WordPress 6.7 is here. And for many people, that’s an exciting update. But for us, who manage 100+ websites scattered throughout Ireland, Europe & the UK, it means a massive update launch. We are, however, happy to do it. We are paid to it but more importantly, we take pride in the websites we build and maintain.
So although we’ll spend the guts of a week bringing our clients up to date, we do have some time to reflect on the changes the 6.7 brings.
1. New Default Theme: Twenty Twenty-Five
As is tradition, WordPress 6.7 debuts a new default theme, Twenty Twenty-Five. This theme focuses on simplicity and adaptability, making it ideal for bloggers and content creators. It includes a variety of pre-designed block patterns and style variations, allowing users to customise their sites with minimal effort. Additionally, its lightweight design ensures optimal performance across devices, enhancing accessibility and user experience.
2. Zoom Out View for Site Editing
Managing complex layouts is now easier with the Zoom Out feature in the site editor. This function enables users to view and edit pages from a broader perspective, making it simpler to manipulate patterns and sections without excessive scrolling. The feature can be activated using the Zoom Out button located in the toolbar at the top-right corner.
3. Improved Media Handling
WordPress 6.7 supports HEIC image uploads, a format commonly used by Apple devices. These images are automatically converted to JPEG format upon upload, ensuring compatibility across various browsers and devices. This feature requires server support for Imagick with HEIC capabilities. Additional improvements to lazy loading and background image handling contribute to better performance and design versatility.
4. Typography Enhancements
Several typography-related features have been introduced:
Font Size Presets: Users can now define and apply custom font size presets, ensuring consistent typography across their sites.
Fluid Typography: Text can dynamically scale based on screen size, maintaining readability and visual appeal on different devices.
Font Library: A centralised font management system allows users to activate, deactivate, and organise fonts with ease.
5. Interactivity API Updates
Building on the Interactivity API introduced in WordPress 6.5, version 6.7 enhances asynchronous task handling. This update improves the performance of dynamic features, such as lazy loading and directive code splitting, providing developers with more tools for creating interactive user experiences.
6. Block Library and Patterns Improvements
Several block updates provide greater design flexibility:
Background Image Support: Users can add background images to Quote and Group blocks, enhancing content presentation.
Social Icons Block: Border customisation and an improved interface for adding icons expand design options.
Buttons Block: Adjusting button background colours is now more intuitive, improving design consistency.
Image Block: Dragging and dropping multiple images into an Image block automatically converts it into a Gallery block, simplifying media management.
7. Enhanced Data Views
The Data Views feature has received updates to streamline content organisation:
Reordering Fields: Fields can now be reordered directly within the Data View configuration interface.
Bulk Actions: Improvements to the bulk actions menu, including its relocation to the footer, make managing content more efficient.
8. Block Bindings API Improvements
The Block Bindings API now features a user interface that allows users to create and manage bindings directly in the block editor. This simplifies the process of linking block attributes to custom fields, reducing the need for manual coding and making customisation more accessible.
9. Under-the-Hood Improvements
Several behind-the-scenes enhancements include:
PHP 8.x Compatibility: Continued refinements ensure compatibility with the latest PHP versions, improving performance and security.
Template Registration API: A new API simplifies the registration of templates and template parts, streamlining theme and plugin development.
Script Loader Improvements: The removal of obsolete polyfills reduces unnecessary script dependencies, enhancing performance for modern browsers.
WordPress 6.7 delivers a robust set of features and improvements, strengthening its reputation as a leading content management system.
So be sure to be part of the update. If your website is not covered by an update agreement and you’re an eCommerce business owner? you’re putting your online business at risk. We’ve plans starting from as little as €150 per month.
Believe me, when things go wrong (and they will) you will pay many times more to recover your data, assuming it’s recoverable at all. And your reputation will be damaged. So get in touch today to find out how we can make sure you can sleep easier at night.