings or pattern overrides to button blocks with empty text. (62220)
Fix site editor breaking when user selects bound and non-bound blocks at the same time. (62268)
Revert changes to bindings replacement logic to not use regex. (62355)
Synced Patterns
Block Bindings / Pattern Overrides: Prevent normal attribute updates when a __default binding exists. (62471)
Fix showing double icons for connected blocks in pattern editor. (62317)
Data Views
DataViews: Fix unnecessary horizontal scrollbar in list layout. (62448)
Page creation and duplication: Decode HTMLHTMLHyperText Markup Language. The semantic scripting language primarily used for outputting content in web browsers. entities in success notices. (62313)
Patterns
Fix increasingly big canvas in the post editor when editing patterns. (62360)
Data: Add error handle to the ‘registry.batch’ method. (62322)
Block Variations
Compare objects based on given properties. (62272)
Block Styles
Remove core block style variations filters and action. (62090)
AccessibilityAccessibilityAccessibility (commonly shortened to a11y) refers to the design of products, devices, services, or environments for people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design ensures both “direct access” (i.e. unassisted) and “indirect access” meaning compatibility with a person’s assistive technology (for example, computer screen readers). (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accessibility)
Add lint rule for inaccessible disabled Button. (62080)
Fix @sincetagtagA directory in Subversion. WordPress uses tags to store a single snapshot of a version (3.6, 3.6.1, etc.), the common convention of tags in version control systems. (Not to be confused with post tags.) in docblockdocblock(phpdoc, xref, inline docs) in WP_Theme_JSON_Data_Gutenberg. (62425)
Fix: InvalidinvalidA resolution on the bug tracker (and generally common in software development, sometimes also notabug) that indicates the ticket is not a bug, is a support request, or is generally invalid. link on explanations documentation. (62487)
Fixing minor syntax in DataView example code. (62560)
Interactivity API template create block: Removed warning for generated README from template. (62324)
Update Node version for flaky test reporter. (62401)
end-to-end Utils: Add retry mechanism to the REST APIREST APIThe REST API is an acronym for the RESTful Application Program Interface (API) that uses HTTP requests to GET, PUT, POST and DELETE data. It is how the front end of an application (think “phone app” or “website”) can communicate with the data store (think “database” or “file system”)
https://developer.wordpress.org/rest-api/ discovery. (62331)
Build Tooling
Build JSJSJavaScript, a web scripting language typically executed in the browser. Often used for advanced user interfaces and behaviors. module only in development mode. (62398)
Speed up check-build-type-declaration-files. (62538)
Props to @jameskoster for the visual assets, @priethor for handling the release candidaterelease candidateOne of the final stages in the version release cycle, this version signals the potential to be a final release to the public. Also see alpha (beta). at short notice, @andrewserong, @isabel_brison, @annezazu, and @matveb for help with drafting and proof reading this post.
The theme.jsonJSONJSON, or JavaScript Object Notation, is a minimal, readable format for structuring data. It is used primarily to transmit data between a server and web application, as an alternative to XML. version is incremented whenever a breaking change would need to be made to the APIAPIAn API or Application Programming Interface is a software intermediary that allows programs to interact with each other and share data in limited, clearly defined ways.. This allows consumers to opt-in to the breaking change by updating the version. Older theme.json versions will always be supported in the latest versions of WordPress.
Updating to version 3 is recommended when your minimum supported WordPress version reaches 6.6. See theme.json version 3 frequently asked questions for more information on when to update. Then check out the theme.json reference for migrationMigrationMoving the code, database and media files for a website site from one server to another. Most typically done when changing hosting companies. instructions when you are ready to update.
Breaking changes in version 3
Starting with theme.json version 3 the default behavior for using the same slugs as the default fontSizes and spacingSizes presets has been changed to match how other theme.json presets work: from always overriding the default presets to requiring defaultFontSizes or defaultSpacingSizes to be false in order to override the default presets.
Default font sizes
settings.typography.defaultFontSizes is a new option in theme.json v3. It controls whether the coreCoreCore is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. provided default settings.typography.fontSizes presets are shown and used.
The default fontSizes presets’ slugs are: small, medium, large, and x-large.
When defaultFontSizes is true it will show the default font sizes in the editor and prevent the theme from creating presets using the default slugs.
When defaultFontSizes is false it will hide the default font sizes in the editor and allow the theme to use the default slugs.
For blockBlockBlock is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience. themes defaultFontSizes is true by default. This is consistent with how other default* options work such as settings.color.defaultPalette.
For classic themes there is a new theme support default-font-sizes which is also true by default. However, unlike block themes, it is set to false when editor-font-sizes theme support is defined.
In theme.json v2, the default font sizes were only shown when theme sizes were not defined. A theme providing font sizes with the same slugs as the defaults would always override the defaults.
To keep behavior similar to v2 with a v3 theme.json:
If you do not have any fontSizes defined, defaultFontSizes can be left out or set to true.
If you have some fontSizes defined, set defaultFontSizes to false.
settings.spacing.defaultSpacingSizes is a new option in theme.json v3. It controls whether the core provided default settings.spacing.spacingSizes presets are shown and used.
The default spacingSizes presets’ slugs are: 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, and 80.
When defaultSpacingSizes is true it will show the default spacing sizes in the editor and prevent the theme from creating presets using the default slugs.
When defaultSpacingSizes is false it will hide the default spacing sizes in the editor and allow the theme to use the default slugs.
defaultSpacingSizes is true by default. This is consistent with how other default* options work such as settings.color.defaultPalette.
For classic themes there is a new theme support default-spacing-sizes which is also true by default. However, unlike block themes, it is set to false when editor-spacing-sizes theme support is defined.
In theme.json v2, the default spacing sizes were only shown when theme sizes were not defined. A theme providing spacing sizes with the same slugs as the defaults would always override the defaults.
Furthermore, there are two settings that can be used to set theme level spacing sizes: spacingSizes and spacingScale. With theme.json v3, presets from both will be merged together and sorted numerically by slug. Presets defined in spacingSizes will override those generated by spacingScale if the slugs match.
In theme.json v2, setting both spacingSizesandspacingScale would only use the values from spacingSizes.
To keep behavior similar to v2 with a v3 theme.json:
If you do not have any spacingSizes presets or spacingScale config defined, defaultSpacingSizes can be left out or set to true.
If you disabled default spacing sizes by setting spacingScale to { "steps": 0 }, remove the spacingScale config and set defaultSpacingSizes to false.
If you defined only one of either spacingScale or spacingSizes for your presets, set defaultSpacingSizes to false.
If you defined both spacingScale and spacingSizes, remove the spacingSizes config and set defaultSpacingSizes to false.
WordPress 6.6 includes some changes affecting both the social link and social links blocks.
HTMLHTMLHyperText Markup Language. The semantic scripting language primarily used for outputting content in web browsers. changes when using a social linksblockBlockBlock is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience. inside a Navigation Block
As of WordPress 6.6, the social links block will be wrapped in a list item (litagtagA directory in Subversion. WordPress uses tags to store a single snapshot of a version (3.6, 3.6.1, etc.), the common convention of tags in version control systems. (Not to be confused with post tags.)) when used in the navigation block. This change fixed an issue where the navigation block produced invalidinvalidA resolution on the bug tracker (and generally common in software development, sometimes also notabug) that indicates the ticket is not a bug, is a support request, or is generally invalid. HTML (the social links block’s ul was nested directly under the navigation block’s ul).
This may affect some themes that depend on the exact nesting of the HTML elements, for example using a selector like .wp-block-navigation__container > .wp-block-social-links.
Here are some examples of how the HTML has changed:
Example of navigation block and social links markup before WordPress 6.6
As of WordPress 6.6, the social link block will no longer output the components-button class name on its button element within the block editor.
Themes targeting this class name for editor styles should use the existing wp-block-social-link-anchor class instead.
It’s expected that most themes will be doing this already, so for most no change will be required.
Why was this class name present?
The class name was a side-effect of using the ButtonReactReactReact is a JavaScript library that makes it easy to reason about, construct, and maintain stateless and stateful user interfaces.
https://reactjs.org component from the @wordpress/components package (which can also be referenced as wp.components.Button) within the social link block’s implementation.
Why is this being changed?
The components from @wordpress/components are intended for use in the editor’s general interface and have a lot of opinionated CSSCSSCascading Style Sheets., while the on-canvas part of a block is intended to be styled by a theme and should have minimal CSS.
Updates made to styles in the @wordpress/components can have unintended side-effects for the block’s appearance, and can also raise or lower the specificity of the styles above or below what a theme implementer might expect. The change to the block’s implementation leads to more stable and predictable css specificity.
There’s no guarantee the styles from @wordpress/components will continue to work in the iframed editor canvas, some CSS variable references in the styles were already not working as expected.
The styles that were previously added to the social link block contravene the CSS guidelines used by developers on the WordPress project.
More features to build responsive grid layouts are about to become available in the WordPress blockBlockBlock is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience. editor. The user experience work is out of the experimental stage and will come to WordPress in 6.6. as a new Group block variation. Its flexibility and visual resizing options help users to assemble enticing layouts for their visitors.
The options include
automatic or manual set columns allowing for resizing of grid cells and
set column and row spans individually.
drag and drop modification in the canvas.
Join us for a Hallway Hangout on Jun 26 at 11:00 am UTC to discuss the new features with developers, site builders and extenders. This session will cover a demo of the features and tools coming to WordPress 6.6 as well as what is in the works for 6.7. The Zoom link will be shared on the day of the event in the #outreach channel.
Early WordPress 6.6 BetaBetaA pre-release of software that is given out to a large group of users to trial under real conditions. Beta versions have gone through alpha testing in-house and are generally fairly close in look, feel and function to the final product; however, design changes often occur as part of the process. 2 performance results [GitHub issue]
WordCampWordCampWordCamps are casual, locally-organized conferences covering everything related to WordPress. They're one of the places where the WordPress community comes together to teach one another what they’ve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more. Europe highlights post [link]
WordPress performance TracTracAn open source project by Edgewall Software that serves as a bug tracker and project management tool for WordPress. tickets
Current release (WP 6.6)
Performance Lab pluginPluginA plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https://wordpress.org/plugins/ or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party. (and other performance plugins)
Auto-Sizes for Lazy-Loaded Images
Embed Optimizer
Fetchpriority
Image Placeholders
Modern Image Formats
Optimization Detective
Performant Translations
Speculative Loading
Active priority projects
WordPress Performance Trac Tickets
@joemcgill keeping an eye on #61451 which is one potential place where there is still an opportunity to improve performance
@joemcgill Chrome 126 went stable last week, which includes support for auto-sizes, so I’d encourage more folks to start testing the Auto-sizes plugin and provide feedback
@westonruter I’ve been working on adding integration between Embed Optimizer and Optimization Detective, allowing the collected URLURLA specific web address of a website or web page on the Internet, such as a website’s URL www.wordpress.org metrics to inform whether an embed should be lazy-loaded and if not (when in the initial viewport) to add preconnect links. This has exposed some limitations with the current implementation so I’ve been refactoring how the tagtagA directory in Subversion. WordPress uses tags to store a single snapshot of a version (3.6, 3.6.1, etc.), the common convention of tags in version control systems. (Not to be confused with post tags.) processor is leveraged which will make it much more powerful for extensions to apply optimizations. Currently still a draft but should be ready for review this week: https://github.com/WordPress/performance/pull/1302
@westonruter for Speculative Loading, there’s a PR now to implement support for the search form, but this currently requires a hack which has been reported upstream to Chromium to allow speculative loading prerenders for GET forms: https://github.com/WordPress/performance/pull/1297
Improving the calculation of image size attributes
@mukesh27 For accurate sizes, we used a different approach for updating the sizes. The PR #1252 is ready with those changes. If anyone has a moment, please take a look
Optimized Autoloaded Options
@joemcgill our only remaining task is to publish the dev notedev noteEach important change in WordPress Core is documented in a developers note, (usually called dev note). Good dev notes generally include a description of the change, the decision that led to this change, and a description of how developers are supposed to work with that change. Dev notes are published on Make/Core blog during the beta phase of WordPress release cycle. Publishing dev notes is particularly important when plugin/theme authors and WordPress developers need to be aware of those changes.In general, all dev notes are compiled into a Field Guide at the beginning of the release candidate phase.. I saw that @adamsilverstein provided some minor feedback, which @pbearne has already addressed. I think it’s probably read to go
@joemcgill one of the things that I’ve been thinking about, related to these types of caches—where we’re trying to add persistence to all sites via the use of transients—is what is the best way to avoid the extra DB query that gets made when you have a transient with a TTL value. It may be worth updating the transient APIAPIAn API or Application Programming Interface is a software intermediary that allows programs to interact with each other and share data in limited, clearly defined ways. to allow for autoloading to be specified when setting the transient.
Open Floor
@joemcgill reminder about the new project board that we’ve got set up here. I’m curious if anyone is still using the older project boards on a regular basis. If not, I think we can remove them.
@stellastopfer will help remove these if everyone agrees
The live meeting will focus on the discussion for upcoming releases, and have an open floor section.
Additional items will be referred to in the various curated agenda sections, as below. If you have ticketticketCreated for both bug reports and feature development on the bug tracker. requests for help, please do continue to post details in the comments section at the end of this agenda.
Announcements
WordPress 6.6 Beta 3 was released on June 18. Contributors are still focused on testing and fixing bugs discovered during betaBetaA pre-release of software that is given out to a large group of users to trial under real conditions. Beta versions have gone through alpha testing in-house and are generally fairly close in look, feel and function to the final product; however, design changes often occur as part of the process. testing.
Forthcoming releases
Next major releasemajor releaseA release, identified by the first two numbers (3.6), which is the focus of a full release cycle and feature development. WordPress uses decimaling count for major release versions, so 2.8, 2.9, 3.0, and 3.1 are sequential and comparable in scope.: 6.6
No maintenance releases are currently being planned.
Next GutenbergGutenbergThe Gutenberg project is the new Editor Interface for WordPress. The editor improves the process and experience of creating new content, making writing rich content much simpler. It uses ‘blocks’ to add richness rather than shortcodes, custom HTML etc.
https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/ release: 18.6
Gutenberg 18.6 is scheduled for June 19 and will include these issues. This version will NOT be included in the WordPress 6.6 release.
Discussions
As we’re in the middle of the 6.6 release cycle, we’ll prioritize any items for this release. Please review the Editor Updates section of this agenda for a list of updates on several key features related to this release.
BlockBlockBlock is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience.APIAPIAn API or Application Programming Interface is a software intermediary that allows programs to interact with each other and share data in limited, clearly defined ways.: a new issue has been opened around introducing abstraction for better management of inspector controls. The idea is to move inspector controls to be an attribute of block settings, then render each control separately inside a wrapper, which could pave the way for toggling their display on or off, as well as creating robust logic for indicating whether a particular attribute is bound.
Phase 3: Data views:an update was shared on Make Core about the latest work done here, how it can be currently used, feedback desired, and where to share the feedback.
Site editor: a draft PR is underway as a pure experiment to Try: Extend site editor to demonstrate how we can extend the site editor via plugins.
Syncing CoreCoreCore is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. & Gutenberg: a new issue was opened to discuss Streamlining the way WP_Theme_JSON related classes and helpers are maintained. Please chime in if you regularly work on these APIs.
Tickets for assistance
Tickets for 6.6 will be prioritized.
Please include details of tickets / PRs and the links in the comments, and if you intend to be available during the meeting if there are any questions or you will be async.
WordPress automatically loads multiple options with a single query on each page request in order to be more efficient—a technique called “autoloading”. Prior to [57920], developers could control whether their option should be autoloaded by passing either "yes"/true or "no"/false to the third parameter of add_option() or update_option(). However, the decision to make that parameter optional, with a default value of "yes" has led to many options being loaded on every page unnecessarily (see #42441).
Autoloading a large amount of data that is not used negatively impacts website performance, particularly when an option containing a large amount of data is not used.
[57920] introduces several changes to the Options APIAPIAn API or Application Programming Interface is a software intermediary that allows programs to interact with each other and share data in limited, clearly defined ways. to optimize autoloading behavior.
Changes to the options API
To support this optimization for autoloading behavior, and to create a way to apply further optimizations going forward, the following changes to the Options API have been made.
New default $autoload value
The default value for the $autoload parameter of add_option() and update_option() is being changed from "yes" to null, to allow WordPress to differentiate between an option with an autoload value that is explicitly set, and one where it can dynamically determine whether an option should be autoloaded. As a result, there are now three recommended values for the autoload parameter:
true: always autoload; Use this when an option should load on every page to avoid an additional DB query.
false: never autoload; Use this when an option is rarely used to avoid wasted data being loaded on every page.
null: maybe autoload; Allow the autoload value to be dynamically determined. By default, WordPress will still autoload options using the default value unless they contain large values (described below).
For backwards compatibility, the previous values of "yes" and "no" are still supported and mapped to true and false, respectively.
Updated database autoload values
Previously, all options were stored in the database with an autoload value of either “yes” or “no”. Starting with this change, the autoload value for newly updated options will now be one of the following values:
‘on’: Added with an explicit true value and MUST be autoloaded (needed on EVERY page).
‘off‘:‘ Added with an explicit false value and MUST not be autoloaded (e.g. only used on a single adminadmin(and super admin) page) .
‘auto’: Added without an explicit value and will rely on WP default autoloading behavior. In WordPress 6.6 these SHOULD autoload, but the default may change in the future.
‘auto-on’: Added with a dynamically set to true value and SHOULD be autoloaded.
‘auto-off’: Added with a dynamically set to false value and SHOULD NOT be autoloaded.
No upgrade routine is planned for this change, so previously added options will still be stored with “yes” or “no” values, which will be treated like “on” and “off”, respectively. If you have implemented any custom SQL to read or write autoload values, you should update them to use the new values.
Newly introduced public functions and filters
Several new functions and filters are available to make working with the new autoload values easier.
New Function
wp_autoload_values_to_autoload() – Returns all database values that should be autoloaded. Defaults to an array containing 'yes', 'on', 'auto-on', and 'auto'.
New Filters
wp_autoload_values_to_autoload – Edit the list of autoload values stored in the database values that should be autoloaded. At this time, the filterFilterFilters are one of the two types of Hooks https://codex.wordpress.org/Plugin_API/Hooks. They provide a way for functions to modify data of other functions. They are the counterpart to Actions. Unlike Actions, filters are meant to work in an isolated manner, and should never have side effects such as affecting global variables and output. only allows values to be removed.
wp_default_autoload_value – Determine the default autoload value for an option where no explicit value is passed. Return a boolean false value to disable autoloading.
wp_max_autoloaded_option_size – Modify the size threshold above which options will not be autoloaded by default. Defaults to 150000, i.e., 150k bytes.
Disabling autoload for large options
To address the issue of autoloading excessively large options, when an option is added via add_option() or an option’s value is changed via update_option(), WordPress will now dynamically disable the autoload behavior by checking the size of the value before updating the database. For any options that do not explicitly pass true to the $autoload parameter, a value that is greater than 150k bytes will no longer be set to autoload.
Preparing for this update
To prepare for this update, developers should update calls to add_option() and update_option() in their code to explicitly set an autoload value using the new preferred true or false values in order to control the autoload behavior for your options. Otherwise, continue using the default value to allow for autoload optimizations to be dynamically applied.
Ensuring a large option is still autoloaded
If you need to ensure a specific large option is autoloaded after this change and cannot directly change the code where that option is saved, you can make use of the new wp_default_autoload_value filter.
Note: Do this with care, and only for options that are needed on every page.
If you want to change the size threshold for when options should no longer be autoloaded, you can use the new wp_max_autoloaded_option_size filter. Increasing this value is not recommended, as it could lead to slower performance.
add_filter( 'wp_max_autoloaded_option_size', 'my_max_autoload_option_size' );
function my_max_autoload_option_size( $size ) {
// Reduce the threshold for large sizes to 100K (Default is 150K).
return 100000;
}
Auditing your site for large options
WordPress 6.6 will include a new Site Health check, which will display a critical issue that says “Autoloaded options could affect performance” if the total size of your autoloaded options exceeds 800 KB.
To audit your site for large options that are currently being autoloaded, you can run an enhanced version of this same Site Health check by installing the Performance Lab plugin from the WordPress Performance Team. Once activated, the pluginPluginA plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https://wordpress.org/plugins/ or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party. will add additional information to the Site Health check so you can review and disable any options that do not need to be autoloaded in the Site Health check.
Screenshot of the advanced table shown by the Performance Lab plugin
Other changes to the Options API in WordPress 6.6
Introduce wp_prime_network_option_caches() to load multiple networknetwork(versus site, blog) options with a single database request (#61053)
Prime transient and transient timeout options in the transient and site transient APIs (#61193, #61053)
Update default autoload values used in coreCoreCore is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. (#61045)
Add 'label' argument to register_setting() (#61023)
WordPress 6.6 includes improvements to how a block variation is detected as active for a given blockBlockBlock is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience. via the variation’s isActive property. This property can be either a function (that compares block and variation attributes), or a string[] shorthand that specifies which of the variation’s attributes to consider when comparing them to the block’s. The following changes affect only the string[] shorthand, which is now generally recommended over the function version.
Dot notation
Block variations can now use dot notation for “object paths” to specify “nested” attributes in their isActive property. For example, if a block’s query attribute is an object, it is now possible to use the following shorthand notation for isActive to determine if a variation is active based on the query object’s postType property:
If multiple variations have an isActive string array property that matches a given block, getActiveBlockVariation() will now return the one with the highest specificity. For example, take two variations of the same block, one with
Now if a block instance has attributes textColor: vivid-red and backgroundColor: cyan-bluish-gray, both variations’ isActive criterion will match that block instance. In this case, the specificity of each match will be calculated as the length of each isActive array, and the matching variation with the highest specificity will be returned — in this example, the second one.
Comparison of objects
If an isActive array item is an object, it was previously compared by reference. This has been fixed such that a block is considered to match a variation if it contains all the properties that the variation specifies for that object and if the properties have the same values. For example, the following variation
as the orderBy property that’s specified by the variation is missing.
Comparison of RichText
Finally, rich-text attributes are now compared correctly when used in a block variation’s isActive array. For example:
<pre class="wp-block-syntaxhighlighter-code">attributes: {
content: 'This is a <strong>warning</strong> message.',
},
isActive: [ 'content' ]</pre>
Conclusion
We hope that these improvements will make developers’ lives easier when working with block variations. They’re also meant to lay the foundations for some other enhancements we’re planning to make to block variations during the next cycle (e.g., automatically added class names for variations, or variation aliases).
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