WordPress 6.4 beta was recently released, and we have been actively monitoring its development and conducting thorough testing. This upcoming version marks the third major release of 2023 and is expected to introduce notable features, bug fixes, and performance enhancements. In this article, we will provide an overview of the upcoming features and improvements in WordPress 6.4, accompanied by detailed descriptions and screenshots.
Font Management Made Easy with Font Library in WordPress
6.4 WordPress 6.4 is set to introduce an innovative feature known as the Font Library. This feature empowers users to efficiently manage fonts utilized within their WordPress theme and across their entire website. Users will find the Font Library conveniently located within the Styles panel of the site editor. Within this library, users have the capability to add or remove fonts for their website according to their preferences. By clicking on the Fonts icon within the panel, users can easily access the Font Library. An additional notable function is the ability to upload fonts directly from their computer. Furthermore, for users interested in utilizing Google Fonts locally, the Font Library will offer the functionality to download and install Google Fonts directly onto their WordPress website. This process involves a one-time connection to Google servers for font file downloads, subsequent to which the fonts will be served from the users’ own servers.
Enhanced Image Viewing with Lightbox Popups
Looking to present your WordPress images in an appealing lightbox popup? WordPress 6.4 is introducing a feature that allows users to activate lightbox popups for images embedded in their posts and pages. Once an image is added, users can easily enable the ‘Expand on Click’ option through the block settings to open the image in a lightbox popup. This straightforward image popup functionality allows visitors to magnify images without navigating away from the current page.
Refined Command Palette Functionality
WordPress 6.3 introduced a handy command palette tool, enabling users to swiftly enter commands using the keyboard shortcut CTRL+K. In WordPress 6.4, this tool is receiving notable enhancements and additional keyboard shortcuts. The update includes a subtle design refinement, slightly darkening elements for improved visibility. Furthermore, new commands and actions are being introduced, specifically tailored for efficient block management. Users can now duplicate, transform, delete, or insert blocks directly from the command palette. For instance, users can opt to select and transform multiple blocks seamlessly using the command palette.
Enhanced Block Editor Features
The WordPress 6.4 release is primarily focused on improving and extending the existing features of the site and block editor. The groundwork for phase 3 of the Gutenberg project has been initiated, emphasizing collaboration and further development. WordPress 6.4 will incorporate several releases from the Gutenberg project (the project behind the block editor) into its core. Each release brings forth a range of new features and enhancements. Here are some notable enhancements in the Block Editor:
Block Hooks WordPress 6.4 introduces Block
Hooks functionality for developers. This feature allows plugins to automatically add blocks upon activation. Named after the hooks used in the WordPress core, block hooks empower plugin developers to interact with the block editor and extend blocks without altering the core structure. For example, a membership plugin can now seamlessly add a login button to the navigation menu. The block panel will display the blocks added by plugins, giving users the ability to toggle them on or off.
Enhanced Functionality: Background Images for Group Blocks
Grouping blocks is a convenient approach to structuring various sections within a post or the full site editor. Previously, users had the ability to select background and text colors solely for the entire group block. With WordPress 6.4, users will now be able to set a background image for enhanced customization.
Optimized Toolbars for Parent/Child Blocks
While working with blocks that contain child blocks, the toolbar used to constantly shift and alter position as users navigated through the blocks. This often resulted in a suboptimal user experience, particularly with blocks such as Navigation, List, and Quote. WordPress 6.4 introduces a feature that automatically anchors the child toolbar to the parent, ensuring a consistent user experience when navigating within the inner blocks.
Enhanced Outline / List View
The List view provides a quick overview of your page or post layout within the site/block editor. WordPress 6.4 aims to enhance this view by introducing valuable features. Firstly, it allows you to rename Group blocks directly within the list view, facilitating better identification and improving layout readability. Additionally, previews for images and gallery blocks will be displayed, significantly enhancing the utility of the outline view. This improvement eliminates the need to click on each block to discern its content, as was the case before.
Streamlined Pattern Management
In the previous WordPress release, Reusable Blocks transitioned into Patterns, and a new pattern management screen was integrated into the site editor. WordPress 6.4 takes this a step further by refining pattern management. Users will now have the capability to categorize patterns during creation, streamlining organization. The pattern creation modal will have a consistent appearance throughout WordPress. Within the Site Editor, the Patterns tab will display patterns in organized categories, optimizing accessibility and management.
“Improved Link Handling in Link Preview In the prior WordPress version, the link preview control, which pops up when adding a link in WordPress, relocated the ‘Open in new tab’ option under the Advanced toggle. Consequently, users had to go through additional clicks to open a link in a new tab. In response to user feedback, a new checkbox has been introduced in the link preview modal, simplifying the process of opening a link in a new tab.
Underlying Technical Enhancements WordPress 6.4 incorporates a range of modifications targeted at developers, encompassing some of the most noteworthy changes behind the scenes:
- Deprecation of TEMPLATEPATH and STYLESHEETPATH constants. (#18298)
- Introduction of a framework to enable revisions for post meta in WordPress. (#20564)
- Empowerment for theme developers to configure default min and max viewport widths for fluid font size calculations. (#59048)
- Addition of a block hook field to block types. (#59346)