Gutenberg 11.6, the latest version of WordPress’s block-based website editing experience, has been released. This new version includes useful enhancements as well as a number of bug fixes. The ability to crop and edit a logo image directly in a WordPress editor is perhaps the most intriguing.
Gutenberg Site Editor
Gutenberg is a WordPress site builder that uses a drag-and-drop web design interface to make creating websites easier.
If you need an image within a page section, simply drag the appropriate block and place it where you want it.
The editor isn’t finished yet, but it’s far enough along in the development cycle that many people think it’s useful right now.
In fact, many WordPress themes are now available that can be edited with the Gutenberg editor.
One advantage of using the Gutenberg editor plugin is that it can result in extremely fast websites.
Gutenberg is implementing a four-phase development strategy. WordPress is currently in phase two of four.
This is how the plugin page for Gutenberg describes what it is:
“Gutenberg” is a codename for a whole new paradigm for creating with WordPress, that aims to revolutionize the entire publishing experience as much as Gutenberg did the printed word.
The project is following a four-phase process that will touch major pieces of WordPress — Editing, Customization, Collaboration, and Multilingual.”
1. Editing the Native Site Logo
Before Gutenberg 11.6, a publisher had to edit their logo before uploading it.
Publishers can now upload the logo and, if necessary, edit it.
Cropping, zooming, and rotating the image are all available editing functions.
A WordPress GitHub example shows a person selecting the site logo block, then the media library from which the image is selected.
Here’s a quick video that walks you through the process of selecting an image and editing it. The image is then loaded and editable in the logo block workspace.
2. Control of Block Level Locking
Another useful new feature for theme designers and WordPress site designers is the ability to lock a block to prevent it from being moved or removed.
According to the WordPress announcement, the new feature is as follows:
“Block-level lock takes priority over the templateLock feature and currently, you can lock moving and removing blocks.
The toolbar of locked blocks will have the movers hidden, and the Remove block option won’t be available either.”
Screenshot Of Unlocked WordPress Gutenberg Block
Screenshot of Locked WordPress Gutenberg Block
3. Fundamental Support for Child Themes
Gutenberg has received an important update with the addition of support for child themes. Child themes allow publishers to make changes to the theme’s look and feel that will not be overridden when the theme is updated.
With a child theme, a publisher can make as many changes to the appearance of a theme as they want without fear of losing the changes when the theme is updated.
The following are some of the advantages and functions provided by the new child theme support:
- “The site editor is available when the child theme is active
- Theme.json is inherited
- Parent theme template parts can be overridden in the child theme
- Parent theme templates can be overridden in the child theme
- Theme.json can be overridden in the child theme”
Read Solved WordPress Internal Server Error 500.
4. Modify the Template Part
WordPress now includes a Template Part Focus Mode, which is a critical site design feature.
The Template Section Focus Mode is a method of accessing a menu that provides options for customizing only a portion of the template, such as the area above the content area, the main content area, or even the widget area.
WordPress explains what it does:
“Template Part Focus Mode refers to the view that lets you focus and work on a single template part, like a header, and is available for any template part.
This isolated template part editing is now accessible from the ellipsis menu in the Template Part toolbar.”
Several Significant Changes
Gutenberg 11.6 provides more than incremental improvements because it includes significant changes that bring the Gutenberg editor up to date with CMS and web design best practices.
WordPress Gutenberg also includes a slew of bug fixes to improve the editing experience.
Learn more from WordPress and read WordPress Security Has Just Been Improved.
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