Removing title attributes in author link functions

WordPress 7.0 removes—or facilitates removing—title attributes from links relating to post authors.

Author’s Website link (from the user profile)

get_the_author_link() and the_author_link() have a new $use_title_attr parameter, which can be set to false to remove the “Visit Author’s website” tooltip. By default, these functions continue to include a title attribute.

<?php
// either
the_author_link();
// or
echo get_the_author_link();

Default output is the same in 7.0 as in 6.9:
<a href="https://author.example.com" title="Visit Author&#8217;s website" rel="author external">Author</a>

<?php
// either
the_author_link( false );
// or
echo get_the_author_link( false );

Output in 7.0:
<a href="https://author.example.com" rel="author external">Author</a>

Author’s posts archive link

The “Posts by Author” title attribute is removed from the link by default. However, the title text is still available for use within the the_author_posts_link hook, along with the author’s display name.

<?php
// either
the_author_posts_link();
// or
echo get_the_author_posts_link();

Output in 6.9:
<a href="https://example.org/author/author/" title="Posts by Author" rel="author">Author</a>

Output in 7.0:
<a href="https://example.org/author/author/" rel="author">Author</a>

Editing the posts link text

To replace the author name with the “Posts by Author” text, use multiple arguments in the the_author_posts_link filterFilter Filters 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..

<?php
/**
 * Edits text for the link to the author page of the author of the current post.
 *
 * Add "Posts by" before the author's display name (or after the name in some translations):
 * `<a href="https://example.org/author/author/" rel="author">Posts by Author</a>`
 *
 * @param string $link   HTML link.
 * @param string $author Author's display name. Default empty string.
 * @param string $title  Text originally used for a title attribute. Default empty string.
 */
function wpdocs_author_posts_link( $link, $author = '', $title = '' ) {
	// In WordPress versions prior to 7.0, $author and $title would be empty.
	if ( '' !== $title && '' !== $author ) {
		$link = str_replace(
			'>' . $author . '</a>',
			'>' . esc_html( $title ) . '</a>', 
			$link
		);
	}

	return $link;
}
add_filter( 'the_author_posts_link', 'wpdocs_author_posts_link', 10, 3 );

Authors list HTMLHTML HyperText Markup Language. The semantic scripting language primarily used for outputting content in web browsers.

wp_list_authors() simply removes the “Posts by Author” tooltips.

<?php
wp_list_authors(
	array(
		'html' => true // This is true by default.
	)
);

Output in 6.9:
<li><a href="https://example.org/author/author/" title="Posts by Author">Author</a></li><li><a href="https://example.org/author/editor/" title="Posts by Editor">Editor</a></li>

Output in 7.0:
<li><a href="https://example.org/author/author/">Author</a></li><li><a href="https://example.org/author/editor/">Editor</a></li>

For more information, refer to #62835.


Props to @amykamala and @audrasjb for review.

#7-0, #dev-notes, #dev-notes-7-0

WordPress 7.0 Field Guide

This guide outlines major developer features and breaking changes in 7.0 and is published in the Release Candidaterelease candidate One 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). phase to help inform WordPress extending developers, CoreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. developers, and others.

There are more than 419 Core Trac tickets included in WordPress 7.0, over 76 of which are enhancements and feature requests, and more than 300 bug fixes. This release includes 40+ tickets focused on the Editor, and 90+ tickets focused on wp-admin.

Additionally, this release includes 411 enhancements and more than 486 bug fixes for the Editor, Dashboard, and AI integration.

Below is a breakdown of the most important developer-related changes included in WordPress 7.0.

AI building blocks of the future

Step into a new era with WordPress 7.0, shipped with AI integration and abilities. Provider-agnostic architecture gives you full control over units and capabilitiescapability A capability is permission to perform one or more types of task. Checking if a user has a capability is performed by the current_user_can function. Each user of a WordPress site might have some permissions but not others, depending on their role. For example, users who have the Author role usually have permission to edit their own posts (the “edit_posts” capability), but not permission to edit other users’ posts (the “edit_others_posts” capability). while tapping into the endless opportunities AI can bring to life. These critical building blocks are just the beginning, paving the way for agentic collaborators and so much more.

WP AI Client

WordPress 7.0 unlocks AI capabilities right in your website. The new WP AI client adds a central interface that lets plugins communicate with generative AI models while remaining provider-agnostic. WordPress Core handles request routing for you. Managed in the Settings > Connectors screen with APIAPI An 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. keys funneled through the Connectors API, you can start with some preset models and add your favorites.

As a bonus, the Abilities API is integrated directly into the WP AI Client, delivering new and expansive AI abilities that can be built into workflows that run abilities fluidly, one after another.

PluginPlugin A 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. developers can use the new using_model_preference() function to indicate which models to use in order of preference, then add feature detection to match capabilities against available models – lowering cost and speeding up processing time. The AI Client includes a series of advanced configuration controls, and a WP_AI_Client_Prompt_Builder class for calling methods. For easy upgrades, the wordpress/wp-ai-client package handles transitioning to 7.0 automatically.

Client-Side Abilities API

WordPress 7.0 expands on the Abilities API by introducing a JavaScriptJavaScript JavaScript or JS is an object-oriented computer programming language commonly used to create interactive effects within web browsers. WordPress makes extensive use of JS for a better user experience. While PHP is executed on the server, JS executes within a user’s browser. https://www.javascript.com counterpart: the Client-Side Abilities package with new and hybrid abilities, an intuitive UIUI User interface, a command palette, and filterFilter Filters 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. and query functionality.

Plugin developers can enqueue @wordpress/core-abilities to automatically fetch and register server-side abilities via the REST APIREST API The 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/, or enqueue only @wordpress/abilities to work with the plugin’s client-side abilities. Registered abilities are organized in customizable categories, and abilities and categories can be unregistered via the PHPPHP The web scripting language in which WordPress is primarily architected. WordPress requires PHP 7.4 or higher API.  MetaMeta Meta is a term that refers to the inside workings of a group. For us, this is the team that works on internal WordPress sites like WordCamp Central and Make WordPress. data annotation is supported, and core/abilities makes useSelect available for reactive queries in ReactReact React is a JavaScript library that makes it easy to reason about, construct, and maintain stateless and stateful user interfaces. https://reactjs.org components.

AI Connectors Screen

Manage all of your AI provider connections in one place on the new Connectors screen. Found under Settings > Connectors in the dashboard, the screen gives you everything you need to manage your connections. Registered connectors are displayed automatically on the page, and so is detailed registry meta data in a card format. The Connectors screen includes three default providers: Anthropic, Google, and OpenAI, while also allowing users to configure their own connections.

WP 7.0 Connectors Screen

Connectors API

The Connectors API is the backbone of the Connectors screen; an extensibility API that facilitates and supports the inclusion of agents.

The API supports two authentication methods (api_key and none) based on provider metadata, and is designed to facilitate additional connector types in future releases. The Connectors API uses the WP AI Client’s default registry to automatically discover providers, and corresponding metadata to generate connectors, while connectors authenticated via other methods are stored in the PHP registry. You can use the wp_connectors_init action to override connectors metadata, which will be the key for registering new connector types in future releases. The API includes three public functions for querying the registry, and the frontend UI can be customized using client-side JavaScript registration.

Modernized Dashboard

WordPress 7.0 delivers an upgraded adminadmin (and super admin) experience, with a sleek, new color scheme named “Modern”, numerous enhancements throughout the dashboard, and seamless visual transitions as you navigate from screen to screen. A new Command Palette shortcut in the upper admin bar lets you access tools from anywhere in the dashboard, while a new dedicated dashboard page for font management centralizes and simplifies managing fonts. The enhanced iframed post editor stabilizes the screen, while editors leave comments on blocks, receive notifications for notes and even visually compare two revision versions.

New admin color scheme and styles

WordPress administration has been reinvigorated with a new, chic color scheme throughout the dashboard. The new Modern admin theme is live across admin headers, the CustomizerCustomizer Tool 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., the color scheme picker, script loader, various user functions, and even the multisitemultisite Used to describe a WordPress installation with a network of multiple blogs, grouped by sites. This installation type has shared users tables, and creates separate database tables for each blog (wp_posts becomes wp_0_posts). See also network, blog, site user signup has been reskinned. The Modern theme is clean and easy on the eyes, boasting a refreshed color palette, higher contrast, and upgraded typography, uplifting and elevating the admin experience.

View Transitions in WP Admin

Navigating the dashboard is a smooth ride in 7.0. User views slide from one screen to the next as you move across wp-admin. Cross-document view transitions use distinct transition names for admin menu items in order to facilitate this simple visual slide effect, firing when the active submenu changes between screens. With consideration for all users, View Transitions are only activated if a preference is not set for reduced motion on the OS level.

Command Palette shortcut

Access your editing toolset from anywhere in the dashboard with a single click of the new Command Palette shortcut. WordPress 7.0 includes a ⌘K or Ctrl+K icon for logged-in users in the upper admin bar, which unfurls the command palette on click. The new shortcut speedruns editing and gives full control from anywhere in the dash: while building, designing or simply browsing notes.

Font Library

The Font Library has expanded in 7.0 with the introduction of a dedicated font management page. Now you and your team can manage, upload and install fonts from one place in blockBlock Block 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., hybrid and classic themes.

Visual RevisionsRevisions The 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.

In WordPress 7.0, Visual Revisions make editing easier and more intuitive, while adding insight into post or page edit history. Users can now visually compare two revision versions directly in the Editor using a slider bar to visually switch between revisions. The document inspector shows a summary of changes, while color indicators and sizes of changes can be seen for each location, jumping to that location on the page when clicked.

Iframed Editor

An improved, iframed editor in 7.0 offers more stability to the post editor experience. An iframed post editor is now enforced when all Block API blocks inserted into the post are using version 3 of the API or higher. If not, the iframeiframe iFrame is an acronym for an inline frame. An iFrame is used inside a webpage to load another HTML document and render it. This HTML document may also contain JavaScript and/or CSS which is loaded at the time when iframe tag is parsed by the user’s browser. is removed, upholding backwards compatibility for lower-versioned blocks.

Creative Customization

7.0 inspires creativity with enhanced design tools and new editing capabilities. Users can now customize navigation overlays on mobile, granular control of the responsiveness for individual blocks, and edit at the pattern level in different modes.

Custom Navigation Overlays on mobile

Hamburger menu overlays can now be customized and built from blocks and patterns in the Site Editor, with a dedicated Navigation Overlay Close block for placing and styling a close button anywhere within the overlay, giving users and theme authors flexibility to define mobile navigation experiences. In-place overlay selection and previews create a seamless editing experience, while users can review and assign overlays, and themes can offer default templates for quick setup.

Responsive Editing Mode

WordPress 7.0 introduces customizable block visibility based on device type, allowing editors to hide or reveal blocks by device, without affecting other viewports. Controls to launch a block visibility options modal are available in the block toolbar, block inspector sidebarSidebar A 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., and command palette. Icons are displayed in List View next to blocks that have active visibility rules, indicating what viewports they are being hidden on.

Pattern Editing and contentOnly Interactivity

7.0 introduces Pattern Overrides for custom blocks, Pattern-level editing modes for contextual and symbol patterns, a parent-child tree view for buttons and list blocks, and the ability to opt out of contentOnly mode.

contentOnly mode will now be default for patterns that previously relied on unrestricted editing of their inner blocks, while a new disableContentOnlyForUnsyncedPatterns setting or block_editor_settings_all PHP filter allows contentOnly mode to be opted out of for unsynced patterns.

In 7.0 contentOnly mode is applied more broadly, so if a block is nested in a contentOnly pattern, plugin developers will want to ensure attributes representing the block’s content have "role": "content" set in block.json to retain their ability to be edited and prevent them from being hidden in list view.

Block developers can now add a "listView": true block supports declaration to add a List View tab to the block inspector with a dedicated view for the block that allows editors to update and customize the block more easily.

Block attributes that support Block Bindings now also support Pattern Overrides for custom blocks. Pattern Overrides now apply to any block, including custom blocks, and can be opted-in through block_bindings_supported_attributes filter(s). Attribute values appear in the rendered blocks’ markup for dynamic and static blocks, and if static blocks have more complex attributes than the HTMLHTML HyperText Markup Language. The semantic scripting language primarily used for outputting content in web browsers. API can process, a render_callback() function can be used to ensure bound attribute values render.

Design Agility

Designing in WordPress 7.0 has become more flexible with the introduction of new blocks, new block supports and new design tools. A new Heading block, Icons block, and Breadcrumbs block are shipped with 7.0, with added lightbox support for the Gallery block, and dynamic URLURL A specific web address of a website or web page on the Internet, such as a website’s URL www.wordpress.org support in the Navigation Link block. 7.0 includes text line indent support, text column support, dimensions width and height support, dimension presets, tools and controls, and aspect ratios for wide and full images.

Custom CSSCSS Cascading Style Sheets. on the block level

7.0 introduces the ability for custom CSS to be applied on-page to individual blocks. This allows granular control over every detail of your content, with quick and intuitive access to style controls.

Headings Block

A new Heading Block includes variations of all heading levels, easy toggling in the sidebar inspector and quick transforms, and display in the search and slash inserter.

The new Breadcrumbs Block in 7.0 automatically reflects the site’s navigational hierarchy with the ability for global application in site parts like the theme headerHeader The 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.. New filters allow developers to add, remove, and modify breadcrumb trails, and specify which taxonomyTaxonomy A taxonomy is a way to group things together. In WordPress, some common taxonomies are category, link, tag, or post format. https://codex.wordpress.org/Taxonomies#Default_Taxonomies. and terms appear in the Breadcrumbs trails.

Editing the navigation block is now more simple with improved insertion, Interactivity for pattern editing and ContentOnly, and improved “bound” page items presentation.

Video embed cover block 

Videos can now be embedded as section backgrounds in the Cover block. 

The Gallery block now has lightbox support with an added slideshow option. Just create and insert a Gallery, click the link icon and then hit ‘enlarge on click’.

.0 Gallery lightbox slideshow image

Added <p> Block Supports

Text in the Paragraph block can now be arranged in a columns layout, and opt-in textIndent block support for typography has been introduced.

More details on new and improved blocks are available here:

Dimensions Support Enhancements

7.0 introduces height and width block support, typography text indent support in paragraphs, presets support, and pseudo elements support on the core/button block for ( ':hover‘, ':focus‘, ':focus-visible', ':active' ) at the theme.json level. Support for preset dimensions values in theme.json have been added for block supports such as width, height and min-height, allowing the block’s variations to control the same pseudo elements, while a defined set of preset values for dimensions block supports can be leveraged to reduce the need to know and manually set the same value across multiple blocks.

Developer’s toolbox

7.0 delivers an expansive developer toolbox including new tools for building, enhanced supportive structures, and expanded API abilities. Developers can now create a PHP-only representation of blocks on the server level, customize plugin list filters, and explore the foundational layout for a more extensibleExtensible This is the ability to add additional functionality to the code. Plugins extend the WordPress core software. Site Editor.

PHP Only Block Registration

WordPress 7.0 allows blocks and patterns to be created directly on the server with PHP, and registered with the Block API. The PHP-only representation of blocks and patterns includes pattern creation and syntax that streamlines block creation and bindings, registering blocks automatically When a block declares 'supports' => array( 'autoRegister' => true ) along with a render callback, exposing it to the client-side via a JavaScript global variable. PHP-registered block attributes can be edited in the editor and inspector controls can be generated from attributes, with automatic DataForm inspector controls added for PHP auto-registered blocks.

Interactivity API

Introducing a new watch() function to the @wordpress/interactivity package that subscribes to changes in any signal accessed inside a callback, re-running the callback whenever those signals change. The API’s data-wp-watch can be added to a DOM element’s lifecycle and react to state changes. The state.url value is now populated server-side during directive processing, remaining unchanged until the first client-side navigation occurs.

DataViews and DataForms 

Experience a new Activity layout, new Details layout, Improved modal appearance, and the ability to register 3rd party types in the Field API.

Block bindings API iterations 

Introducing the Block bindings and patterns overrides feature, with the ability to filter available attribute sources by format, aligning with the Field API.

New plugin list filter 

A new plugins_list_status_text filter in get_views() has been added to allow custom filtering. Custom statuses added with plugins_list now appear as tabs to filter the related plugins. The tab label can be customized using the new plugins_list_status_text hook.

Site Editor wordpress/build and routing

In 7.0 the foundation has been laid for an extensible site editor and routing, route validation, a new @wordpress/boot package that allows plugins to build custom site-editor pages, and a refactored @wordpress/scripts that builds from directories and reduces Webpack dependence.

Bonus dev goodies

WordPress 7.0 introduces updates that span every area of Core. These changes support ongoing initiatives to create a flexible foundation for developers while boosting usability and opportunity.

Block HooksHooks In WordPress theme and development, hooks are functions that can be applied to an action or a Filter in WordPress. Actions are functions performed when a certain event occurs in WordPress. Filters allow you to modify certain functions. Arguments used to hook both filters and actions look the same. for content-like Custom Post Types.

The Block Hooks logic has been moved from individual post type filters to the REST controller.

More secure user registration

Administrator and Editor roles have been removed from the new user default selector under General in the admin screen. Site Health now alerts if one of those roles was selected before updating, while a new default_role_dropdown_excluded_roles filter allows developers to change default excluded roles.

CodeMirror Update to v5

CodeMirror has been updated to the latest v5 version, along with CSSLint, HTMLHint, and JSONLint, while Esprima has been replaced with Espree for ES6 support and JavaScript linting.

External Libraries Updates

PHP Updates

  • WordPress Core’s minimum PHP version is now 7.4 
  • PHPMailer has been updated to version 7.0.2, which includes a Sender address bugbug A 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. fix.

AccessibilityAccessibility Accessibility (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)

WordPress 7.0 includes numerous improvements and additions that make content more accessible for everyone. The login password reset now pre-populates with a username to comply with WCAGWCAG WCAG is an acronym for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. These guidelines are helping make sure the internet is accessible to all people no matter how they would need to access the internet (screen-reader, keyboard only, etc) https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/. 2.2, and a new wp_get_image_alttext() function imports Image Alt text metadata from image IPTC metadata. The word-break property has been added to .screen-reader-text to ensure screen readers won’t read text as individual letters in hidden text, and view transitions are only activated when reduced motion is not set.

Title attributes can now be removed from two functions using a new $use_title_attr parameter, and are removed from three author link functions by default.

But wait, there’s more!

7.0 offers so much more! More than 300 Core bugs, 486 GutenbergGutenberg The 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/ bugs, 77 enhancements and feature requests, and 35 blessed tasks have been marked as fixed in WordPress 7.0.

Below are a few to highlight:

  • Site Health: OPCache added to Site Health > Info > Server (Trac #63697)
  • Editor: Name/description metadata added to patterns when saved (Trac #64123 )
  • Script Loader: Allow scripts to depend on modules: (Trac #61500)
  • Script Loader: HTML5 script theme support deprecated and removed (Trac #64442) 
  • General: Allow hooking into wp_trigger_error() when WP_DEBUG is not truthy. (Trac #60886) 
  • Multisite: Networks and Sites no longer automatically mark website as spam when an account is marked as spam (Trac #61146)
  • Themes: PHP 8.1 deprecation notice handling (Trac #64864)
  • Editor: Bottom margins removed from all components, and margin-free styles are now default. (GB #39358)

Thank you to everyone who contributed to this version of WordPress, whether through code, testing, or something else – your contributions matter and help Make WordPress.

Props to @westonruter, @sabernhardt, @marybaum, @jeffpaul, @jorbin, @desrosj, @coffee2code, @audrasjb, @wildworks and @ankit-k-gupta for collaboration and review.

Edit 5/17/26: Add DataViews dev notedev note Each 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., update Connectors screen image, add textIndent block support dev note, remove mention of playlist block, add mention of margin-free styles default.

Edit 5/18/26 Remove Notes section, insert new Gallery block slideshow image

Edit: 5/25/26 Add ‘Accessibility Improvements’ and ‘Removing title attributes’ dev notesdev note Each 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. (published after the field guideField guide The field guide is a type of blogpost published on Make/Core during the release candidate phase of the WordPress release cycle. The field guide generally lists all the dev notes published during the beta cycle. This guide is linked in the about page of the corresponding version of WordPress, in the release post and in the HelpHub version page.).

#7-0, #field-guide

Dev Chat Agenda – May 13, 2026

The next WordPress Developers Chat will take place on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, at 15:00 UTC in the core channel on Make WordPress Slack.

The live meeting will focus on the discussion for upcoming releases, and have an open floor section.

The various curated agenda sections below refer to additional items. If you have ticketticket Created for both bug reports and feature development on the bug tracker. requests for help, please continue to post details in the comments section at the end of this agenda or bring them up during the dev chat.

Announcements 📢

WordPress 7.0 Updates

General announcements

Discussions 💬

The discussion section of the agenda is for discussing important topics affecting the upcoming release or larger initiatives that impact the CoreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. Team. To nominate a topic for discussion, please leave a comment on this agenda with a summary of the topic, any relevant links that will help people get context for the discussion, and what kind of feedback you are looking for from others participating in the discussion.

Open floor  🎙️

Any topic can be raised for discussion in the comments, as well as requests for assistance on tickets. Tickets in the milestone for the next major or maintenance release will be prioritized.

Please include details of tickets / PRs and the links in the comments, and indicate whether you intend to be available during the meeting for discussion or will be async.

#7-0, #agenda, #core, #dev-chat

Dev Chat summary: May 6, 2026

Start of the meeting in SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/, facilitated by @audrasjb 🔗 Agenda post.

Announcements 📢

WordPress 7.0 Updates

  • RC3 (“new Beta 1”) scheduled for this Friday, May 8th
  • Call for RTC testing from hosts. Submissions still welcome. Thank you to Bluehost, Kinsta, XServer, GoDaddy,WordPress.comWordPress.com An online implementation of WordPress code that lets you immediately access a new WordPress environment to publish your content. WordPress.com is a private company owned by Automattic that hosts the largest multisite in the world. This is arguably the best place to start blogging if you have never touched WordPress before. https://wordpress.com/, Ionos, and any other hosts for helping test RTC.
  • A decision about RTC introduction is about to be finalized (and it was finalized). See ticketticket Created for both bug reports and feature development on the bug tracker. #64696.

General

Discussion 💬

@desrosj noticed there are still 37 open tickets in milestone 7.0 and that the statuts of the about page ticket (#64536) wasn’t clear.

@jorbin proposed to run a dedicated 7.0 scrub after the chat.

@juanmaguitar will host a dedicated GutenbergGutenberg The 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/ scrub on Thursday.

@jorbin and @audrasjb asked about the Field GuideField guide The field guide is a type of blogpost published on Make/Core during the release candidate phase of the WordPress release cycle. The field guide generally lists all the dev notes published during the beta cycle. This guide is linked in the about page of the corresponding version of WordPress, in the release post and in the HelpHub version page. timeline. It is currently under review and should be published ASAP.


@joefusco asked: “Is there a process for getting systems team feedback on the RTC custom table?  The code and testing infrastructure are ready, including a standalone testing pluginPlugin A 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. that can run on production sites without changes to trunktrunk A directory in Subversion containing the latest development code in preparation for the next major release cycle. If you are running "trunk", then you are on the latest revision..  I’m not sure who to direct this to or what the next gate is in the process.”

@desrosj answered the systems team has been involved with the discussions and I know that they have been testing.

@joefusco replied “Mainly whether there are any outstanding concerns with the table structure or the approach that would prevent it from landing in 7.0.  Also, is there a documented process for new table proposals that require systems review?  This won’t be the last time a feature needs a schema change, and it would help future contributors know the path.”

Several attendees noted that it’s likely not worth the effort to formalize a process, as that kind of change doesn’t occur regularly.

#7-0, #core, #core-editor, #dev-chat

Real-time collaboration will not ship in WordPress 7.0

Today, @matt made the decision to remove real-time collaboration from WordPress 7.0 and shared that he is not confident the current approach is robust enough to include in CoreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. at this time, citing concerns around surface area, race conditions, server load, memory efficiency, and recurring bugs found through fuzz testing.

This is a difficult decision, especially given the amount of work that has gone into the feature, but it is being made in service of shipping a stable and reliable WordPress 7.0 release for our users. Work to remove the feature from the release is being organized in #65205 and in the #feature-realtime-collaboration. At this time, the release schedule remains as is and further updates will be provided if the schedule needs to change to unwind this feature.

Real-time collaboration remains an important and exciting feature for WordPress. Once the immediate release work is complete, a plan will be shared for broader testing and continued iteration to help prepare the feature for a future release. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this work so far from so many angles.

#7-0, #feature-real-time-collaboration

Dev Chat Agenda – May 6, 2026

The next WordPress Developers Chat will take place on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, at 15:00 UTC in the core channel on Make WordPress Slack.

The live meeting will focus on the discussion for upcoming releases, and have an open floor section.

The various curated agenda sections below refer to additional items. If you have ticketticket Created for both bug reports and feature development on the bug tracker. requests for help, please continue to post details in the comments section at the end of this agenda or bring them up during the dev chat.

Announcements 📢

WordPress 7.0

  • RC3 (“new Beta 1”) scheduled for this Friday, May 8th
  • Call for RTC testing from hosts. Submissions still welcome.
  • Thank you to Bluehost, Kinsta, XServer, GoDaddy, WordPress.comWordPress.com An online implementation of WordPress code that lets you immediately access a new WordPress environment to publish your content. WordPress.com is a private company owned by Automattic that hosts the largest multisite in the world. This is arguably the best place to start blogging if you have never touched WordPress before. https://wordpress.com/, Ionos, and any other hosts for helping test RTC!

General

Discussions 💬

The discussion section of the agenda is for discussing important topics affecting the upcoming release or larger initiatives that impact the CoreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. Team. To nominate a topic for discussion, please leave a comment on this agenda with a summary of the topic, any relevant links that will help people get context for the discussion, and what kind of feedback you are looking for from others participating in the discussion.

Open floor  🎙️

Any topic can be raised for discussion in the comments, as well as requests for assistance on tickets. Tickets in the milestone for the next major or maintenance release will be prioritized.

Please include details of tickets / PRs and the links in the comments, and indicate whether you intend to be available during the meeting for discussion or will be async.

#7-0, #agenda, #core, #core-privacy, #dev-chat

Dev Chat Agenda – April 29, 2026

The next WordPress Developers Chat will take place on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, at 15:00 UTC in the core channel on Make WordPress Slack.

The live meeting will focus on the discussion for upcoming releases, and have an open floor section.

The various curated agenda sections below refer to additional items. If you have ticketticket Created for both bug reports and feature development on the bug tracker. requests for help, please continue to post details in the comments section at the end of this agenda or bring them up during the dev chat.

Announcements 📢

WordPress 7.0

General

Discussions 💬

The discussion section of the agenda is for discussing important topics affecting the upcoming release or larger initiatives that impact the CoreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. Team. To nominate a topic for discussion, please leave a comment on this agenda with a summary of the topic, any relevant links that will help people get context for the discussion, and what kind of feedback you are looking for from others participating in the discussion.

  • WordPress 7.0 is currently on track for May 20th. Temperature check: How are folks feeling?

Open floor  🎙️

Any topic can be raised for discussion in the comments, as well as requests for assistance on tickets. Tickets in the milestone for the next major or maintenance release will be prioritized.

Please include details of tickets / PRs and the links in the comments, and indicate whether you intend to be available during the meeting for discussion or will be async.

Props to @kirasong for proofreading and review

#7-0, #agenda, #core, #core-privacy, #dev-chat

Roster of design tools per block (WordPress 7.0 edition)

Below you find a table that lists all coreCore Core 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 blockBlock Block 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 6.8, the content summarizes changes between 6.1 and 7.0. This is an updated of the 6.8 edition and provides a cumulative list of design supports added with the last ten WordPress releases. The icon ☑️ indicates new in 6.9 or 7.0.

The features covered are:

  • Align
  • Typography
  • Color
  • Dimension
  • Border
  • Layout
  • Gradient
  • Duotone
  • Shadow
  • Background image

Changes to Blocks

  • The Verse block was renamed to Poetry block in WordPress 7.0
  • New Blocks added
    • Accordion with Accordion Heading, Accordion Item, Accordion Panel
    • Breadcrumbs
    • Icon
    • Math
    • Post Time to Read
    • Term Query with Term Template, Term Count, Term Name

Table changes

In previous editions of this roster, the PO/BB column tracked a small, hardcoded set of core blocks where Pattern Overrides and Block Bindings were manually enabled — Button, Image, Paragraph, and Heading. That model no longer reflects how the feature works. WordPress 6.9 moved Block Bindings to a server-communicated list of supported attributes via the block_bindings_supported_attributes filterFilter Filters 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., and WordPress 7.0 extended that same mechanism to Pattern Overrides, so any block attribute that opts into Block Bindings now also supports Pattern Overrides — including custom blocks. Because support is opt-in per block, per attribute, and per site, a single check mark in a lookup table can no longer represent it accurately. The column has been removed in favor of a note pointing readers to the Pattern Overrides in WP 7.0 and Block Bindings improvements in 6.9 dev notesdev note Each 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..

Props to @awetz583, @westonruter, and @blackstar1991 for review.

#7-0, #dev-notes, #dev-notes-7-0, #editor

WordPress 7.0 Release Party Updated Schedule

Good news, everyone! WordPress 7.0 has a new release date: May 20th, 2026!

Thank you all for your flexibility in these recent weeks while WordPress contributors around the world worked tirelessly on necessary architectural improvements for the 7.0 release. The team aims to ensure that this software version is the most stable and most performant it can be, while still delivering the much anticipated cornerstone features mapped out for WordPress 7.0.

Below is the new release schedule, with expected dates and times for each release party, and the release squad contributors involved in each party for the 7.0 milestone. It also includes the pre-release versions that have already been released, and a (pending) call for testing from web hosts meant to help ensure compatibility across hosting systems.

Note: While the most recent pre-release version was RC2, the RC3 release will be treated like a betaBeta A 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. version in practice. That means that your continued testing and feedback, particularly on the part of web hosts, will be incredibly valuable in keeping the development process informed during the next phase of this release cycle. Thank you all for your continued testing!

Release Schedule

As always, last-minute adjustments to this schedule are possible, and there could be additional timeline iterations based on the impact of host feedback to ensure that feedback is properly addressed. The release squad will do its best to communicate any changes promptly by posting in the #core Slack channel, publishing a post on the change, and updating this post as the canonical reference.

Date (UTC)MilestoneEmcee / Release LeadRelease Lead The community member ultimately responsible for the Release.Committercommitter A 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.SecurityMission Control (Coordination)
February 19, 2026 at 15:00 UTCBeta 1@amykamala@ellatrix@audrasjb@sergeybiryukov
February 26, 2026 at 15:00 UTCBeta 2@amykamala@ellatrix@audrasjb@sergeybiryukov
March 5, 2026 at 14:00 UTC Beta 3@amykamala@audrasjb
Committing from WordCampWordCamp WordCamps 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. Nice Contributor DayContributor Day Contributor Days are standalone days, frequently held before or after WordCamps but they can also happen at any time. They are events where people get together to work on various areas of https://make.wordpress.org/ There are many teams that people can participate in, each with a different focus. https://make.wordpress.org/support/handbook/getting-started/getting-started-at-a-contributor-day/!
@audrasjb@sergeybiryukov
March 10, 2026 at 23:30 UTC
Unplanned beta following the 6.9.2-6.9.3 security releases
Beta 4@desrosj@sergeybiryukov@sergeybiryukov@sergeybiryukov
March 12, 2026 at 15:00 UTCBeta 5@chaion07@ellatrix@audrasjb@sergeybiryukov
March 24, 2026 at 15:00 UTCRCrelease candidate One 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@amykamala@ellatrix@audrasjb@sergeybiryukov
March 26, 2026 at 15:00 UTCRC 2@4thhubbard@ellatrix@audrasjb@sergeybiryukov
April 24, 2026Call for host testing@desrosjn/an/an/a
May 8, 2026 at 15:00 UTCRC 3 (in name, but test as a “new Beta 1”)@amykamala@ellatrix@audrasjb@sergeybiryukov
May 14, 2026 at 15:00 UTCRC 4 (in name, but acting as a “new RC1”)@4thhubbard @chaion07@ellatrix@audrasjb@sergeybiryukov
Tuesday, May 19, 2026 at 15:00 UTC

Dry Run / 24-Hour Code FreezeTBDTBDTBDTBD
Wednesday, May 20, 2026

Time TBA
General ReleaseTBDTBDTBDTBD

How to Join the Party

  • All parties happen in the #core channel on Slack.
  • Everyone is welcome! First-timers, veteran contributors, and all those curious about the process are invited.

Here are detailed instructions on how to contribute to a release party.

Thank you to every contributor and community member that helps make 7.0 a success. See you at the parties!

Props to @desrosj, @4thhubbard, @annezazu, @griffbrad,@peterwilsoncc, and @jeffpaul for helping devise the new schedule, and @desrosj, @jeffpaul, and @sumitsingh for reviewing this post.

#7-0, #release

Dev Chat Agenda – April 22, 2026

The next WordPress Developers Chat will take place on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, at 15:00 UTC in the core channel on Make WordPress Slack.

The live meeting will focus on the discussion for upcoming releases, and have an open floor section.

The various curated agenda sections below refer to additional items. If you have ticketticket Created for both bug reports and feature development on the bug tracker. requests for help, please continue to post details in the comments section at the end of this agenda or bring them up during the dev chat.

Announcements 📢

WordPress 7.0 Updates

  • The Path Forward for WordPress 7.0. A new release schedule should be shared this week.
  • New Dev Notesdev note Each 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.:

General announcements

Editor

Discussions 💬

The discussion section of the agenda is for discussing important topics affecting the upcoming release or larger initiatives that impact the CoreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. Team. To nominate a topic for discussion, please leave a comment on this agenda with a summary of the topic, any relevant links that will help people get context for the discussion, and what kind of feedback you are looking for from others participating in the discussion.

Open floor  🎙️

Any topic can be raised for discussion in the comments, as well as requests for assistance on tickets. Tickets in the milestone for the next major or maintenance release will be prioritized.

Please include details of tickets / PRs and the links in the comments, and indicate whether you intend to be available during the meeting for discussion or will be async.

#7-0, #agenda, #core, #dev-chat