WordPress managed hosting company WP Engine has joined Acquia, Fastly, Gatsby, Netlify, and Pantheon to begin booting Russian companies off their platforms. In addition to the joint protest, each organization has also pledged support to the Open Observatory of Network Interference (OONI), a non-profit that documents internet censorship around the world. “As part of that effort to increase our support, …
How to Build a Single-Product Sales Page with Blocks
In today’s edition of our Building with Blocks series, we’re going to explore one example of building a single-product sales page. There is by no means one approach for building something like this. This particular example aims to demonstrate a fast way to start selling a single product online, while using free plugins and themes available on WordPress.org. Here’s what …
WordPress Community Team Reconsiders Guidelines for In-Person Regional WordCamps
The pandemic has dramatically slashed the number of in-person WordPress events that volunteers are organizing and events have been slow to start up again. This has caused the WordPress Community Team to reconsider the guidelines for hosting regional WordCamps. Historically, these guidelines have generated lengthy discussions, as many vocal opponents found them to be needlessly prohibitive. WordCamps began as local, …
How To Build a Recipe Card via the WordPress Block Editor
Last summer, I was on a pattern-creating bender. In two months, I had designed just shy of 100 block patterns. Outside of work and necessary household duties, I spent every waking moment building things with the block editor for fun. I had complete creative freedom, no need to roll out a commercial product, and no one to please but myself. …
Gutenberg 12.8 Launches the Web Fonts API, Improves Group Nesting, and Adds Keyboard Shortcut for Links
Gutenberg 12.8 landed in the WordPress plugin directory earlier today. I have been tinkering with many of the features as they were committed over the last couple of weeks. There are some things that I am excited about. The Web Fonts API is something I have patiently waited months for, but the ability to quickly nest Group blocks within other …
GiveWP Launches Standalone Donation Form Block for Stripe
GiveWP quietly released its new plugin, Donation Form Block for Stripe, in the WordPress directory last week. It is a standalone block that allows users to accept donations almost instantly. No complicated setup. Just install, activate, connect to Stripe, and play. I named the GiveWP plugin my favorite of 2019. The team behind the donation plugin has consistently produced top-tier …
The Dream of Exporting WordPress Block Themes from the Site Editor Is Close to Reality
I have said it before, but it bears repeating: the next generation of WordPress theme authors will design from the site editor. It seems that Gutenberg project contributors are making good on my promise. Earlier today, I exported a WordPress theme from the site editor. Exporting the Twenty Twenty-Two theme. The resulting ZIP file seemed to include all the necessary …
Does WordPress Need 1,000s of Block Themes in the Era of Full Site Editing?
“I have so many design ideas in my head that I am about to make it my mission to singlehandedly fulfill [Matt Mullenweg’s] vision of 5,000 Full Site Editing #WordPress themes in the directory,” tweeted Brian Gardner earlier today. Daniel Schutzsmith responded: I’m just not seeing the need for more than one theme for FSE as long as I can …
Patchstack Whitepaper: WordPress Ecosystem Records 150% Increase in Security Vulnerabilities in 2021
Patchstack has published its State of WordPress Security whitepaper with a summary of threats to the WordPress ecosystem recorded in 2021. The whitepaper aggregates data from multiple sources, including the Patchstack Vulnerability Database, the Patchstack Alliance (the company’s bug bounty platform), and publicy reported CVEs from other sources. In 2021, Patchstack recorded nearly 1,500 vulnerabilities, a 150% increase as compared …
Avant-Garde Is an Experimental Block Theme With Well-Designed Patterns
Block themes continue to trickle into the WordPress theme directory. Classic design submissions still outpace them by margins that make it look like blocks are not even in the race yet. However, some designers seek to pioneer this still-foreign space. Brian Gardner is not new to this. His latest theme, Avant-Garde, plays on the block system’s strengths without forcing it …