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.
With the release of WordPress 3.2 in 2011, the minimum version of MySQLMySQLMySQL is a relational database management system. A database is a structured collection of data where content, configuration and other options are stored. https://www.mysql.com/. required to run the software was updated from 4.1.2 to 5.0. While the recommended version of MySQL (or MariaDB) is frequently updated to suggest using only officially supported versions, the same has not happened for the required version and this minimum has remained the same since.
MySQL 5.0 was initially made generally available in 2005 and reached its end of life (EOL) in January of 2012, making it unsupported and insecure for over 12 years. This is extremely old and this requirement is being raised.
In WordPress 6.5 (as of [57173]), the minimum required version of MySQL will be raised from 5.0 to 5.5.5.
Why version 5.5?
This sounds like a big jump and appears to discontinue support for 5 versions. However, MySQL versions 5.2, 5.3, and 5.4 were never officially released. Here are the current percentages of sites using each MySQL version for all WordPress sites according to the WordPress.org Stats page (the EOL date for each release is noted in parenthesis):
5.0: 0.13% (January 2012)
5.1: 0.27% (December 2013)
5.5: 14.54% (December 2018)
5.6: 4.51% (February 2021)
5.7: 33.01% (October 2023)
8.0: 11.67% (April 2026)
Note: This only includes versions released prior to the MySQL Innovation/Long-Term Support versioning strategy that was recently announced.
Only 0.4% of all sites are running MySQL < version 5.5. Additionally, 80% of those sites are running a version of WordPress greater than 2 years old (6.1 or earlier). Approximately 15% of all sites are running MySQL 5.5.
Even though the EOL date for version 5.5 has also long passed, the level of usage in the wild is far too high to consider using a required minimum higher than that at this time.
Why 5.5.5 specifically and not just 5.5?
Of all sites currently running MySQL 5.5, over 85% of them are running the 5.5.5point releaseMinor ReleaseA set of releases or versions having the same minor version number may be collectively referred to as .x , for example version 5.2.x to refer to versions 5.2, 5.2.1, 5.2.3, and all other versions in the 5.2 (five dot two) branch of that software. Minor Releases often make improvements to existing features and functionality. with no usage of 5.5.0-5.5.4 being reported.
Using 5.5.5 also ensures two things:
The presence of utf8mb4 support (added in MySQL 5.5.3)
InnoDB is the default storage engine instead of MyISAM (added in 5.5.5).
While WordPress is perfectly capable of using other character sets, utf8mb4 is the preferred default, falling back to utf8 when it’s unavailable.
How does this affect MariaDB support?
In short, it doesn’t. The MariaDB project used a numbering strategy identical to MySQLs through version 5.5. While MySQL 5.2, 5.3, and 5.4 were not released, MariaDB 5.2 and 5.3 were. This change will effectively drop support for those two releases of MariaDB, These versions reached EOL in 2010 and 2011, respectively. There is currently no reported usage of these two versions in the wild.
What about new versions of MySQL or MariaDB?
There will continue to be no upper limit to the version of MySQL or MariaDB a site owner is allowed to run. As new versions are released, contributors work to evaluate and address any compatibility issues when and if they are discovered.
With MySQL 8.1 and MariaDB 10.0, bothprojects moved towards a release model with both short and long term releases. A larger discussion needs to take place focused on how this concept fits within the project’s commitment to backwards compatibility and version support policies. However, this post is not for that discussion. Keep an eye on this blogblog(versus network, site) for a separate post outlining and contextualizing those related challenges.
Wait, Site Health already says 5.5 is the minimum required version…
That’s right! Since the day it was merged into Core for release in WordPress 5.2, Site Health has reported the minimum required version as 5.5. Because the Site Health feature was originally a 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, it leaned hard on having strong recommendations from the start. Because MySQL version 5.5.3 added support for utf8mb4, the decision was made to present 5.5 as the minimum required version instead of 5.0.
When can/will the required version be raised to #INSERT SOME VERSION NUMBER HERE#?
Database software should be treated the same as any other: the most recent publicly available, supported version should always be used whenever possible. Using unsupported or EOL versions of software can leave you and your site susceptible to bugs and security vulnerabilities.
That said, WordPress is steadfast in its commitment to backwards compatibility. Older versions of the software WordPress depends on such as PHPPHPThe web scripting language in which WordPress is primarily architected. WordPress requires PHP 5.6.20 or higher and MySQL or MariaDB will continue to be supported when a sizable number of sites remain on those versions. Historically, the 5% baseline has been used when considering adjustments to the PHP support policy. The same baseline percentage seems reasonable as a starting point to begin future discussions about further changes to the minimum required versions of MySQL and MariaDB.
While the minimum required version is changing in WordPress 6.5, WordPress continues to recommend using MySQL version 5.7 or greater OR MariaDB version 10.4 or greater.
Summary
As a community, we frequently encourage site owners to run actively supported versions of PHP. Let’s advocate more strongly for the same with MySQL and MariaDB. By working together to lower the usage numbers of any versions that have reached their end of life, the potential to use new features to further improve WordPress can be unlocked, all while making the overall ecosystem more healthy and secure.
December 14, 2023: extended the deadline to January 12, 2024.
January 16, 2024: extended the deadline to January 31, 2024.
Nominations are now closed.
This post kicks off the formal election process with a call for nominations for the 2024 CoreCoreCore is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. Team Reps. For 2023, Tonya Mork (@hellofromtonya) and Abha Thakor (@webcommsat) have served as the elected Core Team Reps.
The Roles
In the WordPress open sourceOpen SourceOpen Source denotes software for which the original source code is made freely available and may be redistributed and modified. Open Source **must be** delivered via a licensing model, see GPL. project, each team has on average one or two representatives, abbreviated as reps. For the historians out there, the roles goes way back to 2012.
Historically with the Core team, the team repTeam RepA Team Rep is a person who represents the Make WordPress team to the rest of the project, make sure issues are raised and addressed as needed, and coordinates cross-team efforts. duration was around a year, though some reps stuck around longer if there was a particularly good fit.
It is not called “team lead” for a reason. It’s an administrative role. While people elected as team reps will generally come from the pool of folks that people think of as experienced leaders, the team rep role is designed to change hands regularly.
This role has a time commitment attached to it of at least a one or two hours a week.
writing regular Core team recaps and posting it in the Updatesblogblog(versus network, site).
writing the Week in Core post. In 2023, this has been kindly continued to be done with thanks to previous team rep @audrasjb.
keeping a watch on the moving parts of the team to report for quarterly updates (example).
How the election works
Please nominate people in the comments of this post. Self-nominations are welcome. The deadline is January 31, 2024 at 23:59 UTC. If there are less than 2 nominees who accepted their nominations, the deadline will again be extended.
Once nominations period expires, then a poll will be opened for voting. It will stay open for two weeks. The new reps will start their role in February 2024.
Disclaimer: if you are nominated, please don’t feel like you have to agree to say yes. The election poll will only include the names of the people who have agreed to be nominated. So feel free to reply with a “Thank you, but no thank you”.
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask in the comments or speak to the current team reps. Finally for reference, these are the 2020, 2021 and 2022 nomination posts.
This post seeks to provide an overview of the many 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) improvements and fixes coming to WordPress 6.4. This release addresses numerous issues that affect accessibility and general UIUIUser interface consistency, including many long-standing wp-adminadmin(and super admin) bugs, such as a six-year-old issue adjusting the relative proximity of interface buttons “Delete Menu” and “Save Menu.”
If you’re interested in improving WordPress accessibility, please join the #accessibility channel in MakeWP SlackSlackSlack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/. and check out how to get involved. There are numerous contributing opportunities, such as testing, giving feedback, and working on accessibility issues.
Site Editor
The Site Editor includes improvements for consistent labeling and semantics in pattern and template management and the Navigation 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..
#53755 – Comments form: Accessibility fixes for back-end
#53755 – Add missing aria roles to the ‘Replace template part’ menu item
#53754 – Add missing aria roles to the ‘Create template part’ menu item
#53739 – Add missing aria roles to the ‘Create pattern’ menu item
#52597 – Site Editor: Unify the delete button style in the dropdown menu with red
#53469 – Add accessible description of current Navigation block state
#53462 – Implement accessible version of Navigation overlay preview toggle control
#52678 – My patterns page: Increase color contrast for the toggle group
#52641 – Change Delete page menu item to Move to trashTrashTrash in WordPress is like the Recycle Bin on your PC or Trash in your Macintosh computer. Users with the proper permission level (administrators and editors) have the ability to delete a post, page, and/or comments. When you delete the item, it is moved to the trash folder where it will remain for 30 days..
#52634 – Password protected field: Remove autofocus and improve placeholder text consistency.
#52622 – Change password input to type text so contents are visible.
#52603 – Do not autofocus page title field in the ‘Draft a new page’ modal dialog
#52592 – Site Editor: Fix navigation menuNavigation MenuA theme feature introduced with Version 3.0. WordPress includes an easy to use mechanism for giving various control options to get users to click from one place to another on a site.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. actions order and label
#52251 – Navigation block: Add notice on reduced accessibility
#52271 – Site Editor: update headings hierarchy in the ‘Manage all’ screens
#52263 – Fix incorrect aria-describedby attributes for theme patterns
#52930 – [Commands]: Add aria-activedescendant attribute to suggestions
Block Editor
The general block editor experience focuses on making labeling clearer and more consistent and improving the semantics of block and editor HTMLHTMLHyperText Markup Language. The semantic scripting language primarily used for outputting content in web browsers..
#52885 – Edit site: Add missing label to post status password protected input field
#53691 – [a11yAccessibilityAccessibility (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)] Fix: aria-haspop, aria-expanded attributes on the link format button.
#53692 – [a11y] Fix: aria-haspop and aria-expanded attributes on the inserter button.
#54324 – Table block: Fix semantic structure for screen readers on back-end
#54687 – Paragraph: Make ‘aria-label’ consistent with other blocks
#54590 – Allow Modal to place focus on first element within contents via new 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.
#54206 – Allow using a button element for button blocks
#45801 – Improve the placeholder instructions accessibility.
#52932 – ColorPalette, BorderControl: Don’t hyphenate HEX value in aria-label
#52653 – Modal: Fix loss of focus when clicking outside
#52246 – Improve consistency of the Post editor and Site editor Document actions
#52495 – Item: Unify focus style and add default font styles
#53693 – [a11y] Fix: aria-haspop and aria-expanded attributes on list view button.
#54843 – Footnotes: Add aria-label to return links
User Interface
WordPress 6.4 fixes many long-term spatial layout and usability issues in the WordPress UI. Key changes include adjusting spacing between elements, repositioning certain actions for better flow, and using more intuitive icons, like replacing the ‘x’ character with a clearer icon.
#58493 – User Profile Page: Vertical spacing inconsistency between label and field on smaller screens.
#59371 – Adjust theme details buttons to improve proximity of controls.
#59372 – Adjust theme details buttons in 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. to improve proximity of controls.
#58785 – Show dashicons-dismiss instead of the character ‘x’ when we talk about the dashicon-dismiss.
Admin UI and Messages
With an emphasis on accessible messaging within the admin area, 6.4 addresses issues like making “Add New” links more descriptive, improving spoken messages for voice output, and adjusting the order and presentation of form elements and notifications.
#47125 – Admin: clarify the “Add New” links for better accessibility.
#58573 – Site Health: Improve the speak() messages.
#59229 – Add new post/page: admin notice when JSJSJavaScript, a web scripting language typically executed in the browser. Often used for advanced user interfaces and behaviors. is off can’t install 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 by single click.
#58738 – Widgets page: Add missing H1 and admin notice when JS is off.
#58703 – wp-list-table: <label> is preceding <input> in the checkbox column.
Media-Related Fixes
As part of the lead-in to the planned Media Library updates, 6.4 enhances accessibility in a variety of media elements. Adjustments include adding alternative text support, improving select state issues in the Media Library, adhering to device settings, and ensuring focus states are maintained when editing images.
Update (Oct. 9): In order to accommodate the need for hosts to deal with the pending curl 8.4.0 security release on Wednesday, the 6.3.2 final release date will be delayed to Thursday, Oct 12.
WordPress 6.3.2 Release Candidate 1 (RC1) is available for testing! Some ways you can help test this minor release:
Use the WordPress Beta TesterpluginPluginA 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
As this is a minor RCrelease 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). release, select the Point Release channel and the Nightlies stream. This is the latest build including the RC and potentially any subsequent commits in trunk.
6.3.2 RC1 features 19 fixes on Core as well as 22 fixes for 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.
The following coreCoreCore is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. tickets from TracTracAn open source project by Edgewall Software that serves as a bug tracker and project management tool for WordPress. are fixed:
#59489 — Themes: Fix core block style paths on Windows
#59198 — Upgrade/Install: Check plugin compatibility during bulk upgrades
#59293 — Editor: Update packages with 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 for 6.3.2
#59086 — Twenty Twenty: Fix style issues within iframed editor
#59196 — Build Tools: Avoid doing copy:dynamic when running grunt watch when using --dev option
#59193 — 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/.: Remove misleading comment in WP_REST_Blocks_Controller->get_item_schema
#59108 — Editor: Preserve block style variations when securing theme
#59041 — Post Types: allow trashing draft patterns
#59018 — Editor: Fix loading of assets in blocks in child themes where the directory name starts with the parent theme’s directory name
#59000 — Editor: Prevent possibility of a fatal error when previewing block themes
#58754 — Editor: Don’t use fluid layout value in typography
#58119 — HTMLHTMLHyperText Markup Language. The semantic scripting language primarily used for outputting content in web browsers.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.: Remove all duplicate copies of an attribute when removing
#59394 — Build/Test Tools: Add sys_get_temp_dir() to open_basedir tests
#59320 — Upgrade/Install: Fix broken sprintf() call when deleting a backup
#59292 — HTML API: Skip over contents of RAWTEXT elements such as STYLE
#59111 — Themes: Avoid stale caches for core block styles
#59226 — Posts, Post Types: Reinstate missing sort_column options in get_pages()
#59224 — Posts, Post Types: Avoid redundant SQL query in get_pages()
The following block editor issues from GitHubGitHubGitHub is a website that offers online implementation of git repositories that can easily be shared, copied and modified by other developers. Public repositories are free to host, private repositories require a paid subscription. GitHub introduced the concept of the ‘pull request’ where code changes done in branches by contributors can be reviewed and discussed before being merged be the repository owner. https://github.com/ are fixed:
The dev-reviewed workflow (double committer sign-off) is now in effect when making changes to the 6.3 branchbranchA directory in Subversion. WordPress uses branches to store the latest development code for each major release (3.9, 4.0, etc.). Branches are then updated with code for any minor releases of that branch. Sometimes, a major version of WordPress and its minor versions are collectively referred to as a "branch", such as "the 4.0 branch"..
The final release is expected on Wednesday, October 11th, 2023 Thursday, October 12th, 2023. Please note that this date can change depending on possible issues after RC1 is released. Coordination will happen in the WordPress.orgWordPress.orgThe community site where WordPress code is created and shared by the users. This is where you can download the source code for WordPress core, plugins and themes as well as the central location for community conversations and organization. https://wordpress.org/SlackSlackSlack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/.#6-3-release-leads channel.
A special thanks to everyone who helped test, raised issues, and helped to fix tickets. With this release candidate, testing continues, so please help test!
The WordPress 6.3.2 first 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). was led by @joemcgill and @audrasjb with the help of @davidbaumwald at mission control and @isabel_brison on Editor backports.
These “CoreCoreCore is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. Editor Improvement…” posts (labeled with the #core-editor-improvementtagtagA 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.)) are a series dedicated to highlighting various new features, improvements, and more from Core Editor related projects.
Writing in WordPress, whether your latest post or a new page, needs to be seamless and enjoyable–the tooling should always aim to aid creativity rather than get in the way. Blocks with all of their variations, design tools, and transforms should leave you feeling empowered. To make sure of that, some extra effort was put into the 6.4 release cycle to make the simple act of writing better with new keyboard shortcuts, smoother list merging, some key fixes, and more. Below is a video demonstrating some of these enhancements in one cohesive flow starting with the captured toolbars in a Quote 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. and ending with easily merging two List blocks:
Cohesive Toolbar experience with Navigation, List, & Quote blocks
There’s a new toolbar experience for the Navigation, List, and Quote blocks. Each of these blocks have built-in child blocks and rather than having the toolbars for each child block visible, they are now seamlessly attached to the overall parent blocks. This both helps prevent toolbars from blocking other pieces of content, like a different list item than the one selected and provides a more organized editing experience where you always know where your tooling options are.
Strengthening the experience
Several 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 and improvements contribute to a more seamless and predictable writing experience.
These “CoreCoreCore is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. Editor Improvement…” posts (labeled with the #core-editor-improvementtagtagA 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.)) are a series dedicated to highlighting various new features, improvements, and more from Core Editor related projects.
The following dives deep into the latest updates to the Command Palette, a new tool available with WordPress 6.3 designed to speed up your workflow. You can use the keyboard shortcut Cmd+kon Mac or Ctrl+k on Windows to activate it and get started. With work underway for WordPress 6.4, here are some very early looks at what you can look forward to when it comes to this new option in your WordPress creation experience and a reminder of what it’s capable of already.
Use commands to do more, faster in any editor
The Command Palette is available across the editing experience, whether you’re switching between templates in the Site Editor or toggling open settings in the Post Editor, with specific contextual options depending on where you are. In the video below, you’ll see the keyboard shortcut used to evoke the Command Palette, open and close List View, display and hide breadcrumbs, toggle on distraction free mode, and preview the page in a new tab.
Think of the Command Palette as the ultimate shortcut tool, allowing you to do more with less clicks, whether you’re trying to enable a specific setting or transform an Image 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. to a Cover block.
Explore every option
If you’re using WordPress 6.3, the following commands are ready to use to allow you to quickly switch between different parts of your site and personalize your experience without needing to find every setting individually:
Edit Template when editing a page.
Back to page to return to editing a page from a template.
Reset template
Reset template part
Reset styles to default
Delete template
Delete template part
Toggle settings 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.
Toggle block inspector
Toggle spotlight mode
Toggle top toolbar
Open code editor
Toggle list view in the Post Editor.
Toggle fullscreen mode
Open editor preferences
Open keyboard shortcuts
Customize CSSCSSCascading Style Sheets.
Open styles 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.
Open styles
Learn about styles to trigger the welcome guide for Styles
Additionally, you can access all transforms a block has defined using the Command Palette. For example, with an Image block, you will see the option to transform to a Cover block, a Gallery block, Columns block, File block, Group block, and Media & Text block. Finally, for the various reset, delete, and edit commands related to templates, the name of the template has been added to ensure you’re taking the actions you want on the exact item you want.
What commands do you want to see? Please share in Gutenberg’s GitHub repository or in the comments below to help make this feature even more powerful.
Enjoy a refreshed design and experience
To better accommodate a growing number of commands and make it easier to skim what each option allows, new styling was added that includes darker icons and an always present search icon. Below is an image showing the design before on the left and the current design on the right:
Thanks to a recent fix, this new design looks great on all screen sizes. Work has also been done to ensure that the commands that are listed are most applicable to the context at hand. For example, if a block is locked, grouping is no longer listed as a command, resulting in a more intuitive experience. For a bonus quality of life detail, the keyboard shortcut is also displayed when in site view in the Site Editor when you hover over the search icon.
Add your own commands (with or without an icon)
The Command Palette is an excellent option for extenders to seamlessly add commands related to their specific plugins. For instructions on how to do this, check out the dev note introducing this feature. Of note, with a recent change, the requirement of having an icon has been dropped as well with a discussion underway around how best to identify third party commands.
Thank you to @richtabor for creating the visuals used in this post.
What started as an experimental program in May 2020 with the expectation that the Site Editor would ship in the following 6 or so months turned into nearly 3.5 years of feedback loops, knowledge sharing, and community building. With WordPress 6.3 bringing Phase 2 to completion, it’s time for the FSE Outreach Program to evolve alongside the broader WordPress project and needs. All good things must come to an end–or they need to adapt to continue to stay relevant.
The proposed plan:
The FSE Outreach Program transitions into a focused space for solving issues, creating resources, and facilitating conversations around adopting Phase 2 led by a new crew of folks (@ndiego, @greenshady, @bph). If you are interested in contributing, please comment on this post. Big thank you to those folks for stepping into this!
After 6.4 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. 1, the facilitated calls for testing will be replaced by ad hoc calls for testing run by the Make Test team or contributors who need specific features tested.
The program will run for an additional 6 months minimum with this evolved approach before concluding with hand-offs and collaboration with the Training, Documentation, and Test teams as needed. This is the proposal so please share your feedback below so it can be iterated upon as needed.
Why is this happening?
With WordPress 6.3, the Site Editor is firmly part of the CoreCoreCore is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. WordPress experience. What was once experimental, is now matured and can use the usual WordPress feedback pathways available for all. The intention of this experimental Outreach Program was to “get feedback about pain points to the right people faster and help keep us on track for Phase 2”. We did this! You did this.
Now, it’s time to focus even more on adopting what’s been built, something that has been a part of the Outreach Program efforts but that deserves a greater spotlight at this stage. With Phase 3 coming into view, this will also open up an opportunity for new outreach efforts.
When will this happen?
Here’s the expected timeline if we follow the above proposal:
While this has been a topic of discussion throughout the duration of the FSE Outreach Program (it’s one of the most repeated questions I’ve been asked), it gained more prominence around the 6.3 release and the wrap up of phase 2. The first mention of what was to come happened on August 7th which was followed up with a flurry of conversations in the last few weeks including in a #make-test meeting, recap pings in the outreach program, and an amplifying ping in #6-4-release-leads. This post in and of itself is part of the broader discussion too so please share your thoughts/questions/concerns.
Where will user feedback go when this happens?
User feedback is always valued and can go the same places we’ve always brought it in the community: GitHubGitHubGitHub is a website that offers online implementation of git repositories that can easily be shared, copied and modified by other developers. Public repositories are free to host, private repositories require a paid subscription. GitHub introduced the concept of the ‘pull request’ where code changes done in branches by contributors can be reviewed and discussed before being merged be the repository owner. https://github.com/ and TracTracAn open source project by Edgewall Software that serves as a bug tracker and project management tool for WordPress.. It’s so important to continue receiving user and contributor feedback, and moving it to the main feedback channels will help streamline the triagetriageThe act of evaluating and sorting bug reports, in order to decide priority, severity, and other factors. process at this stage and scale. Additionally, keep in mind that some contributor team meetings, like #core-editor offer Open Floor times to ask questions, or feature channels like #feature-website-navigation where you can talk about a specific topic.
What do you all want to see documented for future outreach efforts?
I’d love to know what I can do to ensure that anyone else who tries to start an outreach program in WordPress has an abundance of helpful places to turn. Here’s what I have currently that I plan to sweep through before wrapping everything up:
For all 140 folks who received Test Contributor badges for responding.
For everyone who asked a question, opened an issue, shared a piece of feedback, and tried the Site Editor long before anyone else saw it. Thank you for making WordPress and the open web better. Thank you for engaging in a time and place when it’s so easy not to, especially during the depths of the pandemic when this all began.
Share your feedback by September 22nd, 2023
To help focus incoming feedback and to stay in an actionable place, please share any questions/comments/concerns in the next two weeks. I will write a summary then and help facilitate any next steps.
This post aims to prepare a calendar with the expected start time for each release party and who is involved in the upcoming 6.4 milestones.
As we saw happening with 6.3 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. 1, things can change at the last minute, so expect some flexibility. The release team will do their best to respect the calendar and communicate any change promptly.
If you can fill any of those roles, please add your name in the comments, with the date and role, so that I can finalize the calendar. Having two people with the same access level for each party is also okay. This will allow us to help each other if the party takes longer than expected.
I always proposed 16:00 UTC for release parties because it’s a time that allows us to cover quite a few time zones. However, it does not favour contributors in APAC. I will contact those in that area to see if we have people with enough access to run at least one release party in their time zone.
Please check the Hosting Release Page in the Handbook to read about the different roles.
Thank you all for the team effort!
Date/Time
Milestone
Host
CommittercommitterA developer with commit access. WordPress has five lead developers and four permanent core developers with commit access. Additionally, the project usually has a few guest or component committers - a developer receiving commit access, generally for a single release cycle (sometimes renewed) and/or for a specific component.
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). 1
WordPress 6.3.1 Release Candidate 1 (RC1) is available for testing! Some ways you can help test this minor release:
Use the WordPress Beta TesterpluginPluginA 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
As this is a minor RCrelease 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). release, select the Point Release channel and the Nightlies stream. This is the latest build including the RC and potentially any subsequent commits in trunk.
6.3.1 RC1 features 4 fixes on Core as well as 6 fixes for 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.
The following coreCoreCore is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. tickets from TracTracAn open source project by Edgewall Software that serves as a bug tracker and project management tool for WordPress. are fixed:
The following block editor issues from GitHubGitHubGitHub is a website that offers online implementation of git repositories that can easily be shared, copied and modified by other developers. Public repositories are free to host, private repositories require a paid subscription. GitHub introduced the concept of the ‘pull request’ where code changes done in branches by contributors can be reviewed and discussed before being merged be the repository owner. https://github.com/ are fixed:
The developer-reviewed workflow (double committer sign-off) is now in effect when making changes to the 6.3 branchbranchA directory in Subversion. WordPress uses branches to store the latest development code for each major release (3.9, 4.0, etc.). Branches are then updated with code for any minor releases of that branch. Sometimes, a major version of WordPress and its minor versions are collectively referred to as a "branch", such as "the 4.0 branch"..
The final release is expected on Tuesday, August 29th, 2023. Please note that this date can change depending on possible issues after RC1 is released. Coordination will happen in the WordPress.orgWordPress.orgThe community site where WordPress code is created and shared by the users. This is where you can download the source code for WordPress core, plugins and themes as well as the central location for community conversations and organization. https://wordpress.org/SlackSlackSlack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/.#6-3-release-leads channel.
A special thanks to everyone who helped test, raised issues, and helped to fix tickets. With this release candidate, testing continues, so please help test!
Since the last update, contributors have added many new features to the Navigation 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. and also the wider navigation management system within WordPress.
These improvements are designed to help users manage their navigation menus and provide a more consistent and reliable experience.
Let’s take a look at what’s changed…
Navigation List View
One aspect of the navigation block is that parts of it are often hidden – for example submenus aren’t always open. This can make managing the items within a navigation block in the editor canvas challenging.
In addition to the standard block tools, the list view allows all the usual ways of managing navigation items. You can:
Add and remove navigation items.
Reorder navigation items.
Create new submenus.
Adding this feature to the block also prepared the groundwork to allow contributors to unlock several exciting new features in WordPress 6.3.
Navigation in Site View
With WordPress 6.3, it is now possible to manage your navigation from outside of the context of a Navigation block and without needing to edit a template.
When in the Site Editor a new “Navigation” section is available within the Site View 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. which lists all of your navigation menus and allows you to manage them without having to find the templates (and blocks) they are used within:
One benefit of this view is that when multiple blocks all share the samenavigation menuNavigation MenuA theme feature introduced with Version 3.0. WordPress includes an easy to use mechanism for giving various control options to get users to click from one place to another on a site., the user now has a single place to manage the menu items.
Focus Mode for Navigation
Surfacing navigation as a list within the Site View is excellent for simple use cases, but sometimes it’s useful to see the navigation within the editor canvas to better visualize the changes being made.
For this reason WordPress 6.3 sees the addition of “Focus Mode” for Navigation whereby the navigation menu is displayed within an editor canvas completely isolated from any surrounding site context.
You can access this new mode by clicking on the “Edit” button within the Navigation block’s toolbar, or by browsing to an individual navigation from the “Navigation” section of the Site View sidebar.
Focus mode provides full scope to modify the blocks that are inside the navigation block (the “menu items”), allowing you to add new items and even make use of the editable list view in the block’s sidebar:
It is important to note that as a given navigation menu may be used across multiple block’s on a site – each of which will have their own place within the overall design of your site – the ability to change the visual representation of the Navigation block itself has been intentionally disabled.
This allows you to focus soley on the contents of the navigation menu.
Another benefit of this feature is that it is now possible to access and edit the inner blocks of a navigation simply by switching the editor to “code view” mode:
Managing your navigation in isolation can be extremely useful, but sometimes it’s handy to see your navigation menu within the context of which it is being displayed. This is precisely what the next feature seeks to address.
Navigation in Patterns and Template Parts
Patterns and Template Parts often contain navigation block’s. The classic example of this is a “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.” template part containing a site logo block and a navigation block.
This gives you quick access to manage the navigation that is used in the canvas without needing to switch to editing the block directly within the canvas itself.
Previous versions of WordPress had the concept of a “fallback” Navigation which was utilized in scenarios where a Navigation block has no navigation menu associated with it.
Depending on whether the site had existing Navigation Menus, the mechanism would either fetch an existing navigation or create a newone from scratch.
However the implementation provided a suboptimal user experience, with a noticeable loading delay upon block modification caused by fetching/creating the (“fallback”) navigation menu to be associated with the block.
This has been achieved by moving the majority of the fallback logic to the WordPress 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/.. A new dedicated “Navigation Fallback” endpoint now immediately returns the most “suitable” fallback navigation menu for your site.
What does “suitable” mean? This is much the same as for WordPress 6.2, namely when called the endpoint…
Returns the most recently created existing Navigation Menu.
(if not available then…) Returns a Navigation Menu created from the most recently created Classic Menu (note: this is a one time import, and changes to the original Classic Menu are not synced to the block-based Navigation Menu).
(if not available then…) Creates and returns a new Navigation Menu, typically comprising a list of the current site’s Pages.
This heuristic may evolve in future releases to allow the fallback to be sensitive to the context in which it is being displayed. For now however, the improvement to the block’s user experience and reliability is a welcome improvement over previous versions.
Opting out of automatic fallback creation
If you’d like to opt out of automatic creation of Navigation fallbacks you can use the wp_navigation_should_create_fallback hook as follows:
On top of the improvements to perceived performance delivered by improving the fallback navigation system, WordPress 6.3 also provides an additional enhancementenhancementEnhancements are simple improvements to WordPress, such as the addition of a hook, a new feature, or an improvement to an existing feature. to the performance of the navigation system.
This simple change makes it possible to access and manage your navigation, which is a key facet of most websites and makes for a greatly improved user experience.
Login/Logout
It is common for websites to provide a login and logout link for their users. In #49160 we added this block to the list of blocks that are allowed within the navigation block so that users can add this functionality to their navigation.
What do you think?
This concludes our brief overview of the key changes to the navigation system in WordPress.
As always we are open to your feedback. What do you think? Are these improvements impactful for you? What is missing and what you would like to see? Your thoughts are appreciated in the comments below.
Of course, whilst there has been much progress contributors recognise that there is still much to do.
Our focus for future releases will be updated on the relevant Tracking Issue and we encourage you all to take a look and let us know any feedback you might have on the proposals outlined there.
You can also join us on WP CoreCoreCore is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress.SlackSlackSlack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/. (sign up required) in the #feature-website-navigation channel.
Props to @scruffian who co-authored this post and to @draganescu and @annezazu for review.
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