Looking at 2024

In a recent episode of WP Briefing, WordPress Executive Director Josepha Haden Chomphosy discusses some of the big-picture goals for WordPress this year. The main highlights include Phase 3 of the WordPress roadmap, which involves collaborative editing and significant updates to writing and design workflows. Another major focus is Data Liberation, a new initiative introduced at State of the Word 2023 with the ultimate goal of creating a more open web.

WordPress 6.5 is on its way

Preparations for WordPress 6.5, the first major release of 2024, are in full swing. The release squad was announced last month, and the next milestone will be Beta 1, scheduled for February 13.

Curious about what version 6.5 will bring? Check out this Hallway Hangout recap to learn about some upcoming features. You can also participate in this early testing opportunity to experience them first-hand and provide feedback.

Until 6.5 is released, you can upgrade to WordPress 6.4.3. This version includes numerous security and maintenance updates.

New in the Gutenberg plugin

Three new versions of Gutenberg shipped in January:

• Gutenberg 17.4 featured improvements to List View and Style Revisions, more flexibility for background images in Group blocks, and significant advancements to the Data Views experience for the Templates page.
• Gutenberg 17.5 made good progress in combining the Post Editor and Site Editor by introducing a shared preference panel, among other highlights.
• Gutenberg 17.6 included the ability to extend allowed blocks within a parent block, along with several improvements to Block Hooks, the Data Views experience, and the Site and Post Editor unification.

WordPress 6.5 is slated to include some impactful changes and new features to current revision functionality in the Site Editor. Read more »

Team updates

• The second cohort of the WordPress Contributor Mentorship Program is open for applications. This program aims to connect experienced WordPress contributors with newcomers or those looking to enhance their skills within the community. Both mentees and mentors can apply by February 7, 2024.
• If you are a part of the LGBTQ+ community and participate in the Mentorship Program, you may be interested in this LGBTQ+Press Empowerment Grant.
• The Global Community Sponsors for 2024 have been announced.
• The Community team reflected on the “NextGen Events” pilot project and recommended adopting an expanded scope for WordPress events, encouraging a broad range of innovative event formats.
• In 2023, the WordPress Core team shipped 2211 commits, and 472 people made their first contribution to WordPress Core. Explore more stats in this report.
• The Performance team released a roadmap with this year’s focus areas.
• Are you looking to broaden your knowledge and improve your WordPress skills? Check out what’s new on Learn WordPress.
• Catch up on all the news in the WordPress development space with the latest edition of What’s new for developers?

Requests for feedback and testing

• Community team members proposed a pilot program to test GatherPress, a community-developed plugin, as a WordPress.org event management tool.
• New Five for the Future program enhancements were suggested based on insights gathered during the WordPress Community Summit. You can help improve the program by sharing your feedback before February 7.
• A new proposal recommends the next steps for the Full Site Editing (FSE) Outreach Program. Input is welcome by February 12.
• Members of the Community team are requesting feedback and ideas to help shape the future of the new WordPress Events page.

WordPress events

• WordCamp Asia 2024 is just around the corner! Organizers announced a tentative schedule and a Diversity Scholarship to fund the attendance of two active project contributors to their first flagship WordCamp.
• Tickets for WordCamp Europe 2024 are on sale. The organizing team is looking for volunteers to help make the event in Torino, Italy, memorable.
• WordCamp US 2024 shared details of the event to be held September 17-20 in Portland, Oregon. This WordCamp will have a strong focus on community collaboration with two Contributor Days.
• Check out these other WordPress events happening soon:
  • WordPress Photo Festival (online) on February 3-10
  • WordCamp Phoenix, USA, on February 9-10
  • WordCamp Pune, India, on February 17
  • WordCamp Kansai, Japan, on February 23-24

Have a story we should include in the next issue of The Month in WordPress? Fill out this quick form to let us know.

Thanks to Satyam Vishwakarma (Satya), Jenni McKinnon, and Lauren Stein for contributing to this edition of The Month in WordPress.

Read on to learn more about the community’s end-of-year celebrations and catch a sneak peek of what’s in store for the year ahead.

Highlights from State of the Word

On December 11, WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg delivered his annual State of the Word keynote in Madrid, Spain, marking the first international edition of the event. Nearly 200 WordPress enthusiasts and tech industry leaders gathered in person to hear what’s next for WordPress—with a large audience joining online or from one of the 47 watch parties held across 18 countries.

The keynote highlighted last year’s milestones and showcased compelling demos, providing a glimpse into the upcoming developments for the Site Editor, Collaboration phase, and Admin redesign. Matt also introduced 2024’s focus on Data Liberation, aiming to unlock digital barriers and frictionless migrations into WordPress for a more open web.

The event concluded with a Q&A session and this follow-up post.

Roadmap to WordPress 6.5

WordPress 6.5 is scheduled for release on March 26, 2024. This major release is set to introduce a new Font Library for easy global font management, support for Appearance Tools in Classic Themes, Data Views for templates and patterns, and more robust revisions across the editing experience, among other highlights.

6.5 will also include new APIs like Interactivity, Custom Fields, and Block Binding that expand block capabilities and underpin features like Synced Pattern Overrides.

Learn more about the features planned for WordPress 6.5 in this roadmap post.

Don’t wait for the next release to optimize your creative workflows with these powerful Site Editor tools.

New in the Gutenberg plugin

Two new versions of Gutenberg shipped in December:

• Gutenberg 17.2 introduced improvements to the site editing experience, including the ability to drag and drop blocks to the top and bottom of documents and sticky table headers. The update also enhanced the Interactivity API docs and addressed numerous bug fixes.
• Gutenberg 17.3 featured a summary of changes in the global styles revision history, an updated preferences panel, and a new social icon for the Gravatar service, along with the ongoing development of Phase 3 features.

Team updates

• Openverse introduced new features to filter sensitive content, aiming for a more accessible and safer browsing experience. This update marks the beginning of a significant initiative to enhance content safety tools.
• Matrix contributors announced the decision to pause the Making WordPress Slack migration to Matrix and the factors contributing to it.
• The redesign of the Developer Resources section went live last month.
• Are you searching for events in your local community? Explore the recently launched WordPress.org Events page—your new central hub for discovering upcoming events or applying to organize one.
• In 2023, WordPress significantly improved Core Web Vitals (CWV) across sites. The overall passing rates went up from 28.31% to 36.44% on mobile and from 32.55% to 40.80% on desktop, making both WordPress and the whole web perform better.
• Volunteers are needed for 2024’s WordPress major releases. If you’re interested, now’s the time to get involved!
• Check out all the community achievements and contributions that moved the WordPress project closer to its goals in 2023.

Requests for feedback & testing

• Complete the 2023 Annual Meetup Survey before January 14, 2024, and help strengthen WordPress meetups in the future.

WordPress events

• WordCamp Asia has opened registrations for its Contributor Day. The conference will be held in Taipei, Taiwan, on March 7-9, 2024.
• WordCamp Europe’s call for speakers is open until January 15, 2024. Don’t miss the chance to be part of this event by either submitting your speaking proposals or supporting it as a sponsor.
• Mark your calendars! WordCamp US 2024 is headed to Portland, Oregon, from September 17 to 20, as revealed during the State of the Word.
• Check out these WordPress events happening soon:
  • Kolkata CareerCamp, India on January 6, 2024
  • WordCamp Nepal on January 12-13, 2024
  • WordCamp Zaragoza, Spain on January 19-20, 2024
  • WordPress Web Challenge, Indonesia on January 27, 2024

Have a story we should include in the next issue of The Month in WordPress? Fill out this quick form to let us know.

Thank you to Bernard Meyer, Nicholas Garofalo, and Lauren Stein for contributing to this edition of The Month in WordPress.

Read on for all the exciting updates that marked the past month.

Get ready for State of the Word

Mark your calendars—State of the Word 2023 is approaching fast. In this annual keynote, WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg celebrates the progress of the open source project and offers a glimpse into its future.

For the first time in WordPress history, the event will be held outside North America, in the vibrant city of Madrid, Spain, on December 11, 2023.

If you’re unable to attend the State of the Word in person, you can watch it live on the WordPress YouTube channel or join one of the many community-led watch parties. Find one near you or organize one.

Meet Twenty Twenty-Four

Along with the release of WordPress 6.4 “Shirley,” the new default Twenty Twenty-Four theme was introduced.

This theme breaks away from the tradition of previous default themes that focused on a specific topic or style. Instead, Twenty Twenty-Four was created to fit any website and explore different use cases for entrepreneurs, artists, and writers.

You’ll find more than 35 beautiful patterns, including full-page patterns for templates like homepage, search, and more. Twenty Twenty-Four boasts the latest site editing capabilities and a sophisticated aesthetic inspired by contemporary design trends.

New in the Gutenberg plugin

• Gutenberg 17.0 was released on November 9, 2023. It introduced improvements to the Command Palette, an alternative implementation of the DropdownMenu component, additional visual cues for LinkControl, and various accessibility and performance iterations.
• Gutenberg 17.1 shipped on November 22, 2023. In addition to several accessibility and writing flow enhancements, this version brought a new block spacing control in the Quote block.

Team updates

• WordPress is switching to Matrix in replacement of the Making WordPress Slack. The move stems from the project’s commitment to implementing a new chat system aligned with WordPress’s open source values. If you haven’t already, now is the time to explore Matrix and share your questions.
• With phishing scams on the rise, the WordPress Security team is actively monitoring the current threat and has posted an advisory to help you protect your site.
• The Plugin Review team is now reopening applications to join their team. They’re looking for three new members who can improve the state of the plugin review queue and help create a diverse and inclusive team.
• Over the past few months, contributors have been working on redesigning the WordPress.org Developer Resources section.
• This post outlines proposed dates for major WordPress releases in 2024.
• The Meta team shared an improved version of the plugin preview feature. This version builds on feedback and allows plugin developers to safely test the preview experience for their plugins in a WordPress Playground environment.
• Polyglots and Meta contributors introduced a new plugin called Tour, which enables the creation of tours to guide contributors through a Make WordPress blog.
• Are you looking to broaden your knowledge and improve your WordPress skills? See what’s new on Learn WordPress in November 2023.
• The latest edition of People of WordPress features back-end web developer Artemy Kaydash from Ukraine.

Requests for feedback & testing

• The Community team announced the 2023 Annual Meetup Survey. Both event attendees and organizers are encouraged to provide feedback in this 5-minute survey to help strengthen WordPress meetups in the future.
• Version 23.7 of the WordPress mobile app for iOS and Android is ready for testing.

WordPress events

• WordCamp Asia opened the third round of ticket sales and announced that their first speaker is WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg. The conference will be held in Taipei, Taiwan, on March 7-9, 2024.
• WordCamp Europe opened its call for sponsors and speakers for their conference slated to take place in Torino, Italy, on June 13-15, 2024. 
• Don’t miss these upcoming WordCamps:
  • WordCamp Ahmedabad 2023, India on December 9, 2023
  • WordCamp Lahore 2023, Pakistan on December 9-10, 2023

Have a story we should include in the next issue of The Month in WordPress? Fill out this quick form to let us know.

Thank you to Bernard Meyer for contributing to this edition of The Month in WordPress.

Meet WordPress 6.4 “Shirley”

WordPress 6.4 “Shirley” was released on November 7, 2023, and named after the iconic jazz artist Shirley Horn. With the release of WordPress 6.4 comes the new Twenty Twenty-Four theme, a multi-faceted, highly flexible default theme pre-loaded with more than 35 templates and patterns. 

This release includes more than 100 performance-related updates for a faster and more efficient experience. There’s also a host of new features and enhancements that help improve the content creation process and streamline site editing. 

WordPress 6.4 was made possible by more than 600 contributors in at least 56 countries. Leading this release has been an underrepresented gender team, emphasizing WordPress’ commitment to fostering diverse voices in the open source project.

State of the Word 2023

Mark your calendars for State of the Word! The annual keynote address delivered by the WordPress project’s co-founder, Matt Mullenweg, will be held on December 11, 2023. For the first time, the event will take place outside North America—this time with the Spanish community in Madrid, Spain.

A live stream will be available for WordPress enthusiasts who will not be able to attend in person. Stay tuned for more information, including how to reserve a ticket, soon!

New in the Gutenberg plugin

Two new versions of Gutenberg shipped in October:

• Gutenberg 16.8 was released on October 11, 2023. It introduced enhancements to the Cover block and Font Library, and added the option to view the active template when editing pages.
• Gutenberg 16.9 was released on October 25, 2023. This update lets you rename nearly every block from within the editor, as well as duplicate or rename individual patterns. 

October’s Core Editor Improvement post dives into all the writing enhancements expected in the latest WordPress 6.4 release.

Team updates

• The journey to update WordPress.org continues with the launch of a new Showcase design. The redesigned Showcase inspires creativity, highlights the platform’s flexibility, and demonstrates what’s possible with WordPress.
• The Performance Team held a Hallway Hangout to discuss WordPress 6.3 performance impact in the field, diving into WordPress 6.4 performance improvements and looking ahead at what can be learned for WordPress 6.5.
• The Documentation Team created a new GitHub repo for end-user documentation and its translations to all locales. You can find out more about this here.
• Openverse has been awarded the 2023 Open Education Award for Excellence in the Open Infrastructure category. Congratulations!
• Learn more about the next chapter for the FSE (Full Site Editing) Outreach Program, which looks to transition into a focused space for solving issues, creating resources, and facilitating conversations around adopting Phase 2 of Gutenberg.
• The Accessibility team is holding weekly office hours to discuss accessibility principles and best practices for the project.

Requests for feedback & testing

• Version 23.6 of the WordPress mobile app for iOS and Android is ready for testing.

WordPress events updates

• WordCamp Asia has extended their call for sponsors for their conference slated to take place in Taipei, Taiwan, March 7-9, 2024. 
• There will be a WordPress #WPDiversity Speaker Workshop for Women Voices in Latin America in San Jose, Costa Rica on November 11, 2023.
• Don’t miss these upcoming WordCamps:
  • WordCamp Valencia 2023, Spain on November 10-11, 2023.
  • WordCamp Verona 2023, Italy on November 17-18, 2023.
  • WordCamp Hong Kong 2023, China on November 18, 2023.
  • WordCamp Islamabad 2023, Pakistan on November 25-26, 2023.

Have a story we should include in the next issue of The Month in WordPress? Fill out this quick form to let us know.

Thank you to Bernard Meyer and Reyes Martínez for their contributions to this edition of The Month in WordPress.

Meet WordPress 6.3 “Lionel”

WordPress 6.3 “Lionel” was released on August 8, 2023, and named after the acclaimed vibraphonist, pianist, and jazz percussionist Lionel Hampton.

This major update makes bringing your vision to life with blocks more intuitive and efficient. Your content, templates, and patterns are now seamlessly integrated into the Site Editor, enabling you to craft every aspect of your online presence within a single location. You can sharpen your designs with new tools, enjoy fine-tuned control over navigation menus, and work faster with the Command Palette. Explore what’s new.

WordPress 6.3 features over 500 features and enhancements with a continued emphasis on performance and accessibility. This release was made possible by more than 650 contributors from 52 countries.

While the Site Editor will continue to be enhanced, this release means a significant milestone as it marks the conclusion of Gutenberg Phase 2. Take a moment to watch “Designed with WordPress”—an ode to this remarkable journey worth celebrating.

Download WordPress 6.3.1.

Roadmap to 6.4

Contributors are already working on WordPress 6.4, expected to be released on November 7, 2023. This release, led by an underrepresented gender release squad, will focus on enhancing different aspects of the WordPress experience while continuing the foundational work for Gutenberg Phase 3. Users can anticipate features like font management and a new default theme, Twenty Twenty-Four.

Twenty Twenty-Four aims to be a versatile theme, featuring a range of templates and patterns specifically designed for three use cases: entrepreneurs and small businesses, photographers and artists, and writers and bloggers.

Check out the 6.4 roadmap post for a tentative preview of expected features.

New in the Gutenberg plugin

Two new versions of Gutenberg shipped in the last month:

• Gutenberg 16.4 was released on August 9, 2023. It introduced a new “auto-inserting blocks” experimental feature, a progress bar component that can be used throughout the interface, and block supports for the Footnotes block.
• Gutenberg 16.5 shipped on August 23, 2023, and focused on enhancements to the Command Palette and enabling further customization of blocks.

Follow the “What’s new in Gutenberg” posts to stay on top of the latest enhancements.

Team updates: Next generation of WordPress events, WP Admin redesign, and more

• The Community team has been busy ushering in the next generation of WordPress events. Four pilot events were successfully held in July and August, with another five planned before the end of the year.
• The Admin Design Kickoff post elaborates on the concepts explored so far to revitalize the WordPress admin experience.
• In response to Europe’s Cyber Resilience Act (CRA), leaders from Drupal, Joomla!, TYPO3, and WordPress co-authored an open letter addressing concerns about the current CRA definitions and terms and the implications for open source projects.
• Check out WordPress.org/blocks—A new page that explores the power of blocks within WordPress and as a broader framework.
• WordPressCS 3.0.0 is now available. This update to the WordPress Coding Standards introduces improvements in accuracy, performance, stability, and compatibility with modern PHP versions.
• The first cohort of the WordPress Contributor Mentorship Program, which aims to help new contributors onboard to Make teams, successfully concluded last month.
• WordPress Remembers went live in August to honor contributors who left a lasting impact on the project and have since passed away.
• Core team members proposed to sync Gutenberg code with core earlier in the release cycle to streamline the integration of new features and reduce risks and delays in major release milestones.
• Blue Note, the second block theme born from the Community Themes initiative, is live on the Theme Directory.
• Every month, the Training team works to expand the Learn WordPress catalog with new courses, tutorials, online workshops, and more. See what’s new.
• Openverse maintainers met in Copenhagen for an exciting exchange with Statens Museum for Kunst (SMK), Denmark’s largest art museum. Learn about their discussions and collaboration efforts to advance openly licensed works.

Keen to see new WordPress event formats happening in your local community? Get inspired by these creative concepts and share your ideas!

Feedback & testing requests

• Core team members suggested updating the WordPress Field Guide by publishing it earlier in the development cycle and introducing a simplified Field Guide on the WordPress Developer Blog. Feedback is open until September 15, 2023.
• Help test the new Performant Translations plugin, which aims to make localized WordPress sites faster.
• A new proposal aims to refine and update WordPress’ support guidelines. You can provide your input by October 1, 2023.
• Version 23.2 of the WordPress mobile app for iOS and Android is ready for testing.

The Training team seeks feedback on the first learning pathways outlined to improve the Learn WordPress educational experience. Share your thoughts by September 15, 2023.

WordPress events updates

• On August 22-23, a group of WordPress contributors gathered at the Community Summit to discuss key topics concerning the project. Read the notes from each session and join the conversations at make.wordpress.org/summit.
• Following the Summit, Washington, D.C. hosted WordCamp US 2023 from August 24-26. This event brought together nearly 2,000 attendees for a Contributor Day and two conference days filled with engaging sessions, conversations, and open source art. Saturday’s agenda concluded with keynotes by WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg and Executive Director Josepha Haden Chomphosy and a subsequent Q&A session. Check out the event recap for highlights.
• Join #WPDiversity with a free online speaker workshop for Indian women in the WordPress Community. The event will take place on September 23-24, 2023.
• The WordCamp Asia 2024 organizing team opened calls for speakers, volunteers, sponsors, and media partners.
• Be sure to visit WordCamp Central to find out about upcoming WordCamps.

Join Josepha Haden Chomphosy in Episode 61 of WP Briefing as she discusses her takeaways from the Community Summit.

Have a story we should include in the next issue of The Month in WordPress? Fill out this quick form to let us know.

The following folks contributed to this Month in WordPress: @rmartinezduque, @laurlittle.

The more our community invests in itself and supports one another, the stronger WordPress and the open source software movement become.

Josepha Haden Chomphosy in Celebrating 20 Years of WordPress.

Read on for highlights of this milestone and the latest updates in the WordPress space.

WordPress at 20

May 27, 2023, marked the 20th anniversary of WordPress’ first release. Since its inception by Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little in 2003, the project has transformed the digital publishing landscape and enabled millions of people to craft their stories.

WordPress enthusiasts from all over the world gathered at more than 130 events to celebrate this important milestone. WP20’s commemorative book, Building Blocks: The Evolution of WordPress, was published in tandem and documents some of the most significant moments and changes of the last decade of the project.

The anniversary date may have passed, but the festivities and fun aren’t over. You can still join a meetup, sign the #WP20 From Blogs to Blocks campaign birthday card, or participate in #WP20 social celebrations.

Join Josepha Haden Chomphosy in Episode 55 of WP Briefing as she looks back at the 20 years of WordPress and how the community made WordPress what it is today.

WordPress 6.3 is expected on August 8

Work on WordPress 6.3 officially kicked off with the announcement of its development cycle and release squad. Set for release on August 8, 2023, this version will be the second major update of WordPress in 2023 and will mark the end of Phase 2 of the project’s development roadmap.

WordPress 6.3 aims to bring a cohesive site editing experience by introducing expanded functionality, richer interfaces, and a dedicated focus on refinement.

Check out the 6.3 roadmap post for a tentative preview of anticipated features.

WordPress 6.2.2 security release

WordPress 6.2.2 became available for download on May 20, 2023. This release was a quick response to resolve a regression introduced in 6.2.1, specifically with shortcode support in block templates, and to further patch a vulnerability already addressed in the previous version.

Update your site if you haven’t yet.

New in the Gutenberg plugin

Three new versions of Gutenberg have shipped in the last month:

• Gutenberg 15.7, released on May 3, 2023, brings a new direct option to upload and replace a site’s logo from the block settings sidebar. Other enhancements include easier access to duotone filter controls via the style settings sidebar and an update to fluid typography to refine responsiveness.
• Gutenberg 15.8 shipped on May 17, 2023, and includes a new “Pages” item in the Site Editor sidebar to edit pages without leaving the interface. Moreover, this version brings the ability to navigate through revisions in the global styles interface and to preview block themes inside the Site Editor.
• Gutenberg 15.9 is ready for download as of May 31, 2023. The latest Gutenberg release comes with a new command tool and several enhancements to the Site Editor experience, including a more intuitive drag-and-drop function for moving blocks.

The latest Core Editor Improvement post highlights features such as revisions and the ability to preview block themes, and how they enable a smoother site editing experience.

Team updates: Next-generation WordCamps, proposal for a Sustainability Team, and more

• The Community Team proposed broadening the purpose of WordPress events to “spark innovation and adoption by way of accessible training and networking.” This opens the door to organizing a more diverse range of formats focused on specific topics and audiences.
• WordPress contributors suggested creating an official Sustainability Team.
• The Polyglots Team rebranded the WP Translation Playground tool as Translate Live and announced improvements that make translating plugins and themes easier.
• The new WordPress Contributor Mentorship Program pilot aims to provide cohort-based and 1:1 mentorship to prepare new and aspiring contributors for success.
• Results of the 2022 WordPress Annual Survey were announced last month.
• The Training Team published a new course on Creating a 4-page business website. See What’s new on Learn WordPress in May 2023 for the latest learning resources.
• Meet Stacks—the first community theme born from the Community Themes initiative. This theme is designed for creating slide decks that can be used for a presentation.
• This Core proposal explores ways to reduce the maintenance of older default WordPress themes and retire them.
• The May 2023 issues of What’s New for Developers?, the Polyglots monthly newsletter, and the Meetup Organizer newsletter are available for reading.
• Find out how WordPress and its global community of contributors made a difference in Stefano Cassone’s life in the latest edition of People of WordPress.

What is WordPress Playground, and why it matters? WP Briefing Episode 56 discusses the benefits and potential of this tool with special guests Rich Tabor and Adam Zielinski.

Feedback & testing requests

• Core Team members seek feedback on the new command tool introduced in the Gutenberg plugin and its API.
• The latest call of the Full Site Editing (FSE) Outreach Program invites you to test some features being worked on to upgrade and polish the experience of using the Site Editor. Share your thoughts by June 8, 2023.
• Version 22.5 of the WordPress mobile app for iOS and Android is ready for testing.

Which next generation of WordPress events would you like to see? Share your ideas and start exploring new event formats this year.

WordPress events updates

• Get ready for WordCamp Europe 2023 from June 8-10 in Athens, Greece! The event will start with Contributor Day on June 8, followed by two days of presentations and workshops. Attendees can join a wellness track and a dedicated space to connect, among many other initiatives.
• The WordCamp US organizing team is calling for volunteers.
• For another year, the WordPress Foundation’s Kim Parsell Memorial Scholarship will award funding for a woman-identifying contributor to attend WordCamp US 2023. Applications are open through June 12, 2023.
• WordCamp Sylhet 2023, the second ever WordCamp in Bangladesh, was successfully held on May 19-20 with its first Contributor Day.
• Join #WPDiversity with a free online workshop on How to Own Your Expertise & Start Speaking at WordPress Events APAC. The event will take place on July 2, 2023.
• Don’t miss these other upcoming WordCamps:
  • WordCamp Cartagena, Spain on June 10-11, 2023
  • WordCamp Montclair, NJ, USA on June 24, 2023

Join WordPress project leadership on June 10 at WordCamp Europe 2023 to hear about the latest developments and what’s next for WordPress. Check out the schedule for details.

Have a story we should include in the next issue of The Month in WordPress? Fill out this quick form to let us know.

The following folks contributed to this Month in WordPress: @rmartinezduque, @nahidsharifkomol, @chaion07, @devinmaeztri, @bsanevans, @ninianepress.

Forthcoming WordPress releases

Following the successful release of WordPress 6.2 “Dolphy,” which has garnered over 31 million downloads (and counting), contributors across all teams are already planning future major releases, including versions 6.3 and 6.4.

While WordPress 6.3 will focus on refinements to the site editing experience, 6.4 will reprise the underrepresented gender release initiative introduced in WordPress 5.6 “Simone.” If you’re interested in contributing, now is the perfect time to get involved.

Check out the WordPress 6.3 proposed schedule and call for volunteers.

WP20 is just around the corner

Mark your calendars for May 27 and join the community for a day filled with exciting parties and activities!

With a refreshed look, the WP20 website offers a list of events to join, swag to show your WordPress pride, and downloadable “selfie props” to add fun to your celebrations.

The Marketing Team has also launched #WP20 From Blogs to Blocks, a community-focused initiative that encourages you to take a small daily WordPress-focused action for 20 days leading up to the anniversary date.

On the other hand, details are being finalized for the 20th anniversary commemorative book, Building Blocks: The Evolution of WordPress 2013-2023. This volume will span the history and most meaningful moments of the last decade of WordPress.

What’s your favorite WordPress swag? Do you have a special memory from a WordCamp or meetup? Share them with the community and join the #WP20 fun on social media.

WordPress 6.2 performance

WordPress 6.2 reiterates the platform’s commitment to optimizing website performance with significant improvements. Load times are 14 to 18% faster for block themes and 2 to 5% for classic themes. Server-side performance is also seeing a big boost, with an increase of 17 to 23% for block themes and 3 to 5% for classic themes.

Learn more about the performance wins in 6.2, including a retrospective from the Performance Core Team on the efforts that made it happen.

New in the Gutenberg plugin

Two new versions of the Gutenberg plugin have shipped in the last month:

• Gutenberg 15.5 shipped on April 5, 2023, with many user-facing features to improve the creation experience. Enhancements include caption style customization, theme-defined template patterns when adding a new template, and experimental support for grid layouts in the Group block.
• Gutenberg 15.6 is available for download as of April 19, 2023. This version introduces an experimental Details block to expand and toggle the visibility of hidden content, and more presets for core block spacing and border controls, among other highlights.

Follow the “What’s new in Gutenberg” posts to stay on top of the latest enhancements.

Team updates: WP Translation Playground, WordPress.org redesign next steps, and more

• The Polyglots Team launched WP Translation Playground, an innovative tool that combines Local GlotPress with WordPress Playground to translate plugins and themes in context—without having to set up anything.
• Wondering what’s next in the WordPress.org redesign project? Learn about the latest updates and how to get involved.
• This Community Team post discusses ways to make WordCamp Contributor Days more effective.
• Explore what’s new on Learn WordPress in April 2023, including the latest content on the platform and the projects the Training Team has been working on.
• WordPress Playground was used in a hackathon to prototype different ways to build plugins with minimal setup, right in the browser. See it in action in these tech demos.
• Members of the Marketing Team suggested improvements to submission guidelines to revitalize the WordPress.org Showcase.
• Most of the work to refocus the WordPress mobile app on core features is complete. Find out how to help shape its future with contributions opportunities for developers, writers, translators, and more.
• Keep up with the latest enhancements and development updates you need to build on top of WordPress in last month’s edition of What’s new for developers?
• The latest issue of the Meetup Organizer Newsletter shares tips and inspiring ideas to help you plan successful community events.
• Find out how WordPress and its global community of contributors positively impacted Monika Rao’s web career in April’s edition of People of WordPress.

Join Josepha Haden Chomphosy in Episode 54 of WP Briefing as she explores the concept of the four freedoms of open source and their likeness to today’s Bill of Rights for the open web.

Feedback & testing requests

• The latest Full Site Editing (FSE) Outreach Program testing opportunity invites feedback on the features included in WordPress 6.2 and those remaining in Gutenberg Phase 2. Share your thoughts by May 8, 2023.
• This update on the WP Feature Notifications project explains the progress towards a modern WordPress user notification system and how you can get involved.
• Help test the latest version of the Preferred Languages feature plugin.
• Version 22.2 of the WordPress mobile app for iOS and Android is ready for testing.

This discussion post welcomes ideas and questions about how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be integrated into the WordPress experience.

WordPress events updates

• WordCamp Europe 2023 is fast approaching! The organizing team introduced the first confirmed speakers.
• WordCamp US 2023 announced updates on the programming for the upcoming event, for which tickets are now on sale. Organizers are also calling for sponsors.
• The 2023 Community Summit will provide a valuable opportunity for in-person discussions across contributor teams. Submit your topics if you haven’t yet.
• Don’t miss these upcoming WordCamps:
  • WordCamp Barcelona, Spain on May 5-6, 2023
  • WordCamp Buffalo, NY, USA on May 6, 2023
  • WordCamp Gliwice, Poland on May 12-14, 2023
  • WordCamp Sylhet, Bangladesh on May 19-20, 2023
  • WordCamp Lisboa, Portugal on May 19-20, 2023
  • WordCamp Apatin, Serbia on May 27-28, 2023

Join #WPDiversity with a free online workshop on Organizing Diverse & Inclusive WordPress Events APAC on May 13, 2023.

Have a story we should include in the next issue of The Month in WordPress? Fill out this quick form to let us know.

The following folks contributed to this Month in WordPress: @sereedmedia, @ninianepress, @rmartinezduque.

Meet WordPress 6.2 “Dolphy”

WordPress 6.2 “Dolphy” was released on March 29, 2023. Named after the acclaimed jazz multi-instrumentalist and composer Eric Allan Dolphy Jr., the latest version of WordPress further enhances the site editing experience with significant updates.

Highlights include a reimagined Site Editor interface, a more intuitive way to manage menus, and a distraction-free writing mode. A new Block Inserter design adds integration with Openverse, allowing you to easily browse and insert free, openly-licensed images and audio files into your content.

Whether you’re a content creator, designer, or developer, WordPress 6.2 has something for you. Check out the full announcement post for an overview of what’s new and the Field Guide for detailed developer notes.

WordPress 6.2 is one of the last major releases planned for Phase 2 of the project’s development roadmap and was made possible thanks to more than 600 contributors.

Download WordPress 6.2 “Dolphy.”

WP20 swag is here

Show your WordPress excitement with limited edition 20th anniversary merchandise—now available at the official WordPress Mercantile store. If you prefer to create your own swag, you can use these WP20 downloadable assets.

The 20th anniversary website lists celebrations as organizers announce and schedule them. Check back regularly to see if there’s an event in your area to join or help organize one to celebrate this milestone with your local community.

Enter the Wapuu Coloring Giveaway by April 17, 2023, for a chance to win some commemorative WP20 swag!

New in the Gutenberg plugin

Two new versions of the Gutenberg plugin have shipped in the last month:

• Gutenberg 15.3 was released on March 13, 2023. This version polishes the Site Editor experience, includes a new “Time to Read” block for displaying estimated read time to posts, and enhances the Duotone design tool.
• Gutenberg 15.4 is available for download as of March 22, 2023, and focuses primarily on bug fixes and testing improvements. Other additions include color and layout support for the Cover block, improved descriptions to help you understand the purpose of each template in the Site Editor, and the ability to turn paragraph blocks into columns.

Follow the “What’s new in Gutenberg” posts to stay on top of the latest enhancements.

Team updates: Phase 3 planning, WordPress Developer Blog launch, and more

• Gutenberg Lead Architect Matías Ventura outlined the focus areas for Phase 3 of the WordPress development roadmap, known as Collaboration or Collaborative Editing.
• Last month, the WordPress Developer Blog officially launched (removing the “beta” label). Subscribe to keep up with the latest features, tutorials, and learning resources in the WordPress development space.
• The Documentation Team seeks volunteers to help with WordPress 6.2 end user documentation.
• Are you looking to broaden your knowledge and improve your WordPress skills? See what’s new on Learn WordPress in March 2023, including the latest course on Converting a Shortcode to a Block.
• A new Community Themes initiative aims to bring together a group of contributors to collaborate and build block themes.
• The Training Team is looking for assistance in creating content to complete this WordPress Development syllabus.
• The newly formed Contributor Working Group hosted an inaugural chat to kick off work on the WordPress Mentorship Program.
• The Polyglots Team is testing AI systems to help with translation work.
• The WordPress.org redesign project has a new dedicated Making WordPress Slack channel to coordinate work: #website-redesign.
• The March 2023 editions of the Polyglots monthly newsletter and the Meetup Organizer newsletter are available for reading.
• The Mobile Team announced a new support forum for the WordPress mobile app.

Tune in to Episode 52 of WP Briefing to learn more about the visioning behind Phase 3, Collaboration.

Feedback & testing requests

• A new Full Site Editing (FSE) Program exploration looks into the Site Editor as a design tool in light of the recent WordPress 6.2 release. Participants are asked to create a block theme without coding using the current editor tools. Share your experience by April 26, 2023.
• A group of Core contributors is working on a new Interactivity API proposal to provide a better developer experience for building interactive blocks.
• Version 22.0 of the WordPress mobile app for iOS and Android is ready for testing.

Members of the Core Team are looking for user experience (UX) feedback on the Plugin Dependencies feature plugin.

WordPress events updates

• WordCamp Asia 2024 is calling for organizers. Apply by April 15, 2023.
• Registration for the WordCamp Europe 2023 Contributor Day is now open.
• Want to create diverse and inclusive WordPress events? Mark your calendars for the upcoming #WPDiversity workshops.
• Four WordCamps are taking place this month:
  • WordCamp Torino, Italy, on April 14-15, 2023
  • Wordcamp Vienna, Austria, on April 15-16, 2023
  • WordCamp Paris, France, on April 21, 2023
  • WordCamp Sofia, Bulgaria, on April 22-23, 2023

Join WordPress Executive Director Josepha Haden Chomphosy as she discusses the benefits of routine and what role it plays in the WordPress project.

Have a story we should include in the next issue of The Month in WordPress? Fill out this quick form to let us know.

The following folks contributed to this Month in WordPress: @bsanevans, @cbringmann, @eidolonnight, @rmartinezduque, @sereedmedia.

Get ready for WordPress 6.2

WordPress 6.2 Beta 4 arrived earlier this week and is ready for download and testing. Work continues on track, with the first release candidate (RC1) due next week and the target for the final release on March 28, 2023—less than four weeks away!

WordPress 6.2 is one of the last major releases planned for Phase 2 of Gutenberg, taking the Site Editor out of beta with a more polished user experience and refreshed interface.

On March 2, members of the release squad hosted the 6.2 live product demo. The recording and transcript will be available soon. In the meantime, these resources will give you a taste of what’s to come:

• Roadmap to 6.2
• Phase 2, Finale
• WordPress 6.2 Accessibility Improvements

Help test WordPress 6.2. Your feedback is key to ensuring everything in this release is the best it can be.

Join WordPress’ 20th anniversary celebrations

WordPress is turning 20, and the community is getting ready to celebrate!

As part of the festivities, the project has released a 20th anniversary Wapuu, a set of commemorative logos, and a special playlist with 46 tracks from the jazz artists selected to represent WordPress releases. Official WP20 swag will also be available soon.

In addition, the Museum of Block Art (MOBA) is calling all artists to submit block art themed on “20 years of WordPress.”

Find out how to organize and participate in the WP20 celebrations.

What’s new in Gutenberg

Two new versions of Gutenberg have shipped in the last month:

• Gutenberg 15.1 was released on February 8, 2023, with access to the Openverse library of openly-licensed media from the Editor. Other highlights include the ability to add custom CSS on a per-block basis and support for shadow presets in Global Styles. This is the last version of Gutenberg that will be included in WordPress 6.2.
• Gutenberg 15.2 is available for download as of February 22, 2023. Besides continued accessibility improvements, this release adds support for revisions when editing templates and template parts, and refines the navigation experience in the Site Editor.

Follow the “What’s new in Gutenberg” posts to stay on top of the latest enhancements.

Team updates: Global community sponsors for 2023, contributor mentorship program, and more

• The Community Team announced the global sponsors that will support the WordPress community programs in 2023.
• A few months ago, Meetup.com removed an accessibility overlay in response to some concerns from the WordPress community. A recent update reports that the company has conducted an assessment and plans to address the issues identified.
• The Training Team launched a new onboarding program for contributors. In addition, they worked on numerous lesson plans, online workshops, and tutorials last month. Check out what’s new on Learn WordPress.
• The Documentation Team shared future plans for HelpHub.
• Openverse moved to a standalone domain, openverse.org, with improvements to the site’s homepage, header, and footer.
• The Plugin Review Team posted a notice to inform about the latest Twitter API changes and the types of plugins that might be affected.
• The February edition of the Polyglots monthly newsletter highlights some recent enhancements to GlotPress’ functionality and the translate.wordpress.org platform.
• The latest Meetup Organizer newsletter shares tips on how to help your meetup group stay connected and engaged between events.
• Check out What’s new for developers? (February 2023), the first edition of a new monthly series with features and resources developers should know about.
• The latest edition of People of WordPress features Hauwa Abashiya.

Following discussions on improving the contributor journey, a new WordPress contributor mentorship program has been proposed to roll out this year.

Feedback & testing requests

• A new proposal from the Community Team seeks to modify the Events and News dashboard widget to show topic-based meetups worldwide.
• Members of the Core Team suggested some updates to the WordPress release cycle.
• Version 21.8 of the WordPress mobile app for iOS and Android is available for testing.

Redesign work is well underway on the WordPress Theme Directory. Contributors can follow along on the GitHub repository.

WordPress events updates

• Bangkok, Thailand, hosted a successful inaugural WordCamp Asia on February 17-19. The event welcomed 1,299 attendees, and more than 600 participants joined the Contributor Day. At the event’s closure, organizers announced that WordCamp Asia 2024 will take place in Taipei, Taiwan!
• The application to attend the 2023 Community Summit is now open to WordPress contributors. Learn more about the ins and outs of this working event in Episode 49 of WP Briefing.
• WordCamp Europe 2023 is looking for media partners and supporters.
• Want to create diverse and inclusive WordPress events? Don’t miss this free #WPDiversity workshop happening March 16, 2023.
• Many WordCamps are coming up in the next weeks:
  • WordCamp Entebbe, Uganda, on March 10-11, 2023
  • WordCamp Torrelodones, Madrid, Spain, on March 11-12, 2023
  • WordCamp Phoenix, Arizona, USA, on March 24-25, 2023
  • WordCamp Kerala, India, on March 25, 2023
  • WordCamp Bogotá, Colombia, on March 31-April 1, 2023 (Online)
  • WordCamp Switzerland on April 1, 2023

Join WordPress Executive Director Josepha Haden Chomphosy as she explores three interesting trends from WordCamp Asia.

Have a story we should include in the next issue of The Month in WordPress? Fill out this quick form to let us know.

The following folks contributed to this Month in WordPress: @ninianepress, @jpantani, @rmartinezduque.

WordPress 6.2 Beta 1 is on its way

The first beta release of WordPress 6.2 is scheduled for next Tuesday, February 7, 2023.

As you may have heard, this version will wrap up work on Gutenberg Phase 2 (Customization), but what does this mean in the larger context of the WordPress project?

Tune in to Episode 48 of WP Briefing to hear Executive Director Josepha Haden Chomphosy discuss what it means to conclude a Gutenberg phase.

What’s new in Gutenberg

Gutenberg 15.0 was released on January 18, 2023. Some highlights include a new “paste styles” feature to easily create multiple blocks with identical styling, and a “sticky” option to keep a block at the top of the page while the rest of the content scrolls.

In addition, block settings have been split into two tabs in the sidebar: Styles and Settings. This makes blocks with more controls, such as the Group block, easier to customize, and allows the interface to scale with the growing number of design tools.

The latest “Core Editor Improvement” post highlights the newest style features enhancements. Learn how they can help give your site a unique and cohesive look and feel.

Team updates: Matrix exploration, WordPress.org redesign news, and more

• WordPress and Matrix contributors published a proposal to explore the open source chat system Matrix as a possible replacement for the WordPress community’s Slack.
• Several sections of WordPress.org have been redesigned lately, including Documentation (HelpHub), Enterprise, and Mercantile (the official WordPress swag store). Learn more about the latest redesign updates.
• The implementation of the block editor in the WordPress.org forums is progressing well and the feedback so far has been very positive.
• This comprehensive post clarifies how WordPress Community Support (also known as WordCamp Central) and WordPress Foundation entities are set up and addresses some misconceptions about them.
• The bug scrub schedule for WordPress 6.2 is now published. The goal of bug scrubs is to ensure tickets move towards a resolution—anyone can join these sessions to learn, help, or even lead one.
• Openverse will be moving from wordpress.org/openverse to openverse.org next week. Along with this move, new improvements are coming to the site’s homepage, header, and footer.
• The Plugin Review Team is looking for your (intentionally) wrong plugins.
• The latest edition of People of WordPress features Daniel Kossmann, a software engineer from South America.

As part of the discussion on improving the contributor journey, Josepha wrote some thoughts on the Eternal September phenomenon in open source and invites you to share yours.

Feedback & testing requests

• The Community Team is gathering feedback on a proposed move to GitHub for standardizing the project’s management tools.
• To mark WordPress’ 20th anniversary milestone, Core Team contributors are organizing several bug scrub sessions to tackle long-standing Trac tickets. 
• Version 21.6 of the WordPress mobile app for iOS is available for testing.

The Training Team calls all WordPress users to complete this short Individual Learner Survey by February 20, 2023. Your feedback will help identify the most high-impact resources for Learn WordPress.

WordPress events updates

• Would you like to be a speaker at WordCamp Europe 2023? Submit your application by February 5, 2023. The organizing team released the first batch of tickets and is also calling for volunteers and photographers.
• The first WordCamp to be held in Africa in 2023, WordCamp Entebbe, is well underway and set to take place on March 10-11.
• Don’t miss these other upcoming WordCamps:
  • WordCamp Birmingham, Alabama, USA on February 4-5, 2023
  • WordCamp Cebu, Philippines on February 11, 2023
  • WordCamp Chiclana, Spain, on March 3-4, 2023

WordCamp Asia 2023 in Bangkok, Thailand, is only two weeks away! Check out the livestream schedule if you are attending virtually.

Have a story we should include in the next issue of The Month in WordPress? Fill out this quick form to let us know.

The following folks contributed to this edition of The Month in WordPress: @webcommsat, @rmartinezduque.