WordPress 5.9 is set to launch on January 25, and many users will be in for a surprise. The upcoming release will be the most monumental shift in how the platform works since the introduction of the block-based content editor in 5.0. Block themes, global styles, and the site editor will kick-start a new future for WordPress. For the average …
New WordPress Plugin Offers a Markdown Editor Solution
Earlier today, a new editor plugin named Markup Markdown landed in the WordPress directory. It replaces both the classic and block editors with a Markdown solution. It is the first plugin by an author simply known as Peter, or @peter202202. As someone who almost always writes in Markdown, I did not think twice about downloading, installing, and activating it. I …
Gutenberg 12.3 Introduces New Blocks, Design Options, and a Complete Core Blocks Reference
The first Gutenberg plugin release of the year contains loads of features. Developers should enjoy a completed core blocks reference. Group block spacing controls offer more layout flexibility, and a new Post Author Name block has arrived on the scene. Overall, the site editing experience is shaping up. The latest release adds a couple of nice-to-have design options. The Group …
Anariel Design Releases Bricksy, Its Third WordPress Block Theme
Yesterday, Anariel Design’s third block theme, Bricksy, went live in the WordPress.org directory. Ana Segota, the co-founder and self-proclaimed “creative motor” of the company, has almost become a master at block-based theme design at this point, and this project is just her showing off her skills. I actually took the theme for a spin over the weekend when I saw …
A Throwback to the Past: Retro Winamp Block
In mid-November, I happened upon a block plugin called Retro Winamp Block. As many of our readers know, I am always on the lookout for those WordPress extensions that remind me of the era when I first started using computers and exploring the web. The plugin seemed to fit the bill. It had “retro” in the title, so it had …
Ask the Bartender: Will It Become Easier To Create Block Patterns?
Do you know if WordPress FSE is working to make it easier to create block patterns? Templates and Parts need to just click a button to download them. But patterns are very manual, and you need to register all of them programmatically. Thiago You are not the first person to ask this question, and it is something that I have …
Disable Over a Dozen WordPress Features With the No Nonsense Plugin
One of the best things about WordPress is the hundreds of ways of turning things off. There are likely dozens of plugins for disabling various items, each with its own unique set of options. No Nonsense is no different. It is a plugin that allows users to control whether they want to use over a dozen features. The plugin was …
Yes, a Block-Based Version of the Kubrick WordPress Theme Exists
It is literally the one thing that no one was asking for, but we can all collectively agree it is kind of cool. A block-based version of the old-school Kubrick WordPress theme exists. Gutenberg lead Matías Ventura tweeted a quick video of it in action yesterday. Fellow Automattic engineer Riad Benguella had put the theme together. Wait, what? (I had …
David Gwyer Teases Block Theme Generator App, Plans for a Community of Creators
David Gwyer has been teasing ThemeGen over the last couple of weeks. It is his upcoming block theme generator app. Piece by piece, it has seemed to be coming together and could prove invaluable for theme developers. Currently, it is in beta testing. He provided me with a link to an early preview to get my feedback on the tool. …
10up Releases the Publisher Media Kit WordPress Plugin
Earlier today, version 1.0 of 10up’s Publisher Media Kit went live in the WordPress plugin directory. It is a preconfigured set of blocks and patterns for jump-starting a media kit page for small and medium-sized publications. When I first noticed the plugin, my mind immediately jumped to press kits and branding pages for businesses. Not enough companies within the WordPress …