It’s coming – WordPress 6.0 is scheduled for release on 24 May 2022. And to make it there we’re calling all testers 📣 to kick the tires and help ensure its 400+ updates and 500 bug fixes handle like a dream.

For a list of when each pre-release build will be available, check out the WordPress 6.0 Release Schedule. And drop on by the #core-test Slack channel for a quick Howdy, where we’ll be running scheduled team meetings, as well as impromptu test scrubs throughout the release cycle.

Table of Contents

• Testing Environment
• Testing Tips
• Key Features to Test
  • Editor
  • Blocks
  • Design
  • Theme/Plugin Development
• Where to Report Feedback
• Changelog

Testing Environment

Please only test on a development siteDevelopment Site You can keep a copy of your live site in a separate environment. Maintaining a development site is a good practice that can let you make any changes and test them without affecting the live/production environment. and not on a production/live site. You can follow these instructions to set up a local installLocal Install A local install of WordPress is a way to create a staging environment by installing a LAMP or LEMP stack on your local computer., or use a tool like this to set up a development site.

Once your development site is set up, please install and activate the WordPress Beta Tester Plugin and configure it to:

• Update channel: “Bleeding edge”
• Stream options: “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./RCRelease Candidate A beta version of software with the potential to be a final product, which is ready to release unless significant bugs emerge. only” (you may need to save channel changes before this option appears)

If you need more detailed steps, here are the full instructions.

Testing Tips

At a high level, there are a few tips to keep in mind to get the most out of helping to test:

• Test across different browsers.
• Test in different languages.
• Compare features on different screen sizes, including tablets and mobile.
• Use just your keyboard to navigate, or use a screen reader.
• Test with both 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. and classic themes.

Important Note: Anything marked as [Technical] is best for those comfortable with more advanced testing steps.

Key Features to Test

The following list identifies some important new and modified features in WordPress 6.0, and should be the focus of testing efforts from here through release day. Items identified as [Major] constitute functionality that requires the most review.

Editor

Style Switching with Variations [Major]

Building on WordPress 5.9’s Styles interface, the editor now supports multiple style variations, enabling site owners to easily switch between a theme’s default or custom designed styles. Styles can be applied to the base site, or to any block. Variations can also be pre-configured by theme authors in theme.json.

With WordPress 6.0 Beta 3 or newer and the Twenty Twenty-Two (TT2) theme active, you’ll have access to preview and test the Styles variations feature.

For detailed steps around how to test Styles, please see this previous call for testing and the official Styles documentation.

For any block theme authors, please see this post to learn more about how to adopt and test this feature.

Expanded Template Types [Major]

We’ve received a lot of constructive community feedback regarding template types that were introduced in 5.9, and this area continues to evolve, introducing author, date, categories, tag, and 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. types. You can find each of these template options in the Site Editor when viewing the overall Templates List:

For detailed testing steps on creating custom templates, please see this previous call for testing.

Easier Template Part Creation [Major]

Now site editors can add existing or create new template parts and patterns with the block inserter (using the + icon or typing / at the start of the block):

For information on testing this feature, please see this previous call for testing.

Writing Improvements

Numerous general improvements that can streamline content creation debut in 6.0. Here are some new features to help test directly: 

• By popular demand, select text across multiple blocks (it’s like magic).
• Pick a pattern on page creation. Start with Twenty Twenty-Two, but you can also try this with other themes.
• Wikilink style internal link completer shortcut, for quick internal links. Trigger with [[ inside a text block.
• Customize buttons and ensure that styles for new buttons are copied from the adjacent buttons.
• Gallery block: Add/edit media directly from block toolbar and use gap support to create new layouts. 
• Improved style preservation between block transforms, and new transform options:
  • Logo to Title
  • ExcerptExcerpt An excerpt is the description of the blog post or page that will by default show on the blog archive page, in search results (SERPs), and on social media. With an SEO plugin, the excerpt may also be in that plugin’s metabox. to Content
  • TagTag Tag is one of the pre-defined taxonomies in WordPress. Users can add tags to their WordPress posts along with categories. However, while a category may cover a broad range of topics, tags are smaller in scope and focused to specific topics. Think of them as keywords used for topics discussed in a particular post. Cloud to Categories
  • Calendar to Archives
  • Paragraph to Code
  • Group to Row
• The Tag Cloud block now supports outline style and min/max font sizes. Find these options in the block 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..
• Social icon label visibility can now be toggled.

Try using each of these options in a new post or page and report back any rough points you encounter.

Block Styles Redesign with Preview

It’s now easier to peek into several block styles with a redesigned interface and a snappy hover preview. To test this feature, add your favorite block that comes with several block styles (Quote, Image, Table, etc) open the sidebar, and explore the style options.

List View Enhancements

List View has a few enhancements to explore and give feedback on. For testing, it helps to try out List View in a template or post/page that has different types of blocks and lots of them. Please test the following new options: 

• Select any block you’d like and List View will open to the exact location.
• View the structure of your content thanks to a refined interface that shows a collapsed view at default.
• Use new keyboard shortcuts (shift + click) to select multiple blocks to bulk modify (reposition, delete, etc.), including the ability to drag and drop.
• Quickly see any locked blocks at a glance thanks to lock status being reflected. 
• Explore 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) improvements with better keyboard controls and improved screen reader announcements.

To learn more about this feature, see the official List View documentation.

Blocks

Cover Block as Featured ImageFeatured image A featured image is the main image used on your blog archive page and is pulled when the post or page is shared on social media. The image can be used to display in widget areas on your site or in a summary list of posts. [Major]

WordPress 6.0 introduces another top item on many a user’s wish list: setting featured images to Cover blocks. Try this feature in conjunction with a template for your posts or page since this means you can now have your Post Title block layered on top of your featured images.

More information on testing featured image cover blocks can be found at PR 39658.

Comments Block [Major]

The comments loopLoop The Loop is PHP code used by WordPress to display posts. Using The Loop, WordPress processes each post to be displayed on the current page, and formats it according to how it matches specified criteria within The Loop tags. Any HTML or PHP code in the Loop will be processed on each post. https://codex.wordpress.org/The_Loop, once relegated to the world of PHPPHP PHP (recursive acronym for PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor) is a widely-used open source general-purpose scripting language that is especially suited for web development and can be embedded into HTML. https://www.php.net/manual/en/index.php footer includes, is now a full-fledged block. Add and style comments visually!

For more information on testing the Comments Query Loop block, see this current call for testing.

Block Locking UIUI UI is an acronym for User Interface - the layout of the page the user interacts with. Think ‘how are they doing that’ and less about what they are doing. [Major]

Previously only available to theme developers, the power of the block locking 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. is now available to site editors in 6.0. Lock down important blocks to prevent accidental changes. The API now also supports reusable blocks. You can find the locking options in the ellipsis menu of each block:

Testing details can be found as part of the Authoring an Author Template call for testing.

Navigation Block

Progress continues with styling and usability around the Navigation block, which was first introduced in 5.9. Test out the most recent interface improvements and styling options.

More detailed testing information for the latest iteration of the Navigation block can be found as part of the previous Hyping Headers call for testing.

Design

Expanded Block Design and Layout Options

More options and finer-grained layout control can be found with the following list of visual updates. Please explore creating what you can as part of testing and remember that this is just a glimpse as many design tools are already currently available:

• Use the Group block variations, Stack and Row, to create different layouts. 
• Select your size when using the Featured Image block.
• Border controls have been greatly expanded with an updated controls panel.
• Layout transforms when multi-selecting (new flowFlow Flow is the path of screens and interactions taken to accomplish a task. It’s an experience vector. Flow is also a feeling. It’s being unselfconscious and in the zone. Flow is what happens when difficulties are removed and you are freed to pursue an activity without forming intentions. You just do it.) for quick creation.
• Try to create a customized sidebar with gap support, margins, and typography controls using a Group block in a Columns block.
• Add borders to Columns blocks.
• Take advantage of gap support being added to the Gallery Block to have access to a wider variety of layout possibilities.

Theme/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. Development [Technical]

Webfonts API [Major]

The new Webfonts API promises to streamline the registration of locally hosted web fonts, providing theme developers more flexibility and consistency across sites.

As of WordPress 6.0 Beta 3, theme authors are now able to implement webfonts via theme.json, and the official Webfonts API will be available to extenders in a coming version of WordPress.

For implementation and testing guidance on the Webfonts API, please see PR 37140.

Block Theme Export [Major]

Explore the new additions for block theme exports as this feature continues to evolve toward codeless visual block theme building:

• Theme Export: Remove default theme.json properties on export
• Theme Export: Sort theme.json properties
• Theme Export: Restore appearanceTools when exporting a theme
• Theme Export: If the theme declares a version number then add a schema

Try making changes and exporting in order to ensure those changes are captured correctly. 

Style Switching with Variations [Major]

As mentioned above, the Styles interface now supports multiple variations, which can be preset in a theme. Information on adopting and testing this feature can be found at this previous #core post. Keep in mind that to test this you need to use a block theme that supports this feature and/or add in your own style variation to the current block theme you are using. 

Where to Report Feedback

If you find any issues, it’s best to share them on the alpha/beta forums, or on Trac if you are more technically savvy and comfortable. Please share feedback as soon as you can before the release on 24 May 2022.

A big thank you to @annezazu and @juanmaguitar for reviewing and contributing to this post.

#6-0, #fse-outreach-program, #full-site-editing

Changelog

• 2022-05-10
  • Added links to forums and TracTrac Trac is the place where contributors create issues for bugs or feature requests much like GitHub.https://core.trac.wordpress.org/. for tester feedback.
• 2022-05-03
  • Noted that builds of WordPress 6.0 Beta 3 and later include TT2 styles variations and bring webfonts support to theme.json.
  • Updated styles variations demonstration video.
  • Clarified that the official Webfonts API will be available in a future version.

#release-field-guide