Ready or not, WordPress 6.6 is here! This release is named after Tommy Dorsey, the legendary trombonist and leader of the American Big Band.
We are excited to share the latest updates that our beloved CMS has for us, so without further ado, let’s get started.
WordPress 6.6: Major Features
- Enhanced Data Views in Site Editor
- Consistent Editing Experience
- Pattern Management in Classic Themes
- Style Variations: Mix and Match
- Creating Grid Layouts
- Set Negative Margins
1. Enhanced Data Views in Site Editor
In WP 6.6, the data views in the site editor are much more user-friendly and intuitive. The idea is to make it easier for people to use the editor, find and manage their patterns, templates, pages, and styles.
The improvements in data views also enable better organization and editing capabilities, which makes managing your site more efficient.
2. Consistent Editing Experience
WordPress has two main editing areas – the block editor and the site editor. Essentially, they are the same editor, but up till now they felt differently.
Now, a new, more consistent editing experience will be available, no matter which editor you are using.
3. Pattern Management in Classic Themes
Another new feature in WP 6.6 is related to classic themes. Again, the goal is to make it easier for users to manage patterns on their sites.
Users can launch the updated user interface by going to the Appearance →Patterns page.
From there, you will have the updated pattern data views, which provide a simplified interface to manage all patterns and edit them.
4. Style Variations: Mix and Match
WordPress 6.6 will greatly expand the design options for those using block themes that include style variations. Without needing extra setup.
The theme can now pull color palettes and typography styles from its variations. With these palettes, you can mix and match styles with ease and unleash your creativity.
5. Creating Grid Layouts
With WordPress, you can easily create grid layouts using different layout blocks, like the Group, Column, and Table blocks.
Unfortunately, you don’t have much control over the layout and sometimes things become unstable on mobile.
So, the new version of WP comes with the new Grid block. It lets you display any blocks you want in a grid layout.
Each block in the grid layout becomes a grid item. You can change how wide each column should be and change the look of the whole grid block and the individual blocks inside.
Additionally, you can set the grid layout type to ‘Manual’ and then drag the grid items to span them across columns.
6. Set Negative Margins
WordPress 6.6 will give users the option to use negative margins. This feature is hidden and only available when you click on the margins and from there manually enter a negative value.
Summary
We know it’s still early days, but what are your thoughts on WordPress 6.6 “Dorsey”? Do you like the new features? Is there something you would like to see in future releases?
It seems like WP 6.5 was released yesterday, so if your desired feature is still not included in WordPress, don’t lose hope. Perhaps next time. Until then, keep following our blog for the latest updates and trends.