WordPress 6.0 was launched today and is available for update on all WordPress driven websites. Even better, we’re thrilled to let you know that if you’re a HITS client. Then your site has already been updated since all HITS use a custom WordPress framework. We usually implement this for all of our clients on the day of the update release.
Here’s a rundown of what this means for you:
Enhanced Writing Experience
Writing improvements abound, whether you’re writing a brand new post or adding elements to an existing page. Explore more ways to streamline your content creation process, including:
- Select text across multiple blocks and edit it all at once.
- Type two open brackets
[[to quickly access the link menu. - Keep existing styles when you transform some blocks from one kind to another—from a Paragraph block to a Code block.
- Create customised buttons and any new buttons you make will retain the style customisations automatically.
- Make tag clouds and social icons even more appealing with updated settings and controls, and a new outline style for the tag cloud.
Style Switching
Block themes now include the option to contain multiple style variations. This expands the new Style system even further and enables shortcuts to switch the look and feel of your site all within a single theme. You can change both the available settings, like the font weight and the style options, like the default colour palette. Change the look and feel of your site with just a few clicks.
More Template Choices
WordPress 6.0 includes five new template options: author, date, categories, tag, and taxonomy. These additional templates provide greater flexibility for content creators. Tailor each with the tools you already know or with the following new options in this release.
Integrated Patterns
Patterns will now appear when you need them in even more places, like in the quick inserter or when creating a new header or footer. If you’re a block theme author, you can even register patterns from the Pattern Directory using theme.json, enabling you to prioritise specific patterns that are most helpful to your theme’s users.
Better List View
New keyboard shortcuts enable you to select multiple blocks from the list view, modify them in bulk, and drag-and-drop them within the list. List View can be opened and closed easily; it comes collapsed by default and it automatically expands to the current selection whenever you select a block.
Block Locking Controls
Now you can lock your blocks. Choose to disable the option to move a block, remove a block, or both. This simplifies project handover, allowing your clients to unleash their creativity without worrying about accidentally breaking their site in the process.
Additional Design Tools
Design tools grow more powerful and intuitive with each release.
Some highlights for 6.0 include:
- A new colour panel design saves space, but still shows your options at a glance.
- New border controls offer a simpler way to set your border exactly as you like it.
- Transparency levels for your colours allow for even more creative colour options.
- Control gaps, margins, typography, and more on a collection of blocks, all at once, in the Group block.
- Switch between stack, row, and group variations to position groups of blocks with more layout flexibility.
- Use the gap support functionality in the Gallery block to create different looks–from adding spacing between all images, to removing spacing altogether.
We hope you like all the WordPress 6.0 updates as much as we do!
