The upcoming version of WordPress, WordPress 6.7, will be released on November 12, 2024. It promises continued enhancements to the world’s leading yet results-driven content management system’s user experience, performance, extensibility, and security.
This blog post will showcase improvements and enhancements to the upcoming Gutenberg version, WordPress 6.7.
Windows 6.7 RoadMap
As you already know, WordPress 6.7 will be released on November 12, 2024. Users will likely experience various new features, such as a new default theme, the ability to zoom out to compose content with patterns, template registration API, design tools, and more.
This release aims to enhance the WordPress experience from the users’ perspective. What’s shared here is followed actively. Still, it doesn’t necessarily mean each will make it into the final release of WordPress 6.7.
New Default Theme
The new default theme showcases the latest standard in WordPress that specifically facilitates block themers. In simple words, the new theme will help bloggers a great deal.
They can use WordPress to create engaging, impactful blogs for new and current readers. The new default theme supports all kinds of blogging activities.
Foundational Experience
Refining Data Views
The new release concentrates on enhancing the experience by offering some new planned features:
- Ability to set the density of information in the grid layout.
- Option to hide/show the filters in the user interface.
- Ability to customize the column order in table views.
- Make the Grid layout aspect ratio configurable for the user.
- Graduate data view options out of a menu to allow more design expression.
Polishing the Query Loop
The Query Loop block is among the most impactful and complex blocks in the site-building experience. A block needs to be robust in its capabilities and balanced between being intuitive to customize. Overall, the Query loop has been optimized in the upcoming release.
Zoom Out to Compose With Patterns
The new release plans to offer the zoom out to edit and create at the pattern level over the granular block editing option. This initiative helps deliver a new, high-level approach to developing and interacting with your website, with several key features in development, such as:
- The editor offers users a zoomed-out experience, helping them insert patterns to facilitate a high-level overview of the site.
- Users can manipulate patterns in the template by moving, deleting, etc., while zooming out. A new vertical toolbar is included.
- Use the much improved UX to drag patterns (e.g. vertical displacement).
- Utilize the toggle zoom out on and off option in the preview panel.
- When zooming out, use the enter and exit editing option at the block level.
- Users can benefit from the advancing contentOnly editing option to aid in this new experience.
Media Improvements
This new WordPress release encompasses HEIC support, which helps users add and interact with media without fuss. Users can experience more features, like auto sizes for lazy-loaded images and more background image support. They can also get other helpful features:
- Allow block-level background images in global styles for all blocks with background support, allowing you to set site wide options.
- Add support for background attachments (fixed backgrounds).
- Update background image support to use a modal to consolidate the UI smartly.
View Meta Boxes in the iframed Post Editor
In this release, users can smartly utilize the post editor and view other crucial information, such as metaboxes and canvas content. A split view will allow users to simultaneously access the post editor, metaboxes, and canvas content. Hence, users will enjoy a consistent WYSIWYG experience between the Editor and frontend views.
Design Tools
Consolidating and Expanding Block Supports
The WordPress 6.7 release has included the much-needed shadow support on Group blocks for designers and themers. Besides, the block supports have been loaded up with other powerful features:
- Buttons: Add border, color, and padding block supports.
- Categories: Add border support.
- Column: Enable border-radius support.
- Comment Template: Add Border Block Support.
- Gallery: Add border block support.
- Group: Add block support for shadow.
- Heading: Add border support.
- Image: Adopt margin block support.
- Latest comments: Add color block support.
- List Item: Add color support.
- Media Text: Add border support.
- Paragraph: Add border support.
- Post Comments Form: Add Border Block Support.
- Post Content: Add a background image and padding support.
- Post Date: Add border support.
- Post Excerpt: Add border support.
- Post Terms: Add border support.
- Post Title: Add border support.
- Quote: Add border support, add spacing supports, add background image, and minimum height support.
- Search: Add margin support.
- Site Tagline: Add border support.
- Site Title: Add border support.
- Social Links: Add border block support.
- Term Description: Add border block support.
- Verse block: Add background image and minimum height support.
Edit and Apply Font Size Presets
The upcoming WordPress release provides users with much improved Styles interface. As a result, users can create, edit, remove, and apply font size presets. It enables users to modify theme-provided presets and offer custom options.
Stabilize Experimental Block Supports
The work in the upcoming WordPress release is in progress to stabilize these options by removing their experimental status to ensure confidence in using typography block supports for extenders.
API Launches and Iterations
Template Registration API
A new API will highlight the latest release, WordPress 6.7. It simplifies the registration of templates and the templates part for different plugins that register independently.
Previously, plugins needed to rely on several filters to get started, adding a barrier to entry and adoption. With this new API, developers will have a more seamless extension experience that aligns with what users have come to expect when interacting with templates and template parts.
Preview Options API
WordPress 6.7 offers a new API that extends the Preview dropdown menu in the post or page editor. This enables plugins to incorporate custom menu items into the Preview dropdown.
It will help plugin developers enjoy more flexibility as they can effortlessly integrate custom preview options into the WordPress editor using the below features:
- Introduces PreviewDropdownMenuItem component for adding custom items to the Preview dropdown.
- Allows plugins to add menu items with custom titles and click handlers.
- Maintains the existing Preview dropdown structure while allowing for extensibility.
Interactivity API
WordPress 6.7 has improved the impact of an interactivity API by making it simple and stable, paving the way for performance enhancements like directive code splitting or lazy loading of interactive blocks. This will offer users the following features:
- Bringing lightbox functionality to the Gallery block.
- Query and Search blocks: support for Instant Search.
- Ensuring multiple images with lightbox enabled creates a cohesive gallery experience.
Block Bindings
The Block Bindings API was introduced in WordPress 6.5 and further optimized in WordPress 6.6. It allows users to bind dynamic data to block attributes.
Similarly, the upcoming release, WordPress 6.7, focuses on adding a user interface (UI) that enables users to connect attributes with their binding sources.
Consequently, they can develop bindings through the UI instead of the Code Editor. Users can benefit from the Block Bindings API when creating dynamic WordPress sites.
WordPress 6.7 Tentative Release Timeline
- Alpha (trunk open for 6.7 release) — June 25, 2024
- Last Gutenberg RC before Beta 1 — September 18, 2024
- Beta 1 — October 1, 2024
- Beta 2 — October 8, 2024
- Beta 3 — October 15, 2024
- Release Candidate 1 — October 22, 2024
- Release Candidate 2 — October 29, 2024
- Release Candidate 3 — November 5, 2024
- Dry Run — November 11, 2024
- WordPress 6.7 General Release — November 12, 2024
Expected Features and Improvements
The upcoming WordPress release, WordPress 6.7, will likely prioritize several aspects, such as website security, user experience, performance, extensibility features, etc.
Here are the expected features and improvements users may experience using WordPress 6.7:
- Security Updates
- User Experience Enhancements
- Performance Enhancements
- Extensibility
Security Updates
Like previous WordPress versions, WordPress 6.7 will focus on website security. It will incorporate advanced authentication mechanisms, including cross-site scripting (XSS), SQL injection, etc., to safeguard websites against numerous vulnerabilities.
User Experience Enhancements
WordPress genuinely cares about user experience, and WordPress 6.5 includes a much-improved editor interface. The interface will help users benefit from a simplified content creation process.
Besides, they can use new customization options and design features to develop engaging and impactful websites.
Performance Enhancements
WordPress 6.7 will optimize speed, reduce page load time, and enhance website responsiveness. It aims to offer more efficient resource management and to improve core functionality.
Extensibility
Developers will access more extensibility features in WordPress 6.7, making their websites highly customizable and results-driven. For example, the upcoming version will incorporate updates to the plugin and theme APIs, enabling developers to integrate third-party services effortlessly.
Rest API enhancement will allow them to create custom applications.
Other Major Releases in 2024
Wrapping Up
The upcoming WordPress 6.7 version will bring desirable amendments to the WordPress Rest API, offering flexibility and integration capabilities to developers who want to create advanced custom themes, plugins, and solutions.
WordPress 6.7 can heavily impact the web development industry and fulfill the intricate needs of a diversified customer base worldwide.
