Gutenberg 15.8 was released with some exciting features that were included in the tentative WordPress 6.3 roadmap. Users are getting closer to a more unified content editing experience with the addition of the Pages menu to the Site Editor. Clicking on Pages will load the ten most recently updated pages with a link to “Manage All Pages” at the bottom …
Can ChatGPT Build a Useful WordPress Plugin That Actually Works?
Can AI turn non-coders into pro WordPress plugin developers? To find out, we asked ChatGPT to build a custom WordPress plugin from scratch and then had our crack team of developers examine the code… AI is the world’s most popular two-letter word right now. With all the recent news headlines about whether AI will take our jobs away, we wanted …
WordPress 6.2.2 Restores Shortcode Support in Block Templates, Fixes Security Issue
WordPress 6.2.2 was released early this morning as a rapid follow-up to 6.2.1, which introduced a bug that broke shortcode support in block templates. Version 6.2.1 was also an important security release, but due to the catastrophic breakage for those using shortcodes in block templates, some users were implementing insecure workarounds or simply downgrading to 6.2 to keep critical functionality …
WordPress 6.3 Development Kicks Off to Conclude Gutenberg Phase 2
The WordPress 6.3 development cycle has begun and work is already underway on an ambitious list of features that will debut in the upcoming major release. It will cap off Phase 2 of the Gutenberg project, with an emphasis on polishing customization features and making them easier to use. WordPress 6.3 Editor Triage co-lead Anne McCarthy published a roadmap to …
WordPress Is Developing a Command Center for Quick Search and Navigation Inside the Admin
WordPress may soon be getting a Command Center, which would function as a quick search component for navigating to other areas of the admin, and would also be capable of running commands. The feature was introduced in Gutenberg 15.6 under the Experimental flag and currently has limited use in the Site Editor context while navigating and editing templates. The Command …
WordPress 6.2.1 Update Breaks Shortcode Support in Block Templates
WordPress 6.2.1 was released yesterday and rolled out to sites with automatic background updates enabled. The update included five important security fixes. Ordinarily, a maintenance and security release can be trusted not to break a website, but many users are struggling after 6.2.1 removed shortcode support from block templates. A support forum thread tracking the broken shortcodes issue shows that …
WordPress 6.2.1 Released with Fixes for 5 Security Vulnerabilities
WordPress 6.2.1 was released today. Those with automatic background updates enabled should see a notice in their email, as updates rolled out earlier today. This is a maintenance and security release that includes important fixes for five security vulnerabilities outlined by core contributor and release co-lead Jb Audras: Block themes parsing shortcodes in user generated data A CSRF issue updating …
ACF Plugin’s Reflected XSS Vulnerability Attracts Exploit Attempts Within 24 Hours of Public Announcement
On May 5, Patchstack published a security advisory about a high severity reflected cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in ACF (Advanced Custom Fields), potentially affecting more than 4.5 million users. WP Engine patched the vulnerability on May 4, but the Akamai Security Intelligence Group (SIG) is reporting that attackers began attempting to exploit it within 24 hours of Patchstack’s publication. “Once …
Themeum Acquires Kirki Customizer Framework Plugin
Themeum, a WordPress theme and plugin company founded in 2013, has acquired the Kirki Customizer Framework plugin from its former developer, David Vongries. In April 2023, Vongries announced he was sunsetting the product and discontinuing development. He put the plugin up for sale for $30K and sold it for just under the asking price. “I met the Themeum team at WordCamp Europe …
11 Ways ChatGPT Can Help You As a WordPress Developer
With the evolution of AI technologies like ChatGPT, many questions linger about the future of WordPress development and how AI can actually help – not hurt – your job or business. Sophisticated artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT can perform many tasks that previously required human intelligence. If you’re concerned about AI eventually replacing you and taking your job (we’ve written before …




