What is New in The Latest WordPress Version?

WordPress: An Introduction

WordPress is free and open-source software with a large community of users and developers who contribute themes, plugins, and support.

It started as a blogging platform, but now it has become one of the most popular and powerful content management systems (CMS). You can create any website or blog using WordPress – from personal to complex corporate websites.

This Blog Post Will Briefly Explore The Following Topics –

• Site Editor Updates
• Synced and Unsynced Patterns
• Updated Navigation Sidebar
• Quick Switch to Template Editing
• command palette
• Style
• Block Improvement
• Easily Switch Theme Styles in The Site Editor
• Better Padding and Margin Tools
• Link Control
• Importance of using the latest WordPress version
• WordPress Version History

Site Editor Updates

The WordPress contributors have set their sights on completing the Site Editor in this version to introduce all the essential features for block-based customization. As a result, WordPress 6.3 is brimming with updates designed to enhance the editor’s functionality.

Let’s take a closer look at these updates.

Synced and Unsynced Patterns

Reusable blocks are blocks or groups of blocks that can be saved and reused across different pages or posts. Any modifications to a reusable block in one location will be reflected universally throughout the website.

In contrast, block patterns are pre-designed collections of blocks. You can insert a block pattern into your content and customize it without affecting the same pattern used elsewhere.

Previously, creating a block pattern within the Site Editor was a complex task, typically requiring a pattern management plugin or custom PHP files.

With WordPress 6.3, the update combines the concept of reusable blocks with the pattern system, introducing new levels of customization. There are two pattern types: synced patterns, similar to reusable blocks, and unsynced patterns, functioning like regular block patterns.

This integration of a new pattern system is expected to revolutionize the workflow for block patterns. In WordPress 6.3, users can easily create patterns within the Site Editor, just like a reusable block.

Here’s how to create a synced or unsynced pattern:

Step – 1. Log into your WordPress dashboard.

Step – 2. Navigate to Post and choose one post.

Step – 3. On the right side of the page, click on the three dots and choose Manage Patterns.

Step – 4. On that page, click the + sign, then choose to Create Pattern.

Step – 5. Use the Keep all pattern instances in sync toggle option to decide whether the pattern will be synced or unsynced. If you enable it, the pattern will function like a reusable block. If it’s disabled, you’ll create a standard block pattern.

Step – 6. Click on Create.

The editor stores synced and unsynced patterns in separate locations. Synced patterns are accessible from the “Synced” tab on the block inserter panel.

Updated Navigation Sidebar

WordPress 6.3 improves the navigation sidebar, accessed via the site logo, offering enhanced options for better workflow and efficient management of site components in the editor.

Here are the new menus on the navigation sidebar:

Navigation: This menu simplifies navigation block management by enabling direct link viewing and rearrangement without accessing the block settings panel.

Styles: This menu lets you select and preview various style variations for your theme. It also offers quick access buttons to open the style book and the global styles panel for further customization.

Pages: The pages menu displays all the pages on your website, including drafts. You can simply click on any of them to edit them directly using the Site Editor.

Templates: This menu operates in the same way as in the previous version. It shows all the available templates and provides an option to create a new one.

Patterns: This menu replaces the previous Template Parts menu and now includes template parts and both synced and unsynced patterns.

Quick Switch to Template Editing

You can easily switch to template editing with just a few clicks while editing a page using the Site Editor. It offers a great deal of convenience, especially when you are editing a page and suddenly need layout changes.

You will find it here.

Step – 1. Log into your WordPress Dashboard.

Step – 2. Navigate to the Pages and select one page.

Step – 3. On the right side of the page, click on Settings.

Step – 4. You will find the Template option; click on the page with the Edit Template option.

Command Palette

A quick way of moving between templates, accessing specific panels, or creating new posts or pages is provided by the command palette.

Step – 1. Inside your WordPress dashboard

Step – 2. Navigate to the post or page and create one.

Step – 3. You can find the command palette at the top of the Site Editor or simply use the CTRL+K keyboard shortcut to access it.

Style

WordPress 6.3 allows you to choose color background styles for your content.

Step – 1. Inside your WordPress dashboard.

Step – 2. Navigate to the post and choose one.

Step – 3. Now click on the + sign & select the Navigation menu.

Step – 4. Here, you will get a style option.

Footnote

In WordPress 6.3, you can add footnotes to your text for things like quotes or extra info. Just select the text you want to add a footnote to, then click “More” in the toolbar and select “Footnote.” This will create a footnote at the bottom of your content where you can add your citation or extra details.

Block Improvement

The post-featured image block has better design options. Whether you’re adding it to a post or a template, you can choose from eight different shapes for your images. This includes both tall and wide shapes, so you can make your images look just how you want.

• Original aspect ratio
• Square (1:1)
• 16:9
• 4:3
• 3:2
• 9:16
• 3:4
• 2:3

Easily Switch Theme Styles in The Site Editor

Earlier, theme styles were located under the Styles panel within the site editor, which might have made them less visible, especially to beginners.

Now, users can easily access styles directly from the site editor’s navigation, allowing them to choose their preferred style and customize it right away.

Step – 1. Log into your WordPress dashboard.

Step – 2. Scroll down to Appearance > Themes.

Step – 3. Choose your active theme and click on customize.

Step – 4. On this page, you get a style option where you can see all the templates.

Better Padding and Margin Tools

With the new updates, the padding and margin tools are now more compact and user-friendly, occupying less screen space.

Step – 1. Log into your WordPress dashboard.

Step – 2. Scroll down to Appearance > Themes.

Step – 3. Choose your active theme and click on customize.

Step 4. On this page, you get a styles option to see all the templates.

Step – 5. Click on the pencil (Edit Styles) icon.

Step – 6. On this page, select the Layout option.

Link Control

In WordPress, the editing toolbar appears above the block you’re working on in the post editor. You also have the option to move the toolbar to the top, which can make editing feel simpler and less cluttered.

Inside the WordPress dashboard, choose your post and hover over the content, where you can add a Link and Create a Page.

Once you’ve created the link, click on it and select the “Edit” option. Then, navigate to the “Advanced” menu and check the checkbox labeled “Open in new tab.”

Check out this article to find out which WordPress version your site is currently using.

Importance of using the latest WordPress version

You should continuously update to the latest WordPress version for

• Higher security
• Better speed
• Improved performance
• Extra features

Higher security

WordPress, being widely used, is prone to hacks due to its open-source nature. Hackers can analyze its code easily, leading to potential vulnerabilities. However, non-malicious hackers often identify and report these vulnerabilities to the WordPress team, who promptly release updates to fix them.

Regularly updating WordPress is crucial to reduce the risk of hacking attacks and enhance website security overall.

Better speed

The latest WordPress updates often significantly increase speed and performance improvements. Faster loading results in a reduced bounce rate, a better user experience, and overall improvement in your website ranking, ultimately leading to a greater conversion rate with higher search visibility.

Improved performance

Using the most recent WordPress version always results in better performance, regardless of the type of WordPress website you want to build. So, take advantage of the latest updates to improve the editing and designing experience.

Extra features

WordPress’s latest version nowadays also includes many advanced features to make it more user-friendly, simplify designing tasks, and make it delightful.

Not only that, themes and plugins typically receive updates in response to every significant WordPress upgrade. So, updating to the latest version of WordPress often also comes with the benefit of advanced features.

However, before the WordPress update, you should consider the points below –

• Do not forget to back up your WordPress website to ensure you don’t lose any data if anything goes wrong.
• Ensure that the themes and plugins are compatible with the latest update to avoid compatibility issues.
• There are pros and cons if you opt for automatic updates, so it’s more recommendable to auto-update for minor updates only.

Read this guide to know How to Upgrade your WordPress.

WordPress Version History

WordPress has come a long way since its humble beginnings as a simple blogging tool when its Version 1.0 was released on May 27, 2003. Each new WordPress version brings new features, improvements, and bug fixes.

Let’s take a look at WordPress’ history and some of the significant changes that have been made to it over the years.

Conclusion

It’s Time to upgrade WordPress if you’re still using its older version; upgrading can be done in just a few clicks. The most recent version of WordPress includes critical security updates, performance improvements, and new features that make it worthwhile.

So don’t wait any longer — upgrade today and enjoy the benefits of the latest version of WordPress.