WordPress 6.7 “Rollins” is now out!
Named after the legendary jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins, 6.7 is the third major update for 2024 and pays tribute to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.
“Rollins” emerges from the collective work of over 780 contributors. The update includes a total of 342 Core Trac tickets, along with:
- 445+ enhancements and feature requests
- 400+ bug fixes
- Important performance optimizations
- 65+ accessibility fixes and improvements
Simply put, WordPress 6.7 brings a new level of design flexibility, customization options, and improved interactivity to building and maintaining websites.
Performance Highlights in WordPress 6.7
The latest WordPress 6.7 update introduces performance-focused features designed to streamline website speed and efficiency, including:
- faster pattern loading
- optimized previews in the data views component
- improved PHP 8+ support and removal of deprecated code
- auto sizes for lazy-loaded images
- and more efficient tag processing in the HTML API.
Let’s dive deeper into two performance highlights from the update:
Enhanced Block Registration for Faster Loading
In previous versions, WordPress Core used PHP-generated files to avoid performance hits from loading multiple JSON files for each block type. With WordPress 6.7, plugins can now benefit from the same performance enhancement by using wp_register_block_metadata_collection().
By running the wp-scripts build-blocks-manifest command, plugins can consolidate all block metadata into a single PHP file. This reduces costly filesystem reads, helping plugins with multiple block types load more efficiently.
Auto Sizes for Lazy-Loaded Images
WordPress now supports the new HTML attribute sizes="auto" for lazy-loaded images, allowing browsers to select the best image size based on the actual rendered layout.
For backward compatibility, WordPress applies auto to the sizes attribute only if the image is marked as loading="lazy". Browsers that don’t support this new attribute will default to the traditional sizes values. Developers can use the new wp_img_tag_add_auto_sizes() function to manage the sizes attribute when custom lazy-loading implementations are used.
Together, these enhancements position WordPress 6.7 as a performance powerhouse, offering developers and site owners better tools to manage page load speeds and enhance the user experience.
Introducing Twenty Twenty-Five: WordPress’s New Default Theme
The Twenty Twenty-Five theme in WordPress 6.7 offers a flexible, minimalist design that adapts to different aesthetic needs. Featuring various style options, block patterns, and color palettes, it provides a streamlined yet customizable foundation that scales with your site.
Zoom Out Feature: A New Way to Organize Site Layouts
WordPress 6.7’s “Zoom Out” feature lets you edit and rearrange entire sections of content at once. With this broad, site-wide view, users can add, edit, or shuffle patterns to design layouts with precision and ease.
Zoom Out allows for faster, more intuitive layout changes, making it easier to build cohesive designs and streamline updates. The tool minimizes repetitive adjustments, helping users visualize site structure more clearly.
What does this mean?
This feature gives users an “architectural” perspective, simplifying the process of arranging and adjusting site layouts. No longer limited to a single-block view, users now have a broader, more efficient way to manage complex page structures.
Connect Blocks to Custom Fields
A new UI allows users to connect blocks to custom fields directly within the editor, eliminating the need for complex coding. With just a few clicks, blocks can be linked to custom data, providing greater flexibility and a smoother user experience.
What does this mean?
This update empowers users to harness the power of dynamic content more intuitively, eliminating the need for custom coding. It’s now easier to create engaging, personalized content that adapts to changing information.
What are the benefits?
With enhanced flexibility and efficiency, this feature is particularly useful for developers working with client content. It streamlines the integration of custom fields, making dynamic content accessible even for non-developers.
Font Presets and Fluid Typography
The Styles interface in WordPress 6.7 introduces the ability to create, edit, and apply custom font size presets. With responsive font scaling, users can now easily manage typography that adapts fluidly to different screen sizes.
What does this mean?
This functionality provides better control over font styling, allowing users to override theme defaults and create unique typography options. Fluid typography adapts automatically, enhancing device readability and simplifying design maintenance.
Additional Highlights
1. Expanded Media Support: HEIC Images
WordPress 6.7 introduces support for HEIC images, enabling high-quality, space-efficient images in all blocks. HEIC files are compatible with Apple devices and offer better compression without sacrificing quality.
This addition streamlines media management for sites using HEIC images, which is particularly beneficial for users working within Apple’s ecosystem. HEIC images offer quality and compression advantages that reduce load times and save storage.
2. Enhanced Query Loop Block
The Query Loop block in WordPress 6.7 has been streamlined with default settings and a simplified interface. These updates make it easier to display dynamic content based on specific queries with minimal configuration.
The new Query Loop improvements help users configure and manage content loops more quickly and accurately. The consolidated options enable developers to customize without navigating multiple settings, improving workflow.
3. New Template Registration API
WordPress 6.7 introduces a new Template Registration API, allowing plugins to register custom templates and category overrides more easily. This API simplifies template management and increases compatibility.
Wrap Up
This is not an exhaustive list of all the enhancements in the latest WordPress update. The WordPress 6.7 field guide includes many others, such as:
- Interactivity API and Script Modules
- HTML API updates
- Various I18N improvements
- And more MISC developer changes.
All excellent reasons to download WordPress 6.7.
Remember to back up your website beforehand. And as always, if you want to pass your Core Web Vitals and boost your site's performance, install NitroPack.
