The beta version of WordPress 6.3 was released recently and is set to launch on August 8th, 2023. This marks the second major update of the year, introducing a host of exciting new features and enhancements.
We have been actively tracking the development process and testing new features on our staging sites.
In this article, we will explore the upcoming features of WordPress 6.3, complete with detailed descriptions and screenshots.
Important Note:You can experience the beta version on your local machine or a staging environment by utilizing the WordPress Beta Tester plugin. Please remember that not all features in the beta version may be included in the final release.
Here’s a brief overview of the changes coming with WordPress 6.3:
- Enhancements to the Site Editor in Version 6.3
- Revamped Navigation in the Site Editor
- Manage Design Patterns within the Site Editor
- Effortlessly Edit Pages
- Preview Block Themes in the Site Editor
- Style Revisions for Easy Change Reversal
- Introducing the New Command Tool in WordPress 6.3
- Improvements to the Block Editor
- New Footnote and Details Blocks
- Enhanced Padding and Margin Controls
- Optimized Image Aspect Ratio Handling
- Color and Layout Options for the Cover Block
- Enhanced Link Control Features in Version 6.3
- Behind-the-Scenes Updates
For detailed instructions, feel free to continue reading.
Enhancements to the Site Editor in Version 6.3
The site editor in WordPress transitioned out of beta with version 6.2. The upcoming version 6.3 will introduce several new features and enhancements to further improve the user experience.
Updated Navigation in the Site Editor
With the release of WordPress 6.2, a new navigation feature was added to the site editor, enabling users to select the template or template part they wish to modify.
Version 6.3 will enhance this navigation tool, allowing users to choose not only templates and template parts but also pages, styles, patterns, and navigation menus.
The search icon will activate the command tool (details coming up), where you can search for the section you want to edit.
You can easily open your site in a new tab by clicking the ‘View Site’ button, which appears when you hover over the site title and search area.
Manage Patterns in the Site Editor
WordPress 6.3 will introduce a user-friendly method to manage patterns, allowing you to view all your patterns directly within the site editor.
Clicking on ‘Patterns’ will display the available patterns on your site, organized into categorized sections.
You will have access to both synced and unsynced patterns for your use.
Unsynced patterns are independent designs that can be added at any time. Once inserted, you can modify them without impacting the original pattern.
Synced patterns can be utilized throughout your WordPress site. Any changes made will reflect on the original pattern. They function like reusable blocks, so all your reusable blocks will now be categorized as ‘Synced Patterns’.
At any moment, you can click the ‘+’ button in the Patterns menu to create a new pattern.
You can manage your custom patterns by selecting ‘Manage all of my patterns’ in the sidebar.
This feature allows you to edit and organize your custom patterns and reusable blocks.
Easily Edit Pages
The site editor now enables you to conveniently select ‘Pages’ from the navigation menu.
Clicking this option will display the pages you have recently edited, allowing you to quickly continue working on them.
You can also click the ‘+’ button in the navigation menu to swiftly create a new page and start editing it right away in the site editor.
Preview Block Themes Directly in the Site Editor
You can now preview classic themes before activating them on your site, enabling you to explore a WordPress theme without altering your live website.
With WordPress 6.3, users can preview block themes directly within the editor, allowing them to test a theme before making it live on their site.
Important Note:This feature is experimental and encountered issues during beta testing on our trial sites.
Easily Undo Changes with Style Revisions
WordPress simplifies the process of undoing changes to posts and pages through a feature called Revisions.
This functionality will now extend to site editor styles, enabling you to view and revert changes made to your theme styles if necessary.
To edit a style or block, select it in the Styles panel, click the ‘Revisions’ button, and then choose ‘Revision history’.
This will display all modifications made to the style of the selected item.
You can easily switch between different versions and click the ‘Apply’ button to revert to a previous state.
Introducing the New Command Tool in WordPress 6.3
The new command tool in WordPress 6.3 will enable users to execute actions swiftly using keyboard shortcuts.
To access the command tool, press CTRL + K or Command + K on your keyboard. You can then start typing to search.
The tool will display matching templates, template parts, patterns, blocks, posts, pages, and more. Selecting an item from the list will open it in the site editor.
Enhancements to the Block Editor
WordPress 6.3 introduces a variety of new features and enhancements to the block editor.
Introducing Footnote and Details Blocks
WordPress 6.3 includes two new blocks: Footnote and Details.
Footnote Block
Previously, adding footnotes in the block editor was challenging, requiring users to create them manually or rely on third-party plugins.
With the new Footnote option available in the toolbar’s three-dot menu, adding footnotes is now straightforward.
Details Block
Have you ever wished for a way to let users click on text to reveal additional information? The Details block allows you to do just that.
Simply insert the Details block and provide the text that will be visible to users.
Below the visible text, you can include the content you want to keep hidden within the block.
This hidden content can consist of text, images, media, and more.
The Details block serves as an effective alternative to accordions, which are often utilized for presenting FAQs or information in a concise format.
Enhanced Padding and Margin Controls
WordPress 6.3 introduces enhanced padding and margin controls.
In the past, unlinking padding and margin controls resulted in excessive space in the right column.
With WordPress 6.3, padding and margin controls will be more streamlined and user-friendly.
Improved Image Aspect Ratio Management
WordPress 6.3 enables users to select the aspect ratio for images, allowing for easy size adjustments while preserving the aspect ratio.
This feature ensures that images maintain their quality across different sizes.
Enhanced Color and Layout Options for the Cover Block
The Cover block will receive significant enhancements in WordPress 6.3.
Users can now access layout options similar to those available in the Group block.
The Cover block will also support duotone filters.
Additionally, users will discover more design options for text within the Cover block.
Improvements to Link Control in Version 6.3
Link control is the feature used by the block editor to insert links. WordPress 6.3 will implement further refinements to enhance this functionality.
Users can easily create a new page using the ‘Create Page’ button located in the link control tool.
The option to open a link in a new tab is not available when adding a link. However, you can edit the link to find this option under the ‘Advanced’ settings.
Backend Enhancements
WordPress 6.3 introduces numerous updates designed for developers. Here are some of the key features included in this release:
- An improved emoji loader that minimizes the loading time for the emoji script. (#58472)
- Support for defer and async attributes has been added to the WP Scripts API. (#12009)
- Fetch priority support has been implemented for images. (#58235)
- Lazy loading for images outside the loop in classic themes has been skipped. (#58211)
- A rollback feature for failed plugin and theme updates has been introduced. (#51857)
- The functions get_posts() and get_pages() have been merged. (#12821)
We hope this article gave you a preview of the exciting new features in WordPress 6.3.
Share your thoughts in the comments! Let us know which features you find most interesting and what you would like to see in future WordPress updates.
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