Atlanta, GA | October 23, 2023 – WordPress 6.4 is on the horizon with a beta version available for testing, leading to a full release scheduled for November 7. This update brings substantial improvements by integrating Gutenberg versions 16.2 to 16.7 into the WordPress core.
Key Changes in WordPress 6.4
New Default Theme – Twenty Twenty-Four
A fresh default theme, Twenty Twenty-Four, departs from traditional blog-centric themes and caters to businesses, agencies, and portfolios.
This theme offers exceptional versatility, featuring various pattern collections such as portfolio, team, banners, and testimonials.
The homepage now resembles a company website landing page, highlighting the business description, offered services, and a subscription CTA.
User-friendly with placeholder text, it eases content creation for newcomers, enhancing flexibility for new WordPress users.
Custom Pattern Categories
In WordPress 6.4, the pattern creation feature introduced in version 6.3 is enhanced with custom pattern categories.
Users can now neatly categorize their custom patterns, going beyond the default “my pattern.”
After creating a WordPress pattern, users can assign it to multiple categories, enhancing organization.
List View Enhancements
The list view has undergone significant improvements to enhance the user experience.
Container blocks like group, stack, and row blocks can now be renamed directly in the list view.
This simplifies navigating to specific sections when grouping content in custom-named container blocks.
Additionally, gallery and image blocks now feature thumbnail previews, improving navigation in the list view, particularly for image-rich content.
Open in New Tab Toggle in the Link Preview
In WordPress 6.4, an “Open in new tab” toggle option is introduced in the link preview, allowing users to quickly change hyperlink settings.
This streamlines the process, eliminating the need to access the link editing interface for such a simple task.
Fixed Toolbar for Navigation, List, and Quote Blocks
WordPress 6.4 introduces an improved toolbar for navigation, list, and quote blocks, enhancing workflow.
These blocks now have built-in child blocks by default, and when working with inner content, the toolbar remains attached to the parent block position.
Note that this feature is limited to these three blocks and doesn’t apply to other nested blocks like columns, buttons, and group blocks.
Image Block Improvements
The image block in WordPress 6.4 includes an aspect ratio tool within its placeholder.
Users can set the desired aspect ratio before uploading an image, allowing the placeholder to adjust and preview the image’s space.
The image block also introduces a lightbox feature, enabling users to magnify images in an overlay for an enhanced viewing experience.
Background Image Support for Container Block
WordPress 6.4 adds background image support for group, stack, and row blocks.
Users can upload or choose a custom background image in the block’s settings panel.
This eliminates the need to use the cover block for content with a background image, offering more design possibilities for websites.
Query Loop Pagination Improvements
Before WordPress 6.4, the native pagination block caused page reloads when switching pages, resulting in a slower browsing experience.
In this version, query loop pagination switches pages without reloading the entire page and introduces customizable page navigation.
Expanded Command Palette
In WordPress 6.4, the Command Palette receives new block-centric commands, such as Group, Ungroup, Duplicate, Remove, Add before, Add after, and Transform (offering transformation options for any block).
Contributors have also added contextual commands applicable in various parts of the editor, including Open List View, Exit code editor, Show/hide breadcrumbs, and enabling/disabling the pre-publish checklist.
How to Test WordPress 6.4
WordPress 6.4’s official release date is November 7, 2023, but you can test the beta version before the release to explore new features and assess compatibility with your website.
For safety, it is recommended to set up a test environment or a staging site for testing purposes.
With her combined experience in retail sales and eCommerce, Jo is a highly qualified professional to take on the role Client Champion. She is focused on becoming a proactive and value-adding partner to all of our clients.
