>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://learn.wordpress.org/?meeting=mentorship-program-introduction-to-the-wordpress-open-source-project\">Mentorship Program: Introduction to the WordPress Open Source Project</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://learn.wordpress.org/?meeting=what-is-the-domain-name-system-4\">What is the Domain Name System?</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://learn.wordpress.org/?meeting=what-is-the-domain-name-system-3\">What is the Domain Name System?</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-courses\"><a href=\"https://learn.wordpress.org/courses\">Courses</a></h3>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://learn.wordpress.org/course/developing-with-the-wordpress-rest-api/\">Introduction to developing with the WordPress REST API</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/tv\">WordPress TV</a></h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/tv/2023/06/15/enhancing-slide-management-for-video-publications/\">Enhancing Slide Management for Video Publications</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">WordCamp Central</h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://central.wordcamp.org/news/2023/07/wordcamp-malaysia-2023-is-looking-for-speakers-and-sponsors/\">WordCamp Malaysia 2023 is Looking for Speakers and Sponsors</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://central.wordcamp.org/news/2023/07/wordcamp-masaka-2023-celebrating-inclusion-diversity-and-innovation-with-wordpress-in-ugandas-pearl-of-africa/\">WordCamp Masaka 2023: Celebrating Inclusion, Diversity, and Innovation with WordPress in Uganda’s Pearl of Africa!</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-wptv\">WPTV</h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://wordpress.tv/category/year/2022/\">Latest WordPress TV videos</a></li>\n</ul>\n</div>\n</div>\n</div>\n</div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" />\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-related-news\">Related News:</h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://blog.jquery.com/2023/05/11/jquery-3-7-0-released-staying-in-order/\">jQuery 3.7.0</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://nodejs.org/en/blog/release/v20.2.0\">Node v20.2.0 released</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://www.php.net/archive/2023.php#2023-07-06-1\">PHP 8.3.0 Alpha 3 available for testing</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://www.php.net/archive/2023.php#2023-05-11-1\"></a><a href=\"https://www.php.net/archive/2023.php#2023-07-06-2\">PHP 8.2.8 Released!</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://www.php.net/archive/2023.php#2023-07-06-3\">PHP 8.1.21 Released!</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://github.com/PHPMailer/PHPMailer/releases/tag/v6.8.0\">PHPMailer 6.8.0</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://262.ecma-international.org/\">TC39</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"http://github.com/composer/composer/releases/tag/2.5.8\">Composer 2.5.8</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-theme-palette-7-background-color has-background\">Thanks for reading our WP dot .org roundup! Each week we are highlighting the news and discussions coming from the good folks making WordPress possible. If you or your company create products or services that use WordPress, you need to be engaged with them and their work. Be sure to share this resource with your product and project managers. <br /><br /><strong>Are you interested in giving back and contributing your time and skills to WordPress.org?</strong> <img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/14.0.0/72x72/1f64f.png\" alt=\"🙏\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /> <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/support/article/contributing-to-wordpress/\">Start Here ›</a><br /><br /><strong>Get our weekly WordPress community news digest</strong> — Post Status&#8217; <a href=\"https://poststatus.com/news/week-in-review/\">Week in Review</a> — covering the WP/Woo news plus significant writing and podcasts. It&#8217;s also available in <a href=\"https://poststatus.com/newsletter\">our newsletter</a>. <img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/14.0.0/72x72/1f48c.png\" alt=\"💌\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /></p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile has-background\"><a href=\"https://poststatus.com/\"><img src=\"https://poststatus.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/vertical-post-status-logo-250.png\" alt=\"Post Status\" class=\"wp-image-85823 size-full\" /></a><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-normal-font-size\" id=\"h-get-ready-for-remote-work\">You — and <a href=\"https://poststatus.com/#Agency\">your whole team</a> can <a href=\"https://poststatus.com/#choose-membership\">Join Post Status</a> too!</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-small-font-size\"><strong>Build your network. Learn with others. Find your next job — or your next hire.</strong> Read the <strong>Post Status</strong> <a href=\"https://poststatus.com/newsletter/\">newsletter</a>. <img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/14.0.0/72x72/2709.png\" alt=\"✉\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /> Listen to <a href=\"https://poststatus.com/podcasts/\">podcasts</a>. <img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/14.0.0/72x72/1f399.png\" alt=\"🎙\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /> Follow <a href=\"https://twitter.com/post_status/\">@Post_Status</a> <img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/14.0.0/72x72/1f426.png\" alt=\"🐦\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /> and <a href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/company/post-status-llc/\">LinkedIn</a>. <img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/14.0.0/72x72/1f4bc.png\" alt=\"💼\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /></p>\n</div></div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n<p>This article was published at Post Status — the community for WordPress professionals.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Thu, 27 Jul 2023 22:03:25 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:18:\"Courtney Robertson\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:17;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:69:\"WordPress.org blog: Synced Patterns: The Evolution of Reusable Blocks\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:35:\"https://wordpress.org/news/?p=15541\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:84:\"https://wordpress.org/news/2023/07/synced-patterns-the-evolution-of-reusable-blocks/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:4355:\"<p>Synced patterns are replacing Reusable blocks, offering a unified creation experience for new pattern functionality coming to WordPress 6.3. Patterns, first introduced in WordPress 5.5, are a collection of blocks that make it simple to add complex layouts and designs to any WordPress site without starting from scratch. With WordPress 6.3, set to be released on August 8th, you will be able to arrange blocks in unlimited ways and save them as patterns for use throughout your site, directly within the editing experience. You can also specify whether to sync your patterns, so that one change applies to all parts of your site, or to keep them unsynced, so you can customize each instance.</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n\n</div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Create your own patterns</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The ability to create your own patterns, on top of using the ones bundled into each WordPress release, opens up a world of possibilities. Need to repeat the same contact information across your site and keep it up to date? Create a synced pattern with all the details, and say goodbye to repeating yourself, with the ability to quickly insert the synced pattern wherever you need it. If you find yourself creating various banners for your site and want them to have the same layout with unique content, creating an unsynced pattern speeds up your workflow and ensures a level of consistency in approach. While themes and plugins have been able to offer patterns to users and <a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/block-editor/how-to-guides/curating-the-editor-experience/#utilizing-patterns\">curate the experience</a>, this update allows agencies and site builders to do the same for their clients, directly in the site building process.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Dig into the details</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Any previously made Reusable blocks will continue to function as they do now, just under the new Synced pattern name. To help adjust to these changes, a few contextual notices will be placed throughout the interface. Specifically, the menu item in the creation flow will show as “Create pattern/reusable block” until the prompt describing the switch is dismissed in one of the various locations, including the naming and syncing modal:&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n\n</div>\n\n\n\n<p>For folks using block themes, all patterns will be listed alongside template parts in the Site Editor &gt; Patterns section, where you can enter a focused editing mode to make changes. For Classic themes, the prior reusable block management page will now house patterns in a list, similar to the Posts &gt; All Posts view.</p>\n\n\n\n<img width=\"1024\" height=\"590\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/wordpress.org/news/files/2023/07/Site-Editor-_-All-Patterns-View.png?resize=1024%2C590&ssl=1\" alt=\"Patterns section of the WordPress Site Editor with My Patterns selected\" class=\"wp-image-15569\" />\n\n\n\n<p>For a complete overview of patterns on your site, all patterns provided by themes and plugins will be shown in this section but without the option to edit directly.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Go further</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>With the ability to create your own patterns baked into the creation experience, remember that you can copy the patterns available in the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/patterns/\">Pattern Directory</a> and <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/patterns/about/\">contribute back</a>, an excellent way to democratize design for every WordPress user and the web.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>For more exciting features coming to patterns in WordPress 6.3, </em><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/13/core-editor-improvement-advancing-the-power-of-patterns/\"><em>read on in the Advancing the Power of Patterns post</em></a><em>. Thank you to the contributors who collaborated on this post: </em><a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/cbringmann/\"><em>Chloé Bringmann</em></a><em>, </em><a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/jpantani/\"><em>Jonathan Pantani</em></a><em>, </em><a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/chanthaboune/\"><em>Josepha</em></a><em>, </em><a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/kristastevens/\"><em>Krista Stevens</em></a><em>, </em><a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/eidolonnight/\"><em>Nicholas Garofalo</em></a><em>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/provenself/\">Peter Rubin</a></em>.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Thu, 27 Jul 2023 14:45:00 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:8:\"annezazu\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:18;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:84:\"Do The Woo Community: Building Your Agency Stack with Judd Dunagan and Carlos Caneja\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:28:\"https://dothewoo.io/?p=75733\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:83:\"https://dothewoo.io/building-your-agency-stack-with-judd-dunagan-and-carlos-caneja/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:445:\"<p>Judd from Bright Vessel and Carlos from Britecode share insights and experience in building their WooCommerce Agency stack.</p>\n<p>&gt;&gt; The post <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https://dothewoo.io/building-your-agency-stack-with-judd-dunagan-and-carlos-caneja/\">Building Your Agency Stack with Judd Dunagan and Carlos Caneja</a> appeared first on <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https://dothewoo.io\">Do the Woo - a WooCommerce Builder Community</a>	.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Thu, 27 Jul 2023 08:44:00 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:5:\"BobWP\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:19;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:52:\"WPTavern: Gutenberg 16.3 Adds New Tools for Patterns\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=147209\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:63:\"https://wptavern.com/gutenberg-16-3-adds-new-tools-for-patterns\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:2222:\"<p><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/26/whats-new-in-gutenberg-16-3-26-july/\">Gutenberg 16.3</a> was released today as a maintenance release but includes several new tools that make pattern management smoother and easier for users. Most notably, custom user patterns now have a dropdown menu for renaming, duplicating and deleting them. Patterns and template parts that come with themes will only have the &#8220;duplicate&#8221; option available since they cannot be deleted or renamed. </p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\nvideo credit: <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/26/whats-new-in-gutenberg-16-3-26-july/\">Gutenberg 16.3 release post</a>\n\n\n\n<p>Gutenberg 16.3 adds a sticky header bar on the Patterns page. It also brings the &#8220;focus mode&#8221; to patterns, which is already available for template parts in the Site Editor but not available when editing patterns. Users may not notice but it provides more a consistent editing interface.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Those who have been keenly following the evolution of the Patterns page will notice that the &#8220;Theme patterns&#8221; heading has been <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/52570\">removed</a> and the pattern categories rearranged. Theme and plugin patterns now appear above template parts.</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<img />image credit: <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/52570\">Gutenberg PR #52570</a>\n\n\n\n<p>The icon for synced patterns isn&#8217;t self evident and some users may need more context. <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/52458\">A new tooltip</a> identifies synced patterns as those for which edits will apply anywhere the pattern is used.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gutenberg 16.3 includes more than two dozen pattern interface-related fixes, among other editor bug fixes. If you are using and managing patterns frequently, having the Gutenberg plugin installed will enable a better experience with this interface until these updates make their way into core WordPress. Check out the <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/26/whats-new-in-gutenberg-16-3-26-july/\">release post</a> for a full list of all the changes and fixes in 16.3.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Thu, 27 Jul 2023 02:49:22 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"Sarah Gooding\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:20;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:65:\"WPTavern: WordPress 6.3 RC2 Released, Watch the Live Product Demo\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=147173\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:75:\"https://wptavern.com/wordpress-6-3-rc2-released-watch-the-live-product-demo\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:4061:\"<p><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2023/07/wordpress-6-3-release-candidate-2/\">WordPress 6.3 RC2</a> has been released and is ready for community testing. Since RC1 landed a week ago, 15 changes have come in from the <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/commits/wp/6.3\">Editor</a> and <a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/query?status=accepted&status=closed&changetime=07%2F18%2F2023..07%2F25%2F2023&milestone=6.3&col=id&col=milestone&col=owner&col=type&col=priority&order=id\">Trac</a>, including bug fixes for footnotes, internationalization fixes, a missing command for opening the distraction free in the Site Editor, and a few other issues. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>This release also brings in <a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/58067\">work completing the About page</a> and adds a &#8220;Get Involved&#8221; section, closing a 10-year old <a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/23348\">ticket</a> that suggested adding a &#8220;Contribute&#8221; tab to the About page.</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>The new Get Involved page features both code-based and no-code contribution opportunities with a link to WordPress&#8217; contributor teams.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The video of the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2023/07/wordpress-6-3-live-product-demo-highlights-recording/\">WordPress 6.3 Live Product Demo</a> has been published so anyone who was not able to attend can get a preview of what is coming in the next release. Automattic-sponsored contributors <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/annezazu/\">Anne McCarthy</a> and <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/richtabor/\">Rich Tabor</a> hosted the demo, showing users how to use the new command palette to zip around the editor and manage settings views. They also guide viewers through browsing and editing pages within the Site Editor, managing synced patterns (formerly called Reusable Blocks), and showcased various new blocks and design tools.</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n\n</div>\n\n\n\n<p>Check out the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2023/07/wordpress-6-3-live-product-demo-highlights-recording/\">highlights post</a> for all the links to features referenced in the demo and the Q&amp;A portion of the broadcast.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>For those interested in performance improvements coming in 6.3, an upcoming <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/06/29/hallway-hangout-performance-improvements-for-wordpress-6-3/\">hallway hangout</a> is happening tomorrow <strong><strong><a href=\"https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?iso=20230727T1500\"><abbr title=\"2023-07-27T15:00:00+00:00\">Thursday, July 27, 2023 at 11:00 AM EDT</abbr></a>. </strong></strong>Participants can check the <a href=\"https://wordpress.slack.com/archives/C02KGN5K076\">#core-performance</a> Slack channel for the Zoom link before the event. Team leads will cover highlights from the 170+ performance improvements included in 6.3 and will discuss future improvements for 6.4. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>WordPress&#8217; Training team is <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/training/2023/07/25/call-for-volunteers-to-help-with-6-3-learn-wordpress-updates/\">calling for volunteers</a> to help with updating and revising existing Learn WordPress resources ahead of the 6.3 release. The team has created a <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/Learn/labels/6.3\">board</a> on their GitHub repository which highlights high priority tasks. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>WordPress 6.3 RC3 is expected to be released on August 1, and the general release is scheduled for August 8, less than two weeks away. There is still time to find and report some bugs. One easy way is to install the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-beta-tester/\">WordPress Beta Tester</a> plugin on a local testing site or use a quick throwaway site from services like InstaWP or TasteWP. <a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/newticket\">Bugs can be reported on Trac</a> or via the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/support/forum/alphabeta/\">Alpha/Beta section</a> of the support forums.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Wed, 26 Jul 2023 19:19:54 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"Sarah Gooding\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:21;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:79:\"WPTavern: #85 – Giulia Laco on the Importance of Typography for Your Websites\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:48:\"https://wptavern.com/?post_type=podcast&p=147116\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:93:\"https://wptavern.com/podcast/85-giulia-laco-on-the-importance-of-typography-for-your-websites\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:51871:\"Transcript<div>\n<p>[00:00:00] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Welcome to the Jukebox podcast from WP Tavern. My name is Nathan Wrigley.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jukebox is a podcast which is dedicated to all things WordPress. The people, the events, the plugins, the blocks, the themes, and in this case the importance of typography for your websites.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;d like to subscribe to the podcast, you can do that by searching for WP Tavern in your podcast player of choice, or by going to WPTavern.com forward slash feed forward slash podcast. And you can copy that URL into most podcast players.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have a topic that you&#8217;d like us to feature on the podcast, I&#8217;m keen to hear from you, and hopefully get you or your idea featured on the show. Head to WPTavern.com forward slash contact forward slash Jukebox, and use the form there.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So on the podcast today, we have Giulia Laco. Giulia is a web designer and developer who has been working on the web since the mid 1990s. Her primary interests are web typography and font design. In addition to project development, she&#8217;s a consultant and a trainer, mostly working with CSS, web fonts and web typography.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is the last of our podcasts from WordCamp Europe, 2023. I spoke to Giulia in Athens because she had just finished her presentation entitled &#8220;typographic readability in theme design and development&#8221;.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this session, she explored how designers can assist with the readability of websites through careful consideration of the fonts they choose and why they choose them.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>It turns out there&#8217;s quite a lot to consider. And if you&#8217;ve not given this topic much thought in the past, you&#8217;ll perhaps learn something new. I certainly did.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We begin the podcast talking through how, at the start of the web, we were making do with a limited range of tools to help us make typographic choices. There were no web fonts available, but that started to change around 2010. Now we have access to hundreds of fonts and need to be mindful that some fonts can pose readability challenges for some users of your website.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Giulia talks about the fact that the manner in which we read has changed since the dawn of the internet. Many people now mostly consume small passages of text, which need to be considered in a different way to longer writing.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Concentrating upon the letters in the Latin alphabet, we talk about the ways in which readers typically break up words into smaller units, and the fact that the way letters are shaped can make them easier to parse. There&#8217;s some technical language here, ligatures X-height, apertures, and more. Which tell us about the shaping and spacing of letters. Giulia explains the current state of research into how these characteristics of fonts can affect readability.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We talk about whether or not there are fonts which are more readable than others. Is there a collection of fonts, which you can use and be confident that you&#8217;re going to make it easy for all users of your websites?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Giulia talks about how designs need to consider the spaces into which the text is put. Most people have a proclivity for the order in which they view a page. And knowing about this path across the page can help your readers access the text.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The width of the text is also important. You want people to be able to read from side to side without having to move their head. How does this work across different device sizes and what can be said about text, which runs right to left, or top to bottom?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We round off the conversation with Giulia telling us where we can find out more, as well as some of the thought leaders in this space.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s a fascinating conversation about a subject that often gets overlooked. Web designers, this episode is for you.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;re interested in finding out more, you can find all of the links in the show notes by heading to WPTavern.com forward slash podcast, where you&#8217;ll find all the other episodes as well.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And so without further delay, I bring you Giulia Laco.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I am joined on the podcast by Giulia Laco. Hello Giulia.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:04:43] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> Hello.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:04:43] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> It&#8217;s very nice to have you on. Giulia is joining me at WordCamp EU in Athens. It&#8217;s the last conversation that I&#8217;m recording, so very nice to have you on. You are going to be talking to us today about something that I genuinely didn&#8217;t know about.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>This was a really interesting topic to research from my point of view. You&#8217;re going to be talking to us a little bit about typography. That&#8217;s based upon a workshop that you did yesterday. How did it go?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:05:12] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> I&#8217;m happy about that. I&#8217;m happy to hear that you are interested in typography as well.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:05:17] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Was it well attended? Did you get your information across? Did people engage with the topic?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:05:22] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> I think so. I divided people in two groups, developers and designers. So to let them think about typography with the mentality of the others. So that was the point I was trying to have.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:05:35] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Well, the reason I wanted to talk to you was because when I was looking through the list of presentations and workshops, yours was really different, a topic that I genuinely hadn&#8217;t thought about in the way that you&#8217;ve made me think about it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because whenever I think about typography, I am really just thinking about whether I like a font. So if I go to a website, I just make a quick judgment. Do I like that font? Do I not like that font? But there&#8217;s a lot more to it than that, which we&#8217;re going to get into. But can you just tell us why you&#8217;re interested in this? Do you have a history with working with type? Why are you so fascinated by typography?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:06:17] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> Okay, well, maybe it&#8217;s because I&#8217;ve started making websites at the very beginning of the internet era. It was around, mid nineties. And we didn&#8217;t have the possibility to use web fonts of any kind on the web. We did what we could with very few tools. Whereas later on in 2009 or 10, we had this great possibility of using web fonts, and I started to get engaged with, with the typography. And that was the time when I was starting typography for the first time actually.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:06:52] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Are you interested in typography away from the internet? Are you interested in the way that type is presented in books and on paper?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:07:00] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> Yes, everywhere. On menus as well.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:07:03] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yeah, because when you actually turn your attention to typography, which is what I did after we booked this interview. Text is everywhere, and it&#8217;s really, really different wherever you look. So we are sitting in a room. There&#8217;s almost no text, but there&#8217;s a little bit of text behind you. It has a particular font.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:07:22] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> Montserrat.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:07:23] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Montserrat probably, yeah. I&#8217;m looking at my computer. It has a font on it. I&#8217;ve just been downstairs, looked at a menu. It had three or four fonts on it. Wherever you look, there is text, and usually the typography has been thought about.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But you were talking about typography from the point of view of how can be done better. How can be a problem for some people, and that I didn&#8217;t really realize. I knew that people would perhaps struggle to read text because it was too small, or there was a background color, which clashed with the color of the text. But I didn&#8217;t realize that the font itself could be a problem. So tell us how it can be a problem. How can some people struggle to read one font but not another?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:08:08] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> Well, it&#8217;s a big question, because, there&#8217;s a lot of research about that, recent research on readability. Because very few people read a lot nowadays in each country. So a lot of countries are worried about that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So there are movements to let people read better by making some tools. And big companies like Adobe, Google are on this concern. They&#8217;re concerned about that. So they&#8217;re trying to study that subject. The Readability Consortium, a consortium from between these big companies and universities in America.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And it&#8217;s working interdisciplinary. So with psychologists, typographers, graphic designers. And started to focus on what makes text legible. And what they are, as far as I know, they&#8217;re saying is that it&#8217;s different for everybody. So you test it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And so that&#8217;s why you need to make tools that help people adjust their texts when they read for long form reading, of course. Not for just a menu or, very few words you are going to read. And they&#8217;re trying to do those tools. And maybe it&#8217;s difficult for a user to know what they need.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:09:30] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Right.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:09:30] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> So, they are working also with AI. Trying to have some patterns and, have some themes, let&#8217;s say. So that can adapt to very different kind of people. But they&#8217;re trying to reach that patterns by research, not by guessing. So that&#8217;s very intereting.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:09:50] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yeah, really interesting. I mean, again, when I was researching this, it suddenly occurred to me that, I have children, they&#8217;re grown up largely now. But I remember when they came home from school, at the beginning, their homework was in child-friendly fonts. Let&#8217;s put it that way. Often it was something along the lines of comic sans something like that. And it didn&#8217;t occur to me at all at the time, I just thought, oh, well it&#8217;s a child-friendly font. It&#8217;s kind of round and it&#8217;s got, you know, there&#8217;s no hard edges.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I just thought it&#8217;s just a pleasant thing to look at. But now that I&#8217;m thinking about it, it was probably an easier font for the child to begin to learn to read with. Because all of the letters were clear. There was no confusion between one letter and the other. You know, you couldn&#8217;t mistake the L for the I, for example. And I did wonder, you were saying that there&#8217;s less people reading than ever. If the typography is a, quotes, difficult font, it may be more difficult to begin learning to read. I don&#8217;t know if that&#8217;s something that you were trying to say there.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:10:59] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> Well actually, when a child start reading has a very tough task. And helping that process is important. I remember seeing books in upper case letters only, it was meant to be simpler. But they started only to recognize only one kind of letters. In the Latin alphabet, we have upper case and lower case, and they&#8217;re very different because of their history.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Uppercase letters comes from the engraved Latin letters. Whereas the small, lowercase, comes from calligraphy. So they&#8217;re very different origins,. And it&#8217;s not the same to learn lowercase a and a lowercase a. Recognizing them as the same letter, the same sound.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And with sound is also difficult, especially in English, you have so much problem with sounds and letters.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:11:57] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yeah. I think we have 44 sounds, but only 26 letters.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:12:02] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> And the combination. When you use a letter and a sound, other languages are much more simpler on that respect.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:12:09] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yeah again, remarkable. I&#8217;d never really given any thought to how different uppercase and lowercase are. But they don&#8217;t bear, in some cases they&#8217;re quite similar.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:12:17] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> Yes.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:12:18] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> So an l and a capital L, broadly the same. But something like an a, the capital letter A and the lowercase letter. They&#8217;re just utterly different, aren&#8217;t they? They&#8217;re really, really remarkably different. Oh, that&#8217;s fascinating. I hadn&#8217;t given any thought. So what makes text legible to a lot of people, or not legible to a lot of people? Are there any kind of guidelines around that?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:12:41] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> Okay, I will distinguish between legibility and readability. Because, you have this distinction in English and it&#8217;s great. We don&#8217;t have it in Italian. I guess the legibility comes from lighting as we have for legibilita in Italian. And it&#8217;s something that has to do with decoding. So that&#8217;s something that has to do with the typeface.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whereas readability is something you want to read, you like to read something, you want to read. And not you&#8217;re just trying to decode things. So that&#8217;s a big difference, when you start to understand why a text is readable or not. I would say that trying to take a legible font means to have a font with certain characteristics.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, it&#8217;s let&#8217;s say proved that a font with a higher X-height is more legible. I&#8217;m talking about running text, the body text for long reading experience. So X-height is basically the medium height of the lower case letters, based on the letter x, that&#8217;s why X-height, you see.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And so for example, I don&#8217;t Helvetica has a higher X-height than Times New Roman, for example, if you compare it. And having a higher X-height is a typeface, be more readable.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And another very important thing is with apertures. Apertures, how can I say, the white space inside the part of the letters that are open. Take a lowercase e in the lower part of the letter. You have this room. If it&#8217;s more closed, it&#8217;s less legible because it can be taken for an o for example, you see. So Helvetica, for example, is very well used, but it&#8217;s not legible as a body copy. Helvetica is wonderful for display type for titles, but not so well for body text.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:14:42] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> So you are saying, so this X-height? So is typically the height of the letter x. So if I put an x next to the letter h, for example, it&#8217;s the height of the rounded bit of the letter h? </p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:15:55] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> Yes, exactly.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:14:57] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Or it would be the height of the letter a? Or the rounded bit of the letter p? The more tall that bit is, the more legible it is for most people to read. I had no idea.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:15:09] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> Well, it&#8217;s just one thing because, not only that, because it&#8217;s also how you set type. For example, if you have a large X-height, typeface and you set it with a very small space between the lines, the line height, the leading, they say in typography. You don&#8217;t take advantage of that highness, you see.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:15:32] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Okay. So if letters are squashed. If one line of letters is compressed, so line height.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:15:37] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> Mm-hmm.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:15:37] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Is compressed up against another line of letters beneath it, that makes it more difficult to read because there&#8217;s just no room for the letters to breathe, There&#8217;s no gap. They&#8217;re all just squished together. Okay?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:15:48] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> But you have to pay attention not to put too much line height. Otherwise you lose the next line when you jump from one line to the other, it&#8217;s too far and you can&#8217;t find it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:15:59] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> So this is the eyes ability to go from the end of one line and track, and immediately find the beginning the next line.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:16:46] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> Yes exactlly.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:16:47] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> I confess I have experienced that problem before, and I hadn&#8217;t noticed, until just now, that that was because of that. I&#8217;ve definitely had books that I&#8217;ve been reading where I&#8217;ve struggled to begin the next line, and sometimes repeated the line that I was supposed to be on. Or I&#8217;ve skipped a line and missed a line out and only halfway through thought, actually that doesn&#8217;t make any sense. Let me go back. I had no idea. But also you are saying that the amount of, what did you call it, the space?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:16:30] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> Oh, typographers call it leading because it&#8217;s comes from lead, lead, lead, I don&#8217;t know, of the metal types. With metal types they used to put some space between the lines with some lead. So the lead bars.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:16:45] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Oh, okay. So they spaced them out with a physical object.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:16:30] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> Yes, exactly.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:16:45] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> And it was a bar of lead, and the wider the bar of lead, the more space. This is fascinating. But you also mentioned in the letter e for example, the lowercase e, forgive me if I misunderstood. So the bottom half of the letter e, there&#8217;s a gap, a little gap, and the amount of gap, if the gap is bigger.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:17:07] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> That&#8217;s the aperture, yes.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:17:08] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> The bigger the gap is, the more you are likely to be able to read it, typically?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:17:13] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> Yes, because you&#8217;re likely to distinguish it from an o.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:17:16] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Of course.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:17:17] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> You decode it easiest.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:17:19] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> You keep mentioning Helvetica. Is that a font which has lots of problems? Is that why you mention it, because it&#8217;s full of things you can identify?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:17:26] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> It&#8217;s very well known. That&#8217;s why I&#8217;m mentioning. And very much used. But it&#8217;s better to use it as a display type.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:17:34] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> The only thing that I&#8217;ve ever had a problem reading, was the thing that I&#8217;ve just described where I have skipped a line or gone back and reread the other line. But I&#8217;m imagining that you&#8217;ve done this talk because there are problems which people experience, which I fortunately, don&#8217;t appear to have a problem with. What trips people up? If you were somebody that, I don&#8217;t know how to say this correctly. If you are somebody who struggles to read, what are the trip wires, if you know what I mean?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>What are the things in a font could be wrong that make you unable to read it? So you mentioned that the line height, you mentioned the X-height. Is there more to it than that?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:18:14] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> Well, there might be a lot. One thing that I can think of are ambiguous forms of letters. Let&#8217;s take lowercase letters, p and q or b and d. So for these four letters in a sans serif font, for example, are usually with the same shape, just flipped or rotated. That&#8217;s said to be a problem with people that experience dyslexia. But it&#8217;s actually opinionated because we don&#8217;t know exactly how it works. Actually for everybody can be a problem to distinguish between similar shapes.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, as you said before, a child who is starting to read, or to write as well, may experience the same problem. No matter if it&#8217;s, if there&#8217;s a problem of dyslexia or not. So if you are going to avoid these kind of things, you can pick a font, a serif font that generally has different letters, different forms. The four letters I mentioned, typically with small serfis in different parts of the letters so they can be distinguished, for sure.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:19:27] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Can you, I know it&#8217;s probably obvious to most people, but will you just tell people what a serif font is and what it isn&#8217;t? You know, if you&#8217;ve got a non serif font or serif font, what&#8217;s the difference?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:19:39] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> Let&#8217;s take the example of Helvetica and Times New Roman. So maybe it&#8217;s easier for people to visualize the difference. Helvetica has straight lines, nothing at the termination of the strokes. Whereas Times New Roman has some small shapes that derive from the calligraphic or the, in that case, for the upper case, the engraving, the instrument that we use to engrave. And so they had this little [feet?] let&#8217;s say so, that distinguish the kind of font.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And the font has a different mood, very different mood. And a lot of other characteristics. There are, well, history of typography is based on that more or less.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:20:24] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> It always feels to me as if a font, a serif font, which has these, I think you use the word where the letter terminates. I&#8217;ve never really</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:20:31] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> thought about that. They always look as if they&#8217;re more, I don&#8217;t know, maybe in a legal document or something like that. They have this feeling of something more powerful or more important or something. It&#8217;s quirky that, isn&#8217;t it?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;m looking at a Google Doc where I&#8217;ve written my show notes and, I don&#8217;t see any that. I can&#8217;t tell you that either of those fonts are a serif font or a non serif font. I find them both equally easy to read. It doesn&#8217;t trip me up at all. But typically, is there a problem for some people with a serif font or a non serif font? Is there one, to catch everybody would it be better to not deploy a serif font or is there just no difference in people&#8217;s ability to cope with either?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Each font is maybe very different. Most people at the first level, when they start talking about topography, they started to see this difference. But that&#8217;s not the main point. Maybe the main point in readability is the rhythm of letters. The rhythm where the white space and the black space, meaning when you have black text on white. They alternate each other.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Try to figure out this word, minimum. You&#8217;ll have a lot of rhythm. Minimum in, written in lower case letters. You see? So, the rhythm is very, very different. And maybe that&#8217;s important in typography, in reading. And is very important for people who struggle with reading, because you don&#8217;t interrupt the rhythm. The rhythm helps reading.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:22:03] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> It just sort of bounces along, doesn&#8217;t it? If you look at the word minimum, it genuinely has a, it&#8217;s almost like a little wave pattern going up and down, isn&#8217;t it? That&#8217;s fascinating. So what did you call it? Your ability to read it. There was a word you just said. Rhythm, rhythm. So words can have rhythm, and the more rhythm there is, the easier it is to read. So if a font provides rhythm, that&#8217;s a good thing.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:22:24] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> I think so. But it depends also on the purpose. Long reading. I think that&#8217;s important. Otherwise it&#8217;s different. It&#8217;s totally different. I mean concepts with display types because they have a different purpose, you know, text and function. The titles have different purpose. They have to catch the attention. Whereas the long, the body text has to be read, so needs a different kind of attention.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:22:53] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Right. And are there any guidelines which kind of fonts catch the attention more, and which kind of fonts work better with the body content? You know, where you&#8217;re reading long paragraphs and so on? Does it matter or is there one kind of font that you would recommend in each case?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:23:08] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> Generally, when you buy a font, you&#8217;ll have a font that is meant for body text and some other for display type. So if you rely on what the designer, the type designer, has done, you are safe. Otherwise you have to. try. But also if you go on a repository like Google fonts for example, you have this distinction among display types and other kind of types. So it&#8217;s quite a common mistake at the beginning to take display type and use it as a body text. And that&#8217;s a typographic crime.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:23:47] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> I like it. Typographic crime. That&#8217;s great. We&#8217;re all of us using our devices more and more. It&#8217;s funny that you said that reading is becoming less and less, because it feels like we have text in front of us all the time now. So we&#8217;re constantly staring at our mobile phones, and our computers. But when I was a child, if I wasn&#8217;t holding book, I probably wasn&#8217;t reading.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I mean, maybe there was a poster somewhere or something, but I&#8217;m surprised that reading is, there&#8217;s less desire to read, because it feels like every day I&#8217;m reading more or less constantly, you know, I&#8217;m scanning Twitter or Facebook or whatever.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:24:26] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> It&#8217;s a new kind of reading, Because we had long form reading for books. Then we have glanceable reading for, I don&#8217;t know, street signs. Or maybe a manual in a website. And then we have this, they call it interlude reading. You read when you&#8217;ve time, you&#8217;re doing, you don&#8217;t have a lot of attention, you scroll. And then you have also that the way we read on the web is very different from what we read, elsewhere.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, we have this shape, F shaped reading. When we, in a website, eye tracking has shown it quite a lot. You start from the top left where the logo generally is. Then you go on the right, then you go on the left, but a bit bottom, and then a bit, you are just drawing an F more or less, when you read.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:25:17] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> So that&#8217;s what the eye typically does when it lands on a webpage.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:25:20] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> Yes.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:25:20] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> What was that? Top left, top right.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:25:23] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> Bottom.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:25:23] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Bottom.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:25:24] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> A bit in the middle, right. And then bottom again.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:25:27] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> So it makes an, if you were to draw on top of that screen, it coincidentally looks a bit like a capital F.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:25:32] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> Yes, exactly.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:25:33] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> That&#8217;s fascinating.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:25:34] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> Capital F reading.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:25:36] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Capital F reading. Presumably that&#8217;s on a desktop. On this, I&#8217;m not doing that am I? I&#8217;m holding up my phone. If I&#8217;m looking at a webpage, presumably it&#8217;s a different experience. It&#8217;s just left to right, left to right, left to right.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:25:49] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> Also because you are hiding some part of the text with your thumbs. Are you right-handed? Left-handed? It depends what you do. And it change a lot. For example, in the UX design, we generally change some patterns with smartphones because we put some menus at the bottom because the area near the thumb, for example.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, if it changes where you put your fingers, your changes also where you put your eyes. Focusing in which part of the screen.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:26:20] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yeah, that&#8217;s interesting. My experience of the internet is that usually the menu on a mobile device comes at top right. There&#8217;s usually some icon.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:26:28] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> But that&#8217;s for convention.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:26:29] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> But what you&#8217;ve just described is much more sensible, having the menu the bottom because.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:26:33] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> I hope it will change soon.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:26:34] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Because my thumb can just go right to it. It&#8217;s just there. Yeah, that&#8217;s fascinating. It does matter what device you&#8217;re on. But are you using the same? I know that you&#8217;ve said that you reposition things like the menu or what have you, but are you using the same font on a desktop as you would be on a mobile device? Is it broadly the same? You don&#8217;t need to worry about the view port of a mobile device in terms of the CSS for setting the font. It&#8217;s just the same desktop, mobile, tablet, same fonts.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:27:03] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> From the readability point of view, I would say yes. And it&#8217;s for branding. I guess it&#8217;s better to have different environments recognizable. Whereas you have to pay attention to licensing. If you buy a font, for example, you put it on an app, you might need a different license. If you&#8217;re using open type, open source phones, you are not going to have a problem. But if you buy, if you rent, web fonts, yeah, you might have some problem or you have to check if you can put that web front on an app. You might need a different license.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:27:39] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yeah, I hadn&#8217;t really thought about that. It&#8217;s always quite common in the circle of friends that I have, comic sans is a font, which most of my friends ridicule. They think it&#8217;s a childish font. Nobody would put it on a professional website. Are there some fonts like that, which you would just always avoid? Not because they look childish, but because they are largely unreadable.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:28:00] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> There might be some, for example, well comic sans has a very big history of love and hate, basically of hate actually. But remember the case and presentation of the Higgs Boson?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:28:16] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yes. Was that done in comic sans?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:28:18] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> Yes. There was a Twitter storm. Okay, you couldn&#8217;t use that informal font on a formal presentation, and that raised the topic actually. You have to use the font that is proper to the situation. It&#8217;s like clothing. The clothes you wear, it&#8217;s like the font you use. It depends on the situation.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But I can understand the feeling that people have when they choose comic sans. And maybe I can suggest something similar, but a bit more proper, or a bit more interesting in that context.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>There&#8217;s one font. I am on Google fonts repository. That&#8217;s called Amantic Small Caps, and it&#8217;s a small caps, so it&#8217;s a more, it&#8217;s not lowercase. But it&#8217;s, I think has a similar mood and I would dare it&#8217;s quite a new comic sans in the mood. I mean, it has the same mood, in my opinion. I say in my opinion, it&#8217;s also because it&#8217;s in my culture, it&#8217;s very culture dependent. Because it&#8217;s based on what you saw, what you associate to those fonts for example.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:29:28] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yeah, it&#8217;s really interesting when I travel to the US. The US have a really different set of fonts which they use, especially on government documents, than we have in the UK. And wherever I look, so I don&#8217;t know, I buy some sun cream or something like that. The font choice is utterly different from how it would typically look in the UK. And it&#8217;s kind of curious, that it&#8217;s so obvious to me that that&#8217;s an American box. And yet it&#8217;s merely a font that tells me that. But I can see it all the time.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But what you&#8217;re saying though is you&#8217;ve got to use your intuition. There&#8217;s no rule for this is a good font, that&#8217;s a bad font. It&#8217;s really where are you putting it and your own personal preference. There are no fonts which are out of the question because they&#8217;re just literally unreadable by a subset of the people, no, you look like you&#8217;re about to say something.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:30:18] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> Well, there might be some fonts that are really illegible, but there are some really nice experiment by a very talented type designers, David Jonathan Ross. He tried to push the boundaries of readability, making good fonts, but making how long you can go to draw a very new kind of letter and still have it readable. So that&#8217;s interesting to see. But made by people who know what they do.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whereas if you start, if you look at the, I don&#8217;t know, fonts that you can have on a lot of websites, just experiments by people who start. But if you, look at experiments by very good designers, oh, you know what they do.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:31:06] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> You make client websites still. Do you get into this conversation quite a lot with your clients? Is typography something that you bang the drum of?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:31:14] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> I try to listen as for everything else, to the client and understand what they need. And then I&#8217;ll try to suggest what I think is proper. It&#8217;s like also for the colour of a website for example. I ask and I give an advice maybe.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:31:30] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Are there any kind of hard and faster rules for where you, really, it would be unwise to put typography. In our show notes, I was talking about things like is it a bad idea to put, I don&#8217;t know, fonts into images.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So you&#8217;re overlaying fonts on images. In other words, is it better always to have fonts on a plain background rather than on, let&#8217;s say you&#8217;ve got a mountain scene or something and you want to write something, you put it onto the image. Is it better to keep the text away from the images? That was just one thought.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:32:02] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> That&#8217;s definitely better. But you have to distinguish between titles and body copy. A title might be, how can I say? It would be okay anyway. It&#8217;s only a word. You might have some tricks, for example, reducing the contest of the underground image. As long as you stick with accessibility guidelines, you&#8217;re safe for that regard.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are very good starting point for readability. I mean, I generally say that it&#8217;s better to start from accessibility and there are a lot of accessibility guidelines that help with the text. And then you go on and if you have some tools, like a very powerful web font, you can do more. And then you go with type setting and start type setting.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Well, for example, you have to stop the line length. That&#8217;s very, very important. You don&#8217;t have to let your user go through all the screen, a very huge screen to go to the other line, to the second line.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:33:04] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Is there any guidance about how wide the text line should be? So maybe that&#8217;s a, I don&#8217;t know, you said using a number pixels is not always the best idea. But is there a character limit, or a word limit typically where the eye can cope with scanning from left to right and then beginning again. Because I&#8217;m staring at a Google Doc at the moment and it&#8217;s kind of interesting that the Google Doc looks like a piece of paper.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And they&#8217;ve obviously deliberately taken it in. The Google doc could consume the whole width of my monitor, but it doesn&#8217;t. They&#8217;ve confined it to what looks like a piece of paper, and I presume that&#8217;s a convention, just so that my eye doesn&#8217;t have to go far left, far right, far left, far right. I could keep my nose pointed at the document and just let my eye do the work, whereas if it went from left to right, I would be moving my neck all the time as well. So is there a guidance of how wide text should be?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:33:56] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> Typographers, for a long time, had recommended a line length of between 45 and 65 characters per line. It depends for Latin alphabets. The Web Accessibility Guidelines says, I think at the level Triple A. They say that they need 80 characters maximum per line for Latin, I think 40 for languages with ideograms. So they say something about that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And it&#8217;s very interesting to see that there&#8217;s a correlation between this line length and the way we read. The way we read is basically with eye and brain because, it&#8217;s a really complex process. But when we read with the eye, we just focus on few letters at the time, maybe six, seven characters. Then we jump to another area of fixation. And so you can do some math. A very good typographer Bruno Maag made that math.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And he discovered that calculating the number of characters you see in each fixation has a relationship with what typographers said for years, for decades, for centuries actually. So they arrived at the same conclusions. So let&#8217;s say 55, 65 characters per line is a good measure.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:35:18] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:35:18] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> On the other hand, all these factors are correlated. And especially font size, line height, and line length. Some typographers says that it&#8217;s like a triangle of these three elements have to be on balance. So if you change one, you have to change the others. Adapt the others.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:35:40] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> So we&#8217;ve just been talking about the left to rightness, the line length. Is there anything about the length of the paragraphs that you use as well? I mean, I&#8217;m just used to reading books and obviously they&#8217;re confined by the width. The line length is taken account of. But I&#8217;m conscious that everything&#8217;s broken up into paragraphs and those chunks of meaning have often got little gaps between them. I&#8217;m imagining in many cases, paragraphs could go on for pages, but it&#8217;s better to break it up and it helps the brain to associate that this is a body of meaning and here&#8217;s another body of meaning and so on.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:36:10] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> Yes. I think absolutely. The basic of our work as web designers actually. So it&#8217;s different from what we do on paper, because on screens we have to catch the attention. And so we need to make things very easy for the reader. That&#8217;s the purpose. Maybe it&#8217;s not always the case that that&#8217;s the purpose, but on web design generally, that&#8217;s the purpose.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So it&#8217;s better to split a paragraph in a few small chunks, let&#8217;s say so, and give different, styling and introduce hierarchy as well. So that helps a lot in reading.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:36:48] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> So headings and paragraphs and other headings and so on. You mentioned in the show notes that when you did your workshop, were going to give some helpful CSS to break up the text. Can you just tell us what that was? What helpful CSS did you have?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:37:02] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> Basically, I would say that&#8217;s very important not to use an absolute unit when you set the font size. Where font size is what is more relevant in readability? Because if it&#8217;s too small, you can&#8217;t read at all. If it&#8217;s too big, also so you can&#8217;t read it well. So font size is very important and after the responsive web design, we&#8217;ve had the responsive web typography. It didn&#8217;t come at the same time. Because with responsive web design, we started to make things different for different devices. But we didn&#8217;t touch the font size.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:37:40] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Right, it was just the same. Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:37:42] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> But it was really important to change the font size. At the beginning I thought that it was important to make smaller font size on smartphones. Because you had a very smaller screen, but that was not the reason I realized later on.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And the reason is the distance of reading. So when you read something that is near, you don&#8217;t need a big font size. You generally keep an iPhone at 20, 30 centimeters of distance from your eye. Whereas if you read to a computer you are 70 centimeter, 80, 1 meter, I don&#8217;t know. If you read to a screen in a room, for example, yeah, it&#8217;s very, very different.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, yesterday I had this at the workshop. I had this CSS Codepen. I realized I had some minimum and maximum font size in my slider. It was perfect for desktop reading. As soon as I was in the room, I said, oh no, I have to change, and I changed it to a different values because of that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:38:48] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> So, the presentation looked good on your computer, but as soon as it went on the big screen.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:38:52] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> Okay, the presentation was okay because I knew it in advance. I mean, it was a presentation, but it was in the playground, I realized, yes. And because I had all those values, I was guessing what was reasonable values. But I didn&#8217;t test it before on such a big room.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:39:10] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> So I&#8217;m guessing that at some point soon we&#8217;ll be able to make a link to WordPress TV. It occurs to me that the whole time we&#8217;ve been talking about typography, but we&#8217;ve probably been concentrating on English. Although it&#8217;s a common language, it&#8217;s by no means what everybody reads.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So we&#8217;re going from top to bottom, left to right. But other parts of the world, let&#8217;s say people that read Arabic or Hebrew or Korean or Japanese or Chinese, whatever it is. They&#8217;re going in completely different directions, left to right, bottom to top and so on.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Do they have similar concerns with their characters? Or is it just uniquely the Latin set of characters which has these problems?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:39:54] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> I&#8217;m sure they have. Also maybe different problems. I&#8217;ll distinguish between Arabic to the other languages you mentioned, like Japanese, Chinese, and Korean, for example. They have ideograms. With Arabic it&#8217;s quite a calligraphic origin of the way of writing. And they make a lot of use of ligatures. It means it changes the shape of letters according to their combination.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We have ligatures in Latin as well. For example, if you think of f and i, small lowercase letters f and y. Sometimes you have one glyph that put the dot of the i inside the f. And that&#8217;s coded inside the file, the font file.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So in Arabic they have a lot of ligatures. And lately I&#8217;ve discovered that they also use color for accent. And Google fonts has some new fonts with this characteristic. Color fonts. Do you know color fonts?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:40:54] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> No.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:40:54] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> They&#8217;re very, very new. They&#8217;re coming.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:40:57] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> How do you deploy color to. What? You&#8217;re going to have to explain that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:41:00] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> Well, they have color coded inside the typeface. It&#8217;s a new format we can use. And, it&#8217;s linked to CSS. It&#8217;s not so much ready, but it&#8217;s coming. It&#8217;s a new technology after variable fonts.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:41:17] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> So certain aspects, certain portions of the letter receive different colors?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:41:22] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> Yes.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:41:23] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> And it provides, I have to just ask why? Why would you want to have a different portion of the letter in a different color?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:41:30] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> Apart from Arabic, why not?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:41:31] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Oh, so it is, it&#8217;s just style. It&#8217;s not from the point of view of readability or legibility?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:41:37] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> No. New frontiers of typography.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:41:39] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Oh, that is interesting.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:41:40] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> But that was one point, but for Arabic might be for readability purpose. That&#8217;s why I mentioned it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:41:46] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Honestly, this is such a fascinating subject. Unfortunately, we&#8217;re running out of time. Where would we go if we&#8217;ve been inspired by the talk that you&#8217;ve given today to me? Have you got any tips or places, websites to go to? If people are curious, where would you send them?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:42:03] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> Okay. There are plenty of places and topography has been receiving quite an attention lately on the web. I&#8217;m always talking about on the web. But you can start with books from the tradition of typography. There are, I don&#8217;t know, from the sacred book of yypography, Robert Bringhurst, The Elements of Typographic Style. That&#8217;s a really nice starting point. Well, it&#8217;s not only a starting point.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Erik Spiekermann&#8217;s, Stop Stealing Sheep and Find Out How Type Works. It&#8217;s very funny name. It has a history. I won&#8217;t spoiler it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Or I really, really liked the book by Richard Rutter, that is more on the web. It&#8217;s called Web Typography. It&#8217;s a manual on that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Or otherwise you can follow Jason Parmental that has been making a lot of experiments. It depends which part are you interested in.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:42:59] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> You&#8217;ve given three or four things there. There&#8217;s probably something to get teeth into. And what about you? Where would we find you if people have listened to this and quite fancy having a chat with you about all this. Where do you hang out online?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:43:09] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> Quite everyone. Maybe on LinkedIn, maybe you can reach me there so it&#8217;s better.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:43:14] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> I will find your LinkedIn profile and I will link to that in the show notes. So let&#8217;s wrap it up there. Giulia, thank you so much for chatting to me today. Honestly, a real eye-opener. I&#8217;ve enjoyed that a lot.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:43:24] <strong>Giulia Laco:</strong> Thank you. Me too.</p>\n</div>\n\n\n\n<p>On the podcast today we have <a href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/in/giulialaco/\">Giulia Laco</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Giulia is a web designer and developer who has been working on the web since the mid 1990s. Her primary interests are web typography &amp; font design. In addition to project development, she is a consultant and a trainer, mostly working with CSS, web fonts and web typography.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is the last of our podcasts from WordCamp Europe 2023. I spoke to Giulia in Athens because she had just finished her presentation entitled “Typographic readability in theme design &amp; development”.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this session she explored how designers can assist with the readability of websites through careful consideration of the fonts they choose, and why they choose them.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>It turns out there’s quite a lot to consider, and if you’ve not given this topic much thought in the past, you’ll perhaps learn something new.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We begin the podcast talking through how, at the start of the web, we were making do with a limited range of tools to help us make typographic choices. There were no web fonts available, but that started to change around 2010. Now we have access to hundreds of fonts and need to be mindful that some fonts can pose readability challenges for some users of your website.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Giulia talks about the fact that the manner in which we read has changed since the dawn of the internet. Many people now mostly consume small passages of text, which need to be considered in a different way to longer writing.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Concentrating upon the letters in the Latin alphabet, we talk about the ways in which readers typically break up words into smaller units, and the fact that the way letters are shaped can make them easier to parse. There’s some technical language here, ligatures, X-height, apertures, and more, which tell us about the shaping and spacing of letters. Giulia explains the current state of research into how these characteristics of fonts can affect readability.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We talk about whether or not there are fonts which are more readable than others. Is there a collection of fonts which you can use and be confident that you’re going to make it easy for all users of your websites?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Giulia talks about how designs need to consider the spaces into which text is put. Most people have a proclivity for the order in which they view a page, and knowing about this path across the page can help your readers access the text. The width of the text is also important; you want people to be able to read from side to side without having to move their head. How does this work across different device sizes, and what can be said about text which runs from right to left, or top to bottom?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We round off the conversation with Giulia telling us where we can find out more, as well as some of the thought leaders in this space.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>It’s a fascinating conversation about a subject that often gets overlooked. Website designers, this episode is for you.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Useful links.</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Giulia&#8217;s WordCamp Europe 2023 Session &#8220;<a href=\"https://europe.wordcamp.org/2023/session/typographic-readability-in-theme-design-development/\">Typographic readability in theme design &amp; development</a>&#8220;</p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://thereadabilityconsortium.org/\">The Readability Consortium</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Amatic+SC\">Amantic Small Caps font</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://djr.com/\">David Jonathan Ross&#8217; website</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/\">Web Accessibility Guidelines website</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruno_Maag\">Bruno Maag Wikipedia page</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://fonts.google.com/\">Google fonts</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://archive.org/details/elementsoftypogr0000brin\">Robert Bringhurst&#8217;s The Elements of Typographic Style</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/stop-stealing-sheep/9780133441147/\">Erik Spiekermann&#8217;s Stop Stealing Sheep and Find Out How Type Works</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://book.webtypography.net/\">Richard Rutter&#8217;s Web Typography</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://rwt.io/\">Jason Parmental&#8217;s website</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/in/giulialaco/\">Giulia&#8217;s LinkedIn page</a></p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Wed, 26 Jul 2023 14:00:00 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:14:\"Nathan Wrigley\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:22;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:53:\"WordPress.org blog: WordPress 6.3 Release Candidate 2\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:35:\"https://wordpress.org/news/?p=15460\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:69:\"https://wordpress.org/news/2023/07/wordpress-6-3-release-candidate-2/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:7320:\"<p>WordPress 6.3 RC2 is ready for download and testing.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>This version of the WordPress software is under development.</strong> <strong>Please do not install, or run, or test this version on production or mission-critical websites.</strong> Instead, you should evaluate RC2 on a test server and site.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>While release candidates are considered ready for final release, additional testing and use by the community can only make it better.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>WordPress 6.3 is scheduled for release on August 8, 2023 – just two weeks from today.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Get an overview of the <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/6-3/\">6.3 release cycle</a>, check the <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/\">Make WordPress Core blog</a> for <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/6-3/\">6.3-related posts</a>, review <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2023/06/wordpress-6-3-beta-2/\">new features in WordPress 6.3</a>, or <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2023/07/wordpress-6-3-live-product-demo-highlights-recording/\">watch a recorded demo</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Developers and extenders should review the <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/18/wordpress-6-3-field-guide/\">comprehensive WordPress 6.3 Field Guide</a> for detailed technical notes regarding new features and improvements.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">RC2 Highlights</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Since the RC1 release on July 18, 2023, there have been approximately 15 issues resolved in <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/commits/wp/6.3\">Editor</a> and <a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/query?status=accepted&status=closed&changetime=07%2F18%2F2023..07%2F25%2F2023&milestone=6.3&col=id&col=milestone&col=owner&col=type&col=priority&order=id\">Trac</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Notable updates for this release include:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Footnotes will be reverted or restored with post revisions (<a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/52686\">#52686</a>).</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Distraction free adds a missing command in the site editor (<a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/52868\">#52868</a>).</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Global styles revisions will display text if no revisions are found (<a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/52865\">#52865</a>).</li>\n\n\n\n<li>The About Page has been completed (<a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/58067\">#58067</a>).</li>\n\n\n\n<li>The About Page now includes a “Get Involved” section (<a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/23348\">#23348</a>).</li>\n\n\n\n<li>The dark mode option has been restored in the block editor iframe for Twenty Twenty-One (<a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/58835\">#58835</a>).</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Max height value was fixed in the image scaling in the Edit Media screen (<a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/50523\">#50523</a>).</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Additionally, some issues regarding internationalization were addressed (<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/58879\" target=\"_blank\">#58879</a>, <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/58067\" target=\"_blank\">#58067</a> and <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/58864\" target=\"_blank\">#58864</a>).</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Test features in WordPress 6.3</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Testing for issues is a critical part of developing any software, and it’s a meaningful way for anyone to contribute—whether you have experience or not. While testing the upgrade process is essential, trying out new features is too.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Encountered an issue? Please report it to the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/support/forum/alphabeta/\">Alpha/Beta area</a> in the support forums. If you are comfortable writing a reproducible bug report, you can <a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/newticket\">file one on WordPress Trac</a>. You can also check your issue against a list of <a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/tickets/major\">known bugs</a>.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>New to testing? This <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/test/2023/06/27/help-test-wordpress-6-3/\">detailed guide</a> is a great place to start if you’ve never tested a beta/RC release.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Want to know more about testing releases in general? Follow along with the <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/test/\">testing initiatives in Make Core</a> and join the <a href=\"https://wordpress.slack.com/messages/core-test/\">#core-test channel</a> in <a href=\"https://wordpress.slack.com/\">Making WordPress Slack</a>.</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Vulnerability bounty doubles during the Beta/RC phases</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The monetary reward for reporting new, unreleased security vulnerabilities is doubled between the Beta 1 release and the final release candidate (RC). Please follow responsible disclosure practices as detailed in the project’s security practices and policies outlined on the <a href=\"https://hackerone.com/wordpress\">HackerOne page</a> and in the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/about/security/\">security white paper</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Get WordPress 6.3 RC2</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You can test WordPress 6.3 RC2 in three ways:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Option 1:</strong> Install and activate the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-beta-tester/\">WordPress Beta Tester</a> plugin (select the “Bleeding edge” channel and “Beta/RC Only” stream).</li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Option 2: </strong>Direct download the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/wordpress-6.3-RC2.zip\">RC2 version (zip)</a>.</li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Option 3:</strong> Use the following WP-CLI command:<br /><code>wp core update --version=6.3-RC2</code></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Thanks to WordPress plugin and theme developers</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Do you build plugins and themes? Your products play an integral role in extending the functionality and value of WordPress for users of all types worldwide.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hopefully, you have already tested your themes and plugins with WordPress 6.3 betas by now. With RC2, you will want to continue your testing and update the “<em>Tested up to”</em> version in your plugin’s readme file to 6.3.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you find compatibility problems, please post detailed information to the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/support/forum/alphabeta/\">support forums</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Help translate WordPress</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Do you speak a language other than English? ¿Español? Français? Português? Русский? 日本? <a href=\"https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp/dev\">Help translate WordPress into more than 100 languages.</a></p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Haiku for RC2</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Time is nearly here<br />WordPress shines thanks to you all<br />Let’s get testing, dear</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Thank you to the contributors who collaborated on this post: <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/priethor/\">@Priethor</a></em>,<em> <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/audrasjb/\">@AudrasJb</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/davidbaumwald/\">@DavidBaumwald</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/dansoschin/\">@DanSoschin</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/jpantani/\">@JPantani</a></em> and <em><a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/meher/\">@Meher</a></em>.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Tue, 25 Jul 2023 16:43:13 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:10:\"Meher Bala\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:23;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:77:\"WordCamp Central: WordCamp Malaysia 2023 is Looking for Speakers and Sponsors\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:39:\"https://central.wordcamp.org/?p=3240139\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:102:\"https://central.wordcamp.org/news/2023/07/wordcamp-malaysia-2023-is-looking-for-speakers-and-sponsors/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:2991:\"<img src=\"https://malaysia.wordcamp.org/2023/files/2023/06/WCMY-2023-Feature-Image-fb.png\" alt=\"\" />\n\n\n\n<p>WordCamp Malaysia 2023 is set to take place on 8-9 September 2023 at the Cheras North International Convention Centre (CNICC) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The first ever WordCamp Malaysia promises to be an unforgettable gathering, offering a platform for knowledge sharing, networking, and community building.</p>\n\n\n\n<img src=\"https://i0.wp.com/malaysia.wordcamp.org/2023/files/2023/06/CNICC-Cheras-North-International-Convention-Centre-edited.jpg?resize=680%2C382&ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1017\" />\n\n\n\n<p>Situated near the city center, CNICC provides convenient access to major transportation hubs, allowing attendees to make the most of their time in Kuala Lumpur. With a plethora of nearby amenities and attractions, visitors can immerse themselves in the city’s rich cultural experiences, explore its iconic landmarks, indulge in its diverse culinary scene, and even venture into the nearby natural parks.</p>\n\n\n\n<img src=\"https://i0.wp.com/malaysia.wordcamp.org/2023/files/2023/06/IMG_0612.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-990\" />\n\n\n\n<p>The organizing team behind WordCamp Malaysia 2023 is actively seeking speakers who can share their valuable insights, expertise, experiences, and inspiring stories with the WordPress community. If you have a passion for WordPress and a desire to contribute to its growth, this is your chance to shine. Interested individuals can&nbsp;<a href=\"https://malaysia.wordcamp.org/2023/call-for-speakers/\">submit speaker proposals now</a>. Don’t miss the opportunity to be part of this prestigious event and make an impact on the WordPress community in Malaysia.</p>\n\n\n\n<img src=\"https://i0.wp.com/malaysia.wordcamp.org/2023/files/2023/06/HRX00555.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-989\" />\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to speakers, WordCamp Malaysia 2023 is also actively seeking sponsors to showcase and elevate their brands and products to the WordPress community in Malaysia. This is an exceptional opportunity for businesses and organizations to gain exposure, connect with a highly engaged audience, and demonstrate their commitment to supporting the WordPress ecosystem. To explore the various sponsorship packages available and learn more about the benefits of becoming a sponsor, interested parties can visit&nbsp;<a href=\"https://malaysia.wordcamp.org/2023/call-for-sponsors/\">the call for sponsors page</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>To stay updated and learn more about WordCamp Malaysia 2023, visit the official website at&nbsp;<a href=\"https://malaysia.wordcamp.org/2023/\">https://malaysia.wordcamp.org/2023/</a>&nbsp;. The website will serve as your go-to resource for event details, schedules, ticketing information, speaker profiles, and other important announcements.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Don’t miss your chance to be part of WordCamp Malaysia 2023. Submit your speaker proposal or explore sponsorship opportunities today!</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Tue, 25 Jul 2023 12:53:17 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:10:\"Sam Suresh\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:24;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:134:\"WordCamp Central: WordCamp Masaka 2023: Celebrating Inclusion, Diversity, and Innovation with WordPress in Uganda’s Pearl of Africa!\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:39:\"https://central.wordcamp.org/?p=3166793\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:152:\"https://central.wordcamp.org/news/2023/07/wordcamp-masaka-2023-celebrating-inclusion-diversity-and-innovation-with-wordpress-in-ugandas-pearl-of-africa/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:3351:\"<p><a href=\"https://masaka.wordcamp.org/2023/\">WordCamp Masaka 2023</a> is the inaugural WordCamp event in Uganda&#8217;s Greater Masaka region. It will be held on <strong>October 6 and 7, 2023</strong>, at <a href=\"https://equsat.ac.ug/\">Equator University of Science and Technology</a> in Masaka City, Uganda. The event is dedicated to celebrating inclusion, diversity and fostering innovation within Uganda&#8217;s WordPress community.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>WordCamp Masaka 2023 will offer a wide range of engaging workshops, informative talks, and student WordPress project showcases designed to cater to attendees of different skill levels. The workshops will provide hands-on learning experiences and practical knowledge to help both beginners and advanced users enhance their WordPress skills. The informative talks will cover a diverse range of topics, providing valuable insights and inspiring discussions. The student WordPress project showcases will offer a platform for attendees to share their WordPress projects, regardless of their skill level, and gain inspiration from the creativity within the community.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to the diverse range of activities, WordCamp Masaka 2023 will include a contributor session dedicated to translating WordPress from English to Luganda. This session will actively engage participants of all skill levels in the translation process, fostering collaboration and empowering Luganda (the most spoken language in Uganda) speakers to access WordPress in their native language.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Get Involved</h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://masaka.wordcamp.org/2023/tickets/\">Purchase Attendee Tickets</a>: Secure your tickets to join the WordPress community in celebrating this inaugural event in the Greater Masaka region, Uganda. Tickets are available for purchase, offering a unique opportunity to engage with like-minded individuals and expand your WordPress knowledge.</li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://masaka.wordcamp.org/2023/call-for-sponsors/\">Call for Sponsors</a>: Support the first-ever WordCamp Masaka and gain visibility for your company. Explore available sponsorship options to contribute to the success of this event and demonstrate your commitment to the WordPress community.</li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://masaka.wordcamp.org/2023/call-for-speakers/\">Call for Speakers</a>: Share your expertise, experiences, and insights by applying to be a speaker at WordCamp Masaka 2023. The call for speaker applications welcomes submissions, allowing you to contribute to a diverse range of topics during the event.</li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://masaka.wordcamp.org/2023/call-for-volunteers/\">Call for volunteers</a>: Apply to be a volunteer and actively participate in the organization of WordCamp Masaka 2023. Volunteering offers a unique opportunity to contribute behind the scenes and play an integral role in the success of this inaugural event.</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The full list of speakers, session descriptions, and schedule will be published in early September 2023. Be sure to follow us on <a href=\"https://twitter.com/WordPressMasaka\">Twitter</a> and <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/WordCampMasaka\">Facebook</a> to get the latest updates.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Please don&#8217;t forget to post about this event on your social media handles using the hashtag <strong>#WCMasaka</strong>. </p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Tue, 25 Jul 2023 08:50:19 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:15:\"Ssebuwufu Moses\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:25;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:47:\"WPTavern: Learn How to Use WordPress Playground\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=147137\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:58:\"https://wptavern.com/learn-how-to-use-wordpress-playground\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:3188:\"<p>WordPress Playground, an experimental project that uses WebAssembly (WASM) to <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/new-prototype-runs-wordpress-in-the-browser-with-no-php-server\">run WordPress in the browser</a>, was <a href=\"https://twitter.com/dbchhbr/status/1679949344315936769\">number 1 on Hacker News</a> recently and was also <a href=\"https://techcrunch.com/2023/07/18/wordpress-playground-lets-you-run-wordpress-entirely-in-your-browser/\">featured on TechCrunch</a>. Word is getting around about how easy it is to fire up a sandbox environment in just a few seconds for testing plugins and themes and even different versions of WordPress and PHP.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Visiting <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://playground.wordpress.net/\" target=\"_blank\"><code>playground.wordpress.net</code></a> instantly creates a real WordPress instance with admin access and everything without having to install PHP, MySQL, or Apache. Instead, it runs inside the browser using a SQLite database.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Playground isn&#8217;t just for developers. It also makes it easy for users who would not ordinarily maintain a local development environment to quickly test plugins or themes they find on WordPress.org, or to just explore new WordPress features in a safe place where you can&#8217;t break anything.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have found it difficult to wrap your head around WordPress Playground, Learn WordPress has published a timely new tutorial called <a href=\"https://learn.wordpress.org/tutorial/how-to-start-using-wordpress-playground/\">How to start using WordPress Playground</a>. In this 10-minute video, WordPress Playground creator Adam Zieliński offers a quick demonstration of how to install plugins and themes and customize a site, and how to export design work from a customized theme. He also covers how to download the entire site and import it into a new WordPress instance, and guides users through basic compatibility testing of a theme, by switching the WordPress version on the playground site.</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<img />Learn WordPress Tutorial: <a href=\"https://learn.wordpress.org/tutorial/how-to-start-using-wordpress-playground/\">How to start using WordPress Playground</a>\n\n\n\n<p>Developers who want try some more complicated things with this tool can check out the <a href=\"https://wordpress.github.io/wordpress-playground/docs/apis-overview\">Playground API</a> and learn <a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/playground/\">how to integrate it with an app</a> in five minutes. It&#8217;s also useful for <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://wordpress.github.io/wordpress-playground/docs/build-your-first-app#preview-pull-requests-from-your-repository\" target=\"_blank\">previewing pull requests from a repository</a> or setting up a local WordPress development environment using the <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=WordPressPlayground.wordpress-playground\" target=\"_blank\">VisualStudio Code plugin</a> or <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/playground-tools/tree/trunk/packages/wp-now\" target=\"_blank\">a CLI tool called <code>wp-now</code></a>.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Mon, 24 Jul 2023 22:09:30 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"Sarah Gooding\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:26;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:74:\"WPTavern: Mojeek Search Engine Adds WordPress’ Openverse to Image Search\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=147123\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:82:\"https://wptavern.com/mojeek-search-engine-adds-wordpress-openverse-to-image-search\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:2089:\"<img />\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.mojeek.com/\">Mojeek</a>, a UK-based privacy-oriented search engine, has <a href=\"https://blog.mojeek.com/2023/07/expanding-mojeeks-image-search-with-openverse.html\">added Openverse to its image search</a>. For more than 15 years, Mojeek has provided independent, unbiased search without tracking or building profiles on users. It is one of just a handful of genuine search engines that uses its own technology and algorithms, unlike the metasearch engines that syndicate Bing, Google, and Yandex. In October 2022, Mojeek passed a major milestone of having <a href=\"https://blog.mojeek.com/2022/10/mojeek-now-six-billion-pages.html\">indexed more than 6 billion pages</a>. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>The search engine had previously provided Pixabay as the default for its image search with the option to use Bing as an alternative.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;We have always wanted to eventually get rid of Bing,&#8221; Mojeek Head of Marketing Joshua Long said. &#8220;Due to both Microsoft&#8217;s API pricing decisions, and informed comments by people using Mojeek to search the web, we recently took that step.&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Openverse&#8217;s openly-licensed media was a natural fit for the independent search engine. In 2021, Creative Commons Search was <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/creative-commons-search-is-now-openverse\">rebranded to Openverse</a> when it came under the umbrella of the WordPress open source project. With more than 700 million Creative Commons licensed and public domain image and audio files, Openverse exceeds Pixabay&#8217;s 4 million+ royalty-free and stock images, greatly expanding users&#8217; abilities to search deeper on more topics.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although Pixabay is still Mojeek&#8217;s default image search provider, users can change their <a href=\"https://www.mojeek.com/preferences\">preferences</a>, which are set using a local cookie and contain no personal data.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;This addition is a testament to the utility that Openverse brings, as well as the ease and extensibility when it comes to using its API,&#8221; Long said.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Mon, 24 Jul 2023 20:30:07 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"Sarah Gooding\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:27;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:115:\"Do The Woo Community: A Deep Dive into Sales Tax for Agencies and Freelancers with Kate Bacholzky and Roger Walker\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:28:\"https://dothewoo.io/?p=75724\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:66:\"https://dothewoo.io/deep-dive-into-sales-tax-agencies-freelancers/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:464:\"<p>Kate Bacholzky from Avalara and Roger Walker from americaneagle.com take you deep into sales tax for yourself and your clients.</p>\n<p>&gt;&gt; The post <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https://dothewoo.io/deep-dive-into-sales-tax-agencies-freelancers/\">A Deep Dive into Sales Tax for Agencies and Freelancers with Kate Bacholzky and Roger Walker</a> appeared first on <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https://dothewoo.io\">Do the Woo - a WooCommerce Builder Community</a>	.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Mon, 24 Jul 2023 09:08:00 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:5:\"BobWP\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:28;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:126:\"Gutenberg Times: All about WordPress 6.3, a breadcrumbs block, design systems and an onboarding wizard – Weekend Edition 262\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:35:\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/?p=24897\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:131:\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/all-about-wordpress-6-3-a-breadcrumbs-block-design-systems-and-an-onboarding-wizard-weekend-edition-262/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:24248:\"<p>Howdy, </p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2023/07/wordpress-6-3-release-candidate-1/\">WordPress 6.3 release candidate</a> has been published and with it the <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/18/wordpress-6-3-field-guide/\">Fieldguide</a> with the array of changes for developers is now available. It&#8217;s a lot to digest, so we&#8217;ll keep this newsletter short. Or rather focused on the upcoming major release. Pick and choose, depending on what&#8217;s important to your work with WordPress. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have something on your Wishlist for WordPress 6.4, submit a comment: <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/18/wordpress-6-4-whats-on-your-wishlist/\">WordPress 6.4: What’s on your wishlist?</a> (until Aug. 15)</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Be well and have a fantastic weekend! </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yours, 💕<br /><em>Birgit</em></p>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-light-background-background-color has-background is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\">\n<p><strong>Table of Contents</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-sortabrilliant-guidepost\"><ul><li><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#0-word-press-release-information\">All about WordPress 6.3</a><ul><li><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#1-word-press-6-3\">Fieldguide Dev Notes WordPress 6.3 </a></li></ul></li><li><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#2-g\">Gutenberg 16.2</a></li><li><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#0-p\">Plugins, Themes, and Tools for #nocode site builders and owners</a></li><li><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#2-word-press-6-0-1-and-6-1-scheduled\">Theme Development for Full Site Editing and Blocks</a></li><li><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#3-building-themes-for-fse-and-word-press\">Building Blocks and Tools for the Block editor. </a></li></ul></div>\n</div></div>\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"0-word-press-release-information\">All about WordPress 6.3</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This week&#8217;s product walk through with <strong>Anne McCarthy</strong>, <strong>Rich Tabor</strong> and Nathan Wrigley is now available:  <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2023/07/wordpress-6-3-live-product-demo-highlights-recording/\"><strong>WordPress 6.3 Live Product Demo – Highlights &amp; Recording</strong></a>. </p>\n\n\n\n<a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2023/07/wordpress-6-3-live-product-demo-highlights-recording/\"><img /></a>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Jonathan Patani</strong> also published the Q &amp; A from the Project Walk through on the Make Core blog: <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/21/6-3-live-product-demo-qa/\"><strong>6.3 Live Product Demo Q&amp;A</strong></a>. You&#8217;ll learn that to add a footnote to a paragraph you just place the cursor where the number should go and use the drop-down menu from the block toolbar. Safe yourself the highlight step. Furthermore, &#8220;The revisions show changes for all styles, including changes made when viewing the stylebook.&#8221; Those are only two of the 14 questions and answers. You can also find a ton of resources that were shared during the walk-through. </p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Femy Praseeth</strong>, release squad member on the docs team, published a <strong><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/docs/2023/07/18/call-for-volunteers-to-help-with-6-3-end-user-documentation/\">Call for volunteers to help with 6.3 end-user documentation</a>. </strong>The best advice, I received when starting out in technology was: &#8220;If you want to learn anything in technology deeply, you try to explain it to others.&#8221; Here is your chance to do both. It&#8217;s also a high-impact contribution to the open-source project! As of this writing, there are still 42 tasks in the to-do-column of <a href=\"https://github.com/orgs/WordPress/projects/108/views/9\">the project board</a>, waiting for you! </p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p>On the WP Briefing <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2023/07/episode-60-sneak-a-peek-at-wordpress-6-3-with-special-guest-mike-schroder/\"><strong>Episode 60: Mike Schroder gave a sneak a peek at WordPress 6.3 </strong></a>together with <strong>Josepha Haden Chomphosy</strong>. All links and transcript are shared on the post. </p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Carlo Daniele</strong> at Kinsta did again a wonderful job reporting on the upcoming major WordPress release. <strong><a href=\"https://kinsta.com/blog/wordpress-6-3/\">What’s New in WordPress 6.3: A Revamped Site Editor, a New Command Palette, Style Revisions, New Blocks, and Much More!</a></strong></p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Doc Pop </strong>at Torque Magazine<strong>, </strong>invited me to speak with him about WordPress 6.3 and what&#8217;s coming to WordPress Phase 3 and WordPress 6.4. <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxEUmifzGlM\"><strong>Torque Social Hour: Understanding WordPress 6.3 with Birgit Pauli-Haack</strong></a>. We discussed and demoed the new footnotes, Details block, Style Variation revisions, Site Editor updates, Stylebook and more. </p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Anne McCarthy</strong>  highlights all the accessibility improvements that will come with WordPress 6.3 in this post: <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/19/wordpress-6-3-accessibility-improvements/\"><strong>WordPress 6.3 Accessibility Improvements</strong></a>,they co-authored with <strong>Joe Dolson</strong> and <strong>Alex Stine</strong>, members of the WordPress Accessibility Team </p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Jamie Marsland </strong>explains <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTq8v2EjG_I\"><strong>WordPress 6.3 explained in 240 seconds</strong></a>, He covers the two new blocks, Footnotes and Details, many of the Pattern changes, aspect ratio for image blocks, enhancements to the Site Editor, Style revision and more. </p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p>For all the WordPress News outlets, <strong>Anne McCarthy</strong> provided a <a href=\"https://nomad.blog/2023/07/17/wordpress-6-3-source-of-truth/\"><strong>Source of Truth for WordPress 6.3 </strong></a>document, actually it&#8217;s more like a book with over 8,000 words. In it, they list  every single feature and update that went into the WordPress 6.3 release, so journalists and bloggers can dig deeper into things and obtain the history, discussions, and overall genesis of a change. It&#8217;s a mammoth of a post. </p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Dave Smith</strong> published a video on the upcoming release: <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKcMhSgBt40\"><strong>WordPress 6.3 features in 6 mins &#8211; the power of the Site Editor is finally unleashed!</strong></a> Smith also shared a ton of links to details for the features, if you&#8217;d like to take a deeper dive. </p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"1-word-press-6-3\">Fieldguide Dev Notes WordPress 6.3 </h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The release doc team assembled a huge <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/18/wordpress-6-3-field-guide/\">Fieldguide</a> with all the Dev Notes covering the big and small changes to WordPress. Here is the list of Block editor related Dev Notes: </p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/17/introducing-the-block-selectors-api/\">Introducing the Block Selectors API</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/17/introducing-the-wordpress-command-palette-api/\">Introducing the WordPress Command Palette API</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/14/layout-updates-in-the-editor-for-wordpress-6-3/\">Layout updates in the editor for WordPress 6.3</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/17/social-icons-block-applied-colors-now-dynamically-update-based-on-theme-json-and-global-styles/\">Social Icons block: Applied colors now dynamically update based on theme.json and Global Styles</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/18/miscellaneous-editor-changes-in-wordpress-6-3/\">Miscellaneous Editor changes in WordPress 6.3</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>But wait, there is more</strong>, quoted from the Fieldguide. </p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Anghami has been added as a trusted oEmbed provider. (<a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/49850\">#49850</a>)</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Support for TikTok creator profiles has been added. (<a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/55784\">#55784</a>)</li>\n\n\n\n<li>A new&nbsp;<code>source</code>&nbsp;attribute is added to Block patterns allowing them to be filtered by that source. (<a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/58622\">#58622</a>)</li>\n\n\n\n<li>The&nbsp;<code>Themes REST API</code>&nbsp;can now indicate whether a theme supports the Site Editor by adding an&nbsp;<code>is_block_theme&nbsp;</code>property to each theme in the&nbsp;<code>wp/v2/themes</code>&nbsp;API response. (<a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/58123\">#58123</a>)</li>\n\n\n\n<li>A&nbsp;revisions&nbsp;endpoint for global styles,&nbsp;<code>/wp/v2/global-styles/revisions</code>, has been added to the REST API. (<a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/58524\">#58524</a>)</li>\n\n\n\n<li><code>WP_REST_Templates_Controller</code>&nbsp;has a new&nbsp;<code>modified</code>&nbsp;field for template and template part objects that returns post modified datetime for Templates. (<a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/58540\">#58540</a>)</li>\n\n\n\n<li>A new public function&nbsp;<code>wp_get_remote_theme_patterns()</code>&nbsp;has been added to query the&nbsp;<code>patterns</code>&nbsp;datum from&nbsp;<code>theme.json</code>&nbsp;and substitutes current usage of private APIs. (<a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/58460\">#58460</a>)</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"2-g\">Gutenberg 16.2</h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-light-background-background-color has-background is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\">\n<p class=\"is-style-no-vertical-margin\"><strong>🎙️ </strong> Latest episode: <a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/podcast/gutenberg-changelog-87/\">Gutenberg Changelog #87 – Patterns, Gutenberg 16.3 and WordPress 6.3.</a> with Anne McCarthy as special guest, hosted by Birgit Pauli-Haack</p>\n</div></div>\n</div></div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Sarah Gooding</strong> wrote about the latest Gutenberg release: <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/gutenberg-16-2-brings-improvements-to-pattern-management-introduces-vertical-text-orientation\"><strong>Gutenberg 16.2 Brings Improvements to Pattern Management, Introduces Vertical Text Orientation</strong></a> and highlighted, among other things, the vertical text orientation, illustrated by <a href=\"https://twitter.com/bph/status/1679464594283155458\">my tweet</a>. To enable the controls in the typography section, you need to turn it on via  the theme.json settings. </p>\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code has-primary-color has-border-background-color has-text-color has-background\"><span><code class=\"hljs language-json shcb-code-table shcb-line-numbers\"><span class=\"shcb-loc\"><span><span class=\"hljs-string\">\"typography\"</span>:{\n</span></span><span class=\"shcb-loc\"><span>      <span class=\"hljs-attr\">\"dropCap\"</span>: <span class=\"hljs-literal\">false</span>,\n</span></span><span class=\"shcb-loc\"><span>      <span class=\"hljs-attr\">\"fluid\"</span>: <span class=\"hljs-literal\">true</span>,\n</span></span><span>      <span class=\"hljs-attr\">\"writingMode\"</span>:<span class=\"hljs-literal\">true</span>,\n</span><span class=\"shcb-loc\"><span>}\n</span></span></code></span><small class=\"shcb-language\" id=\"shcb-language-8\"><span class=\"shcb-language__label\">Code language:</span> <span class=\"shcb-language__name\">JSON / JSON with Comments</span> <span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">(</span><span class=\"shcb-language__slug\">json</span><span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">)</span></small></pre>\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Emily Shiola</strong> also checked out the latest Gutenberg version in her article: <a href=\"https://torquemag.io/2023/07/whats-new-in-gutenberg-the-latest-version/\"><strong>What’s New in Gutenberg: The Latest Version (July 2023)</strong></a> and updated her collection of highlights from every Gutenberg release back to Gutenberg 7.0. in November 2019. I bookmarked the post for later to walk down memory lane. </p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"0-p\">Plugins, Themes, and Tools for #nocode site builders and owners</h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Nick Diego</strong> held a workshop on <a href=\"https://wordpress.tv/2023/07/18/builder-basics-goodbye-reusable-blocks-hello-synced-patterns-and-more/\"><strong>Builder Basics: Goodbye Reusable Blocks—Hello Synced Patterns (and more) </strong></a>and the recording is now available on WordPress.TV. Reusable blocks are a powerful way to save and reuse content across your site. In WordPress 6.3, reusable blocks will be renamed to “synced patterns.” In this online workshop, Diego explored the new functionality for creating custom patterns and managing them in the Site Editor.</p>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"ngl-articles colored ngl-articles-50_50 ngl-articles-frontend\">\n\n	\n	<div class=\"ngl-articles-wrap ngl-articles-webview\">\n	\n						\n			<div class=\"ngl-article-mobile\">\n				<table width=\"100%\" border=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\">\n					<tr>\n						<td valign=\"top\">\n							<div class=\"ngl-article-mob-wrap\">\n							<div class=\"ngl-article-featured\"><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/introducing-the-breadcrumbs-wordpress-block-plugin/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\"><img src=\"https://i0.wp.com/gutenbergtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/breadcrumbs-block.jpg?w=652&ssl=1\" /></a></div><div class=\"ngl-article-title\"><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/introducing-the-breadcrumbs-wordpress-block-plugin/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\"><span>Introducing the Breadcrumbs WordPress Block Plugin</span></a></div><div class=\"ngl-article-excerpt\">In 2009, I announced the release of my first breadcrumbs plugin. It was a one-file PHP script that I&rsquo;d been using in my themes for around a year, and I&hellip; <a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/introducing-the-breadcrumbs-wordpress-block-plugin/\" class=\"ngl-article-read-more\" target=\"_self\">Check it out</a></div>							</div>\n						</td>\n					</tr>\n				</table>\n			</div>\n			\n			\n			\n\n		\n		\n		</div>\n\n</div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>In her article: <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/ollie-theme-previews-new-onboarding-wizard-in-development\"><strong>Ollie Theme Previews New Onboarding Wizard in Development</strong></a>, <strong>Sarah Gooding</strong> reported on <strong>Mike McAlister</strong>&#8216;s newest work developing an onboarding experience that aims to drastically reduce the amount of time users spend setting up a new site. &#8220;McAlister said the interface is all React with largely native WordPress components and a few custom components sprinkled in to handle some of the more unique aspects of the tool.&#8221; she wrote. </p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Mike McAlister</strong> posted about the new onboarding Wizard on hit blog as well:<strong> I<a href=\"https://olliewp.com/in-pursuit-of-a-more-intuitive-onboarding-experience/\">n </a></strong><a href=\"https://olliewp.com/in-pursuit-of-a-more-intuitive-onboarding-experience/\"><strong>pursuit of a more intuitive onboarding experience</strong></a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p>With LocalWP it is a straightforward tool to set up a new development site for testing or other purposes on your computer. With blueprints, you and configure a standard set-up with a set of plugins and themes. This week, <strong>Brian Gardner</strong><a href=\"https://wpengine.com/builders/frost-blueprint-local/\"> <strong>Introduced the Frost Blueprint for Local</strong></a>. &#8220;A Local Blueprint that draws inspiration from <a href=\"https://frostwp.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Frost</a>, our <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/themes/frost/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">open-source</a> WordPress block theme. This Blueprint showcases the power and extensibility of Full Site Editing.&#8221; he wrote. </p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"2-word-press-6-0-1-and-6-1-scheduled\">Theme Development for Full Site Editing and Blocks</h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Justin Tadlock</strong> published the first part of his upcoming <em>Beyond Block Styles</em> series: <a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/news/2023/07/beyond-block-styles-part-1-using-the-wordpress-scripts-package-with-themes/\"><strong>Using the WordPress scripts package with themes</strong></a>. He walks you through the details of setting up your local development space to get ready for block development. &#8220;In Part 2, you’ll learn to design a set of custom block styles. Part 3 will bring it all together into a beautiful and functional editor control. From there, well, you’ll be building some amazing features.&#8221; Tadlock wrote. </p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p>Yesterday&#8217;s Live Q &amp; A: <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/live/6-Epjq3FYSs?feature=share\"><strong>Design Systems and theme.json</strong></a> with <strong>David Bowman</strong>, <strong>Alec Geatches</strong> and <strong>Joni Halabi</strong> was recorded and is available on YouTube. Shared resources</p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://github.com/Automattic/vip-design-system-bridge\">Repository for the design bridge</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://github.com/Automattic/vip-design-system-bridge/blob/trunk/docs/design-tokens-example/README.md\">Tutorial</a> </li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://learn.wordpress.org/course/develop-your-first-low-code-block-theme/\">Develop Your First Low-Code Block Theme</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://learn.wordpress.org/courses/#using-the-site-editor\">Using the Site Editor Courses: </a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/create-block-theme/\">Plugin Create-Block-Theme</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/issues/41547\">Governing block settings and interactions</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://github.com/Automattic/vip-block-data-api/\">VIP Block Data API</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://github.com/Automattic/vip-governance-plugin\">VIP Governance plugin</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&nbsp;<a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/handbook/references/keeping-up-with-gutenberg-index/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&#8220;Keeping up with Gutenberg&#8221;</a>&nbsp;</strong><br />A chronological list of the WordPress Make Blog posts from various teams involved in Gutenberg development: Design, Theme Review Team, Core Editor, Core JS, Core CSS, Test, and Meta team from Jan. 2023 on. Updated by yours truly.  <em><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/handbook/references/keeping-up-with-gutenberg-index/keeping-up-with-gutenberg-index-2022/\">The index 2022 is here</a></em></p>\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"3-building-themes-for-fse-and-word-press\">Building Blocks and Tools for the Block editor. </h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In last week&#8217;s Twitch stream, Ryan Welcher <strong><a href=\"https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1870840777\">explored the existing SlotFills for extending WordPress</a>.</strong>  It&#8217;s an longer version of a <a href=\"https://wordpress.tv/2023/06/30/developer-hours-exploring-editor-extensibility/\">previous talk at Developer Hours</a> a few weeks ago . He walks you through all the Slotfill existing in the post editor as well as the Site editor.  Welcher e also wrote about on the topic on WordPress Developer blog: <a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/news/2022/11/how-to-extend-wordpress-via-the-slotfill-system/\">How to extend WordPress via the SlotFill system</a> and presented<a href=\"https://wordpress.tv/2022/11/18/extending-wordpress-using-slotfill/\"> at WCUS 2022. </a></p>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"ngl-articles colored ngl-articles-50_50 ngl-articles-frontend\">\n\n	\n	<div class=\"ngl-articles-wrap ngl-articles-webview\">\n	\n						\n			<div class=\"ngl-article-mobile\">\n				<table width=\"100%\" border=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\">\n					<tr>\n						<td valign=\"top\">\n							<div class=\"ngl-article-mob-wrap\">\n							<div class=\"ngl-article-featured\"><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/live-q-a-leveraging-gutenbergs-architecture-to-take-plugin-development-to-new-levels/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\"><img src=\"https://i0.wp.com/gutenbergtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Gutenberg-LiveQA-Adams-Waldstein-Morita-Pauli-Haack.jpg?w=652&ssl=1\" /></a></div><div class=\"ngl-article-title\"><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/live-q-a-leveraging-gutenbergs-architecture-to-take-plugin-development-to-new-levels/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\"><span>Live Q &#038; A: Leveraging Gutenberg&#8217;s architecture to take plugin development to new levels</span></a></div><div class=\"ngl-article-excerpt\">In this YouTube Live Q &amp; A, participants learned how Gutenberg components and scripts can be used outside the block editor to revamp a plugin&#8217;s code base. Jason Adams, Director&hellip;</div>							</div>\n						</td>\n					</tr>\n				</table>\n			</div>\n			\n			\n			\n\n		\n		\n		</div>\n\n</div>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/need-a-zip-from-master/\">Need a plugin .zip from Gutenberg&#8217;s master branch?</a></strong><br />Gutenberg Times provides daily build for testing and review. <br />Have you been using it? Hit reply and let me know.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><img alt=\"GitHub all releases\" src=\"https://img.shields.io/github/downloads/bph/gutenberg/total?style=for-the-badge\" /></p>\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right has-small-font-size\"><em>Questions? Suggestions? Ideas? Don&#8217;t hesitate to send <a href=\"mailto:pauli@gutenbergtimes.com\">them via email</a> or send me a message on WordPress Slack or Twitter @bph</em>. </p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right has-small-font-size\">For questions to be answered on the <a href=\"http://gutenbergtimes.com/podcast\">Gutenberg Changelog</a>, send them to <a href=\"mailto:changelog@gutenbergtimes.com\">changelog@gutenbergtimes.com</a></p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n\n<p>Featured Image: <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/photos/photo/690647f4cf/\">Plants growing out of the blocks at the Acropolis by Courtney Robertson found on WordPress Photos</a></p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\"><strong>Don&#8217;t want to miss the next Weekend Edition? </strong></p>\n\n\n\n<form class=\"wp-block-newsletterglue-form ngl-form ngl-portrait\" action=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/\" method=\"post\"><div class=\"ngl-form-container\"><div class=\"ngl-form-field\"><label class=\"ngl-form-label\" for=\"ngl_email\"><br />Type in your Email address to subscribe.</label><div class=\"ngl-form-input\"><input type=\"email\" class=\"ngl-form-input-text\" name=\"ngl_email\" id=\"ngl_email\" /></div></div><button type=\"submit\" class=\"ngl-form-button\">Subscribe</button><p class=\"ngl-form-text\">We hate spam, too and won&#8217;t give your email address to anyone except Mailchimp to send out our Weekend Edition</p></div><div class=\"ngl-message-overlay\"><div class=\"ngl-message-svg-wrap\"></div><div class=\"ngl-message-overlay-text\">Thanks for subscribing.</div></div><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"ngl_list_id\" id=\"ngl_list_id\" value=\"26f81bd8ae\" /><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"ngl_double_optin\" id=\"ngl_double_optin\" value=\"yes\" /></form>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity is-style-wide\" />\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Sat, 22 Jul 2023 08:49:19 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:18:\"Birgit Pauli-Haack\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:29;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:67:\"WPTavern: Ollie Theme Previews New Onboarding Wizard in Development\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=147007\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:78:\"https://wptavern.com/ollie-theme-previews-new-onboarding-wizard-in-development\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:3997:\"<p>Unless you are some kind of wizard with the block editor, starting a WordPress website from a blank slate can be overwhelming and ultimately defeating. Mike McAlister, maker of the <a href=\"https://olliewp.com/\">free Ollie theme</a>, is developing an onboarding experience that aims to drastically reduce the amount of time users spend setting up a new site.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;I suspect we’re cutting out a half hour or more of finagling a new WordPress site,&#8221; McAlister <a href=\"https://twitter.com/mikemcalister/status/1681038694239576064\">said</a>. &#8220;No more wrestling with a blank canvas.&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Ollie Onboarding Wizard creates a guided setup experience that allows users to add basic site settings, select a color palette, input their brand colors, add a logo and site icon, and move on to creating pages. It eliminates the necessity of hunting all these settings down inside blocks and the Site Editor.</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>Instead of having to create pages individually and assign them the correct template or place the right full-page pattern, Ollie onboarding makes it possible for users to simply check which pages they want automatically created.</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;The goal of this wizard is to help WordPress users zoom through a site setup with the Ollie theme and abstract away those annoying and disconnected setup steps we have to do for every site,&#8221; McAlister said.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;The wizard is also a way to educate users along the way. WordPress is going through a much-needed evolution, but as expected, users are having a tough time with the transition. Change is tough, especially when you power half of the internet. Workflows like this can help.&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The onboarding interface leans heavily towards the design of the Site Editor to make it seem naturally at home inside WordPress. It demonstrates just how nice plugins and themes can look in the admin with a more modern interface, which could soon be a reality once the ambitious <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/wordpress-plans-ambitious-admin-ui-revamp-with-design-system-galvanizing-broad-support-from-the-developer-community\">admin UI revamp plans</a> are complete.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Months ago, Patrick Posner and I agreed that the future of WordPress is in the new Site Editor view, so that’s where we built this wizard,&#8221; McAlister said. &#8220;That assumption has since been validated, and because of that, our interface blends in seamlessly with native WordPress.&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;This is just a v1, but we’re already planning on how to seamlessly integrate choosing a vertical with curated plugins (eCommerce, landing page, email marketing, etc.) and surfacing pro features to really bring this experience together. This isn’t just a WordPress theme.&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>McAlister said the interface is all React with largely native WordPress components and a few custom components sprinkled in to handle some of the more unique aspects of the tool. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>After previewing the onboarding wizard, some people have asked if it will be available as a standalone product. McAlister confirmed that he doesn&#8217;t have any plans of productizing it but if there is enough demand he is willing to entertain the idea. Others have asked if there is an API for developers to add their own sections.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;No API yet, although with the announcements of the admin overhaul initiative, perhaps one is coming,&#8221; McAlister said. &#8220;Right now, this is just a custom React layer that mimics the site editor view. It’s built to be flexible though, so if a core solution opens up, we can migrate to that.&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>McAlister previewed the wizard on Twitter and in his newsletter, but it&#8217;s still in development and not yet available for testing. He plans to launch the Ollie theme on WordPress.org once the wizard is ready for public use.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Sat, 22 Jul 2023 01:03:26 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"Sarah Gooding\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:30;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:111:\"Gutenberg Times: Live Q &amp; A: Leveraging Gutenberg’s architecture to take plugin development to new levels\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:35:\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/?p=24919\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:112:\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/live-q-a-leveraging-gutenbergs-architecture-to-take-plugin-development-to-new-levels/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:61388:\"<p>In this YouTube Live Q &amp; A,  participants learned how Gutenberg components and scripts can be used outside the block editor to revamp a plugin&#8217;s code base.  Jason Adams, Director of Development and Jon Waldstein, Lead Developer from GiveWP walked us through their approach to rebuilding their highly popular Donations plugin using WordPress native interface components and scripts and then also discussed how their code fits into the ecosystem. Lena Morita, a JavaScript developer on the components team. </p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-light-background-background-color has-background is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\">\n<p class=\"has-normal-font-size\"><strong>Table of Contents</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-sortabrilliant-guidepost\"><ul><li><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#0-connect-with-the-panelists\">Connect with the Panelists: </a></li><li><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#1-resources\">Resources</a></li><li><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#2-strong-introduction-strong\">Introduction</a></li><li><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#3-strong-give-wp-plugin-architecture-strong\">Plugin architecture</a></li><li><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#4-strong-give-wp-plugin-revamp-strong\">Plugin revamp</a></li><li><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#5-strong-give-wp-demo-strong\">Demo</a></li><li><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#6-strong-adding-interactivity-how-a-form-works-strong\">Adding interactivity &#8211; how a form works</a></li><li><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#7-strong-rendering-strong\">Rendering</a></li><li><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#8-strong-validation-strong\">Validation</a></li><li><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#9-strong-how-its-built-strong\">How it’s built</a></li><li><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#10-strong-give-wp-challenges-strong\">Challenges</a></li><li><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#11-strong-incorporating-react-strong\">Incorporating ReactJS</a></li><li><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#12-strong-trade-offs-and-compatibility-strong\">Trade-offs and compatibility</a></li><li><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#13-strong-support-team-strong\">Support team</a></li><li><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#14-strong-sidebar-customization-isolated-block-editor-strong\">Sidebar customization &#8211; isolated Block Editor</a></li><li><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#15-strong-making-it-easier-with-documentation-and-components-strong\">Making it easier with documentation and components</a></li><li><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#16-strong-some-hard-codes-strong\">Some things are hard-coded</a></li><li><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#17-strong-locked-blocks-strong\">Locked blocks</a></li><li><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#18-strong-filters-and-blocks-strong\">Filters and blocks</a></li><li><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#19-strong-announcements-and-contact-info-strong\">Announcements and contact Info</a></li></ul></div>\n</div></div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"0-connect-with-the-panelists\">Connect with the Panelists: </h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-15 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-content-justification-space-between is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-13 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\">\n<p><strong>Lena Morita</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/0mirka00/\">WordPress profile</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://twitter.com/mirka\">Twitter @mirka</a></li>\n</ul>\n</div></div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\">\n<p><strong>Jon Waldstein</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"mailto:jon@givewp.com\">jon@givewp.com</a>&nbsp;</li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://twitter.com/jonwaldstein\">Twitter @jonwaldstein</a>&nbsp;</li>\n</ul>\n</div></div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\">\n<p><strong>Jason Adams</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"mailto:jason.adams@givewp.com\">jason.adams@givewp.com</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://twitter.com/jasontheadams\">Twitter @jasontheadams</a>&nbsp;</li>\n</ul>\n</div></div>\n</div>\n</div>\n</div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"toolbelt-video-wrapper\"></div>\n</div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"1-resources\">Resources</h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://poststatus.com/the-future-of-givewp-and-the-block-editor/\">Post Status: The Future of GiveWP and the Block Editor</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCN_M5xvPNY\">Video Walk-through</a> (9 months old, so it has improved since then)</li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://givewp.com/lps/next-generation-donation-forms/\">GiveWP Next Gen Landing Page</a> (with ability to demo)</li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://github.com/impress-org/givewp-next-gen/\">GiveWP Next Gen GitHub repository</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li>Blog post by Jason Adams: <a href=\"https://givewp.com/join-us-to-build-the-next-generation-of-wordpress-donation-forms/\">Join Us to Build the Next Generation of WordPress Donation Forms</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://github.com/Automattic/isolated-block-editor\">Isolated Block Editor </a>(GitHub)</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size\"><strong>Transcript: </strong></p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: So welcome to our 34th Gutenberg Times Live Q&amp;A. My name is Birgit Pauli-Haack, and I&#8217;m your host and the publisher of the Gutenberg Times. Thank you all for attending the show and it&#8217;s so great to have you. So today as announced, we will discuss how a product company can leverage WordPress built in Gutenberg architecture to take plugin development to new levels.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The team of GiveWP went all in on the approach and discovered new ways to build the new version of GiveWP Plugin. And we have the pleasure to meet two members of the technical team on the show and hear the genesis of the path and you can ask them questions. Before I introduce a panel, a few housekeeping notes. Speaking of questions, for those watching on YouTube, you can use the chat box next to the livestream and pose your questions and also chat with us or include where you&#8217;re watching from.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I might not go over that very often, but we&#8217;ll definitely will look through the questions. And then here on Zoom, use the Q&amp;A bubble on the bottom of the screen or the jet bubble to share your thoughts and questions. Please be kind even if you disagree. This is a family friendly endeavor. If you might be wondering or your internet connection is not stable or you don&#8217;t have the time to sit through all of it, the recording will be available on YouTube later today after it&#8217;s fully rendered. Then the summary posts will be shared with the shared resources, will be on the Gutenberg Times within the next couple of weeks.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"2-strong-introduction-strong\">Introduction</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>So allow me to introduce our panel for today. Say hello, and let us know where you&#8217;re located tonight. I have the feeling that between the panel and the attendees, we span quite a bit of the globe. So I present to you, Jason Adams, director of development of GiveWP.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Jason Adams</em>: Hi, I&#8217;m Jason. It&#8217;s good to meet y&#8217;all. I am from sunny San Diego, California.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: All right. Yeah. I&#8217;ll also present to you Jon Waldstein, the lead developer of GiveWP, and it&#8217;s all his fault. Oh, sorry. And then last but not least, my co-host, Lena Morita, who is a JavaScript developer and core contributor to the Gutenberg components and sponsored by Automattic. Hi, Lena.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Lena Morita</em>: Hi, I&#8217;m Lena. I am based in Tokyo, Japan. It&#8217;s 2:00 AM right now.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: All right. So good morning, Lena. Good morning, everybody else? Yeah, Jason and Jon, yeah, are both on the West Coast.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Jon Waldstein</em>: I&#8217;m on the East Coast, Rhode Island.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: East Coast, yeah. Rhode Island. Yes, sorry.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Jon Waldstein</em>: Happy to be here.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah, geography can be always a bit tricky for me.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"3-strong-give-wp-plugin-architecture-strong\">Plugin architecture</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>So let&#8217;s start at the beginning. Jason and I met at the post status get together at WordCamp US last year and you just had announced, GiveWP just had announced the start of the revamp of the GiveWP plugin, version 3.0. Widely distributed plugin for nonprofits and others to collect donations on website with various add-ons. Then you mentioned that you are building the new version on top of Gutenberg components and WordPress scripts and I found that fascinating. So before we dive in head first, let&#8217;s get everyone on the same plate. In short, Jason, what is GiveWP?</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Jason Adams</em>: Yeah, so GiveWP number one donation plugin for WordPress. We have coming up on about 200,000 folks that use GiveWP to connect donations directly from their website, manage their donors and keep their nonprofits, which is largely our audience, running. Doing their day-to-day thing and not having to work too hard to bring in donations on there to keep their work going.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Awesome. Yeah, GiveWP, I used it quite a bit when I was working for the agency, but what made you rethink the current architecture of your plugin?</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Jason Adams</em>: Yeah, so first Give still works very much kind of, you remember the classic editor experience of WordPress where it was it kind of data entry, right? You didn&#8217;t design or build your pages, you entered data about your pages, the content and tags and all this other stuff, and then you click publish and then you view on the front end, what did I get? We know that that worked great for decades, but now we&#8217;re moving more to a visual era of building things. People want to be able to visualize and have that kind of full more immersed experience. That was our motivator, was wanting to go down that route. We had a lot of ideas for how we wanted to do that, but we had technical debt building as all products do that was making it more and more difficult to go down that path. Yeah, we started to weigh our options of how are we going to go about taking GiveWP to the next level.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Interesting. Yeah, the drag and drop, the visual editing, I think that&#8217;s kind of really where Gutenberg shines and having a plugin follow that path. How did you figure out the path forward? Because a revamp normally is really a big project and it&#8217;s a multi-year development project, so how did you go about it?</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Jason Adams</em>: Yeah, and we didn&#8217;t want to do a start from scratch kind of a thing. We wanted to iteratively build it out. So what&#8217;s been nice is that our underlying architecture for donations, donors, none of that&#8217;s changing. It&#8217;s just our forms. We first explored four years ago just building something proprietary and the reality was, it was not up to the standard that you see in Gutenberg and other sorts of things today. It&#8217;s a lot of work. It&#8217;s so easy to take for granted just the idea of a block, a thing that you can move up and down. It&#8217;s a fluid user interface, inner blocks, blocks inside a block. There&#8217;s so many things that are easy to take for granted when you go to set out to build something like this. We were like, &#8220;Well, it&#8217;s right there in Gutenberg.&#8221; And so we started to kind of peel it back and we knew that Gutenberg is not&#8230; Gutenberg is in WordPress, WordPress isn&#8217;t Gutenberg. You can go to the Gutenberg repository and it&#8217;s broken out into tons of packages.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We just started installing stuff and we did what we call spiking, where we&#8217;re just trying out an idea for a fixed length of time. I think we gave one of our developers, might have been Jon or our other senior developer on the project, shout out to him, Kyle Johnson, one of them had a week to see what they could do. We were really surprised how much we were able to get up and running. Have the list view of blocks, have the block editor itself, have our own blocks loading, the inspector.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s like you have so much that you can get up and running in such a short time that would&#8217;ve taken us months to achieve and it&#8217;s already so battle tested all of these packages. It&#8217;s hard to appreciate how much that&#8217;s worth by itself. Of course this is where WordPress is going. We didn&#8217;t want to have to reimagine an entirely new user experience and then train our users on how to use that. We wanted somebody to be able to go from working on a page or a post to a form and not have to relearn the whole journey, but to be like, this feels immediately familiar. It&#8217;s a little different, but it feels inherently familiar. Reducing that user friction from changing from context to context within WordPress, which I think is really important.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yes, it sounds right, a good path, but there are definitely some hurdles. So what were the first wins that you kind of say when your developer kind of set out, get a week, and then what was it exactly that they set out to do, but then found, &#8220;Oh, that is going to be fast to develop that in a week.&#8221; Normally development takes about four weeks or five weeks or something like that. Yeah. What are your first wins?</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"4-strong-give-wp-plugin-revamp-strong\">Plugin revamp</h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Jason Adams</em>: Like I said, even the concept of a block, because for us, we have, and I&#8217;ll demo this in a moment here, but we have our sections and then our fields go in our sections, like name amount. To just have everything visually there and to have, &#8220;I want this field to be down there,&#8221; and making that as fluid user experience is not as easy as it sounds. Or we also have sections and fields inside of sections. So this inner block concept and then being able to select which blocks are visible based on what context you&#8217;re in. Or I click on a block and that block contextually shows up in the inspector. We achieved all of that within a week and I was like, &#8220;We have a lot of work to do.&#8221; But just the fact that we could get that far in such a short amount of time, those were the wins that were like, &#8220;Well, we don&#8217;t want to go reinvent this,&#8221; and it already is a familiar user experience, so it would be silly not to do this in short.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. So I think that I find it fascinating and when you tried to describe it, I think it would be really helpful for us to have a short demo of the current state of your development so we can actually look at things and then I can see that we might have the first round of audience questions. What will you show us tonight?</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Jason Adams</em>: All right, let&#8217;s share my screen and show some stuff. All right. Can y&#8217;all see my screen?</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yes, now we can.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"5-strong-give-wp-demo-strong\">Demo</h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Jason Adams</em>: All right, cool. So this is GiveWP very similar to how it is now, but I have a plugin, what we&#8217;re calling our feature plugin right now installed, called NextGen that anybody can actually go test out themselves. We have a landing page for this that we can share the link for that you can just go click spin up a site and it will just spin you up a site and you can be playing with it literally in 15 seconds.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Lena Morita</em>: I tried this and it was really easy.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Jason Adams</em>: Yeah, thank you. So let&#8217;s see here. So I&#8217;ll add a new V3 form as we&#8217;re calling it. I won&#8217;t get into why it&#8217;s V3, but it is. So here you go. It&#8217;s funny, when we first showed this to people, it almost had an anticlimactic effect to it where they were like, &#8220;Well, what else would it look like?&#8221; Because it just fits right within WordPress. It&#8217;s like, &#8220;Oh, okay.&#8221; So you can see we&#8217;ve got the list view like you would normally have. We have our various sections, you can see everything within those sections. We&#8217;ve got the form itself. So a lot of this is very similar. Now you don&#8217;t have the fluid typing interface where you can just add paragraphs and paragraphs. You can&#8217;t just click somewhere and start typing. But that&#8217;s really neat is that you&#8217;re able to constrain how the block editor works, because for us, we don&#8217;t want people just typing in the forms. It doesn&#8217;t make sense for a form.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead, people want to do something, like add a text field, and so we can just click on a section and we can add a text field, favorite color, we can mark it required. So I mean, as you see, it&#8217;s just Gutenberg. It&#8217;s the exact experience somebody would normally expect, but it&#8217;s tailored to how our forms work. And for us, we also wanted to do things like, if I come down here, I can only add a section. We wanted all fields to be within sections. So that&#8217;s a really subtle thing, that&#8217;s really powerful actually, because this is root level blocks here, and a root level block can only be a section. But then when I&#8217;m in a section and I want to add fields, well now Gutenberg knows what blocks can go in there and that&#8217;s not something we had to build. Gutenberg already has a concept of all of that kind of stuff.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So I can come in here, you can click in and you can have that same&#8230; Gutenberg comes with a lot of what they call controls out of the box. So things like, I want to have inline text editing or something like that. That&#8217;s not something that you have to build. One other thing that I&#8217;ll point out here, is that if I go to add our blocks here, you can see that you have only our blocks. So we didn&#8217;t want to open up the form to every block that exists in WordPress. We thought about that, but we had very specific reasons why we didn&#8217;t. That&#8217;s another thing that&#8217;s really neat, is you can think of Gutenberg as creating your own sandbox environment for what you want to build. So you don&#8217;t have to think to yourselves like, &#8220;Oh my goodness, we have to&#8230;&#8221; So every block is open to this? No, you can make it limited to only your own fixed list of blocks.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The other thing that is really neat that we&#8217;re able to do is add an additional tab over here that we call design. So this is breaking out a bit from what Gutenberg natively does. We wanted folks to have the ability to, in this view, we call it the builder view, which is where you&#8217;re focusing on the structure of your form. So it&#8217;s kind of a very vanilla, very plain looking, it&#8217;s just meant to be very clear. You can see with our donation summary here, it&#8217;s not really showing you anything real. It&#8217;s purely so that you can do things like I just want to position things where I want to have them in my form. So then you can switch over to the design tab and now we can actually view our form and this is the exact form as it&#8217;s going to render in the front end, and you can play around with secondary colors.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So my secondary color in this form design is being used here. I can make this a nice little purple color, I can change the header, I can hide it, show it. You can do all sorts of fun things in here. But I mean that was pretty powerful of just the ability to add an entirely new type of experience within Gutenberg and giving people the ability to preview. For us, because Give forms are fairly widgety, right? We&#8217;re not trying to preview the entire page, just one thing, it worked out really nicely to be able to do it right within here.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;m trying to think what else. So the last thing that I&#8217;ll point out here, let me publish this. Let&#8217;s go to our form. Let&#8217;s take a look at it on the front end. Okay, so we&#8217;ve got our form here on the front end. I&#8217;m going to dive deep into the weeds here, it&#8217;s a dev audience, so just track with me. Okay, so typically when you&#8217;re working in Gutenberg, the way that we typically think of it saving is it saves as a string version to the post content. So you think of the Gutenberg HTML comments where it includes attributes and stuff about the block. You can load it dynamically and so on and so forth, but it saves to the post content column of the database. Then when you&#8217;re rendering the page, you grab that post content and you stick it on your page.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now for us, we didn&#8217;t want to just do that. We had to do a heck of a lot more. So if I fill this out, green for anybody who&#8217;s wondering. Then let&#8217;s throw on our test card, let&#8217;s say for five, donate. So I just made a real donation to my Stripe account. So a lot just happened there. That was obviously a lot more than just, &#8220;Oh, it looks like a form.&#8221; No, it has to actually work like a form. Forms submit data, forms store data. You can see here it&#8217;s referring to my favorite color that was stored in the donation meta. So has a lot that it needs to actually do and validate and all of this different stuff. What we did differently, is that when our forms save, so coming back here, so when I click update, it&#8217;s actually saving as JSON.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So before Gutenberg turns into the big string that we know it to be, that saved content, it actually first stores as a JSON object. A bunch of blocks, block attributes, and then child blocks and so on and so forth. It&#8217;s a very simple structure actually. We&#8217;re doing nothing with the string content, we&#8217;re using just that JSON, and we built what we&#8217;re calling our field API and we&#8217;re converting the JSON structure into the field API. So this email address field, here it&#8217;s a block and then it gets converted into an email field on the front end, which is meaningful within GiveWP. So in other words, this is purely presentational so to speak and structural and we can convert it in any context we want. That&#8217;s a really powerful thing when you think about it, that you can take something like this, structurally speaking, and just convert it into your own API. So the block JSON, it&#8217;s focused on how is this all laid out within Gutenberg.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>When we load this page, literally all we&#8217;re doing is we&#8217;re grabbing that JSON that we save and we&#8217;re handing it back to Gutenberg and we say, &#8220;Here&#8217;s the form,&#8221; and that&#8217;s it. It just works. Then when we go to save it, we do the conversion and you can actually see that at play. If I just add another text field here, maybe. If I go to design, like that&#8217;s showing up here, because just as we&#8217;re working within, so even though I didn&#8217;t save it, that&#8217;s the kind of thing I&#8217;m showing there. Even though we didn&#8217;t save it, we&#8217;re still just grabbing that JSON object and converting it to our field API and rendering it that way.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So I think for a lot of plugin developers and whatnot, I really want them to grasp the concept of Gutenberg is not just a way of being able to lay things out and then you just have to take whatever it gives you and slap it on the page and there you go. It&#8217;s like, no, you can use it as a tool for interacting with your user and then you can convert it into whatever context you can imagine. And that&#8217;s a pretty powerful thing.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I think that&#8217;s it for what I had in mind for demo. Anything that anybody wants me to show a little more or poke into here?</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Lena Morita</em>: I have a question. So on the front end, on the actual front end form, how are you adding interactivity? Like the JavaScript parts?</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"6-strong-adding-interactivity-how-a-form-works-strong\">Adding interactivity &#8211; how a form works</h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Jason Adams</em>: Yeah, so the way this works is that, so it takes the Gutenberg JSON, converts it into the field API, and then that is serialized and this is an iframe. Inside the iframe is a React application that&#8217;s just running independently. The React application takes in the form and then it connects to things like gateways, other add add-ons, that sort of a thing. But yeah, that&#8217;s where it&#8217;s coming from. This is just a React application of our own design, built specifically for Give forms.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Lena Morita</em>: So basically field API converts all that JSON data into actual React components and stuff?</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Jason Adams</em>: The field API is a PHP layer.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Lena Morita</em>: Oh.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Jason Adams</em>: It&#8217;s pure just PHP objects, but it&#8217;s focused. Whereas the Gutenberg API is focused on blocks and child blocks, attributes, that sort of thing. Our field API is focused on how does a form work. So for example, is this a field? Is this field required? What are the validation rules for this field? Does it have any sanitization that needs to happen? So things that you would typically think about from a field or field form perspective, that&#8217;s what the field API thinks about.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was also really important to us that developers could programmatically&#8230; So if I want to programmatically move a field, add a field, add a section, do anything, you can do it using our field API in PHP. So you can kind of add a middleman layer between Gutenberg, a programmatic layer to be able to make more adjustments to your form. Then that&#8217;ll just show up here. For example, when I submitted this form down here, how does it know that this is a required field and what does that even mean, right? Because it has to validate on the other side. So when we submit this form on the server, it&#8217;s grabbing the form again in the structure of the field API, it&#8217;s finding the favorite color field, and then it&#8217;s checking the validation rules such as, &#8220;Hey, this is required,&#8221; or &#8220;It can only be up to 255 characters,&#8221; or whatever else. Does that make sense?</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Lena Morita</em>: Yeah. So wait, the initial render of this form is not in PHP, I think you said this was initially rendered in React, or is it actually a PHP rendered page?</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"7-strong-rendering-strong\">Rendering</h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Jason Adams</em>: I know there&#8217;s so many layers.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Lena Morita</em>: It&#8217;s so interesting.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Jason Adams</em>: It&#8217;s no worries. The field API lives in memory and PHP. That can be used both for rendering a form or validating a form or doing any number of things. This form represented in memory and PHP and it knows all the responsibilities of that form. Then we say, &#8220;Hey, I want to render that. That&#8217;s what I want to do this time.&#8221; And so then what it does is it, I think it&#8217;ll show you, it serializes everything. I thought it would show here. That&#8217;s fine. But anyway, it takes the whole field API structure, the form, all of its internal fields, elements and so on and so forth, serializes that, passes that to the front end, which is received by a React application.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Lena Morita</em>: Oh, that&#8217;s how you hydrate it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Jason Adams</em>: Exactly. Yep. The React application is ready to receive a form in the structure of the field API JSON.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Lena Morita</em>: Yeah, I&#8217;m not sure if everybody&#8217;s aware, but the interactivity API is kind of an experimental phase in Gutenberg right now. And this is a very hot topic. I feel like it&#8217;s on everybody&#8217;s minds. How do we hydrate interactive components on the front end? So it&#8217;s very intriguing how people have done this before any kind of ready-made abstraction layer.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Jason Adams</em>: Right. There&#8217;s also the difference between, for example, I&#8217;m making a page, on my page I&#8217;m adding a component. This component is an accordion. It&#8217;s presentational, but there is a JavaScript element to it of, I want to be able to make interactivity happen on a presentational level versus what I&#8217;m describing here. It&#8217;s pretty complex, because there&#8217;s both a front end validation and server side validation, and we want them to be the same. There&#8217;s a lot of complexity around a form and what the form even does. So for us, our forms don&#8217;t just save and entry, our forms actually output into a donation and donor. So trying to capture the lightning in a bottle of boiling this down to interactivities, it&#8217;s like, well, it&#8217;s doing a lot more than just being interactive. It&#8217;s also validating and doing a whole bunch of other stuff.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"8-strong-validation-strong\">Validation</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Actually, one thing I&#8217;ll show here if I switch to our multi-step design, so let&#8217;s just update this. Okay, we&#8217;ve got a completely different experience here. So now in this one, every single step, so when I do that, you notice there it kind of loaded for a moment in between steps? It&#8217;s validating with the server. So every single step is now validated against the server to make sure that everything here is in fact correct.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Well, actually I have that differently set. Anyway, so if I were to try to continue, I&#8217;m going to get immediate validation feedback from the server. Even if you try to trick the JavaScript and make it not work and validate in the front end, it&#8217;s still going to validate on the server. So yeah, it&#8217;s a complex piece. So I think the interactivity API and stuff like that is really, really great for a lot of simpler forms of interactivity. But when you&#8217;re building what is in effect a small application, I think something like that is still a ways away from covering everything that we need this to do. Does that make sense?</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Lena Morita</em>: Yeah, it makes a lot of sense. Thank you.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Totally sense for me too. Especially the other pieces, not only the validation of the form, but it&#8217;s also the connection with the external services like Stripe and the databases and all of that. Those need to be abstracted too and then kind of come back through the server API I would think, to then push it again to the front end in some other places.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Jason Adams</em>: Exactly, because we don&#8217;t have a fixed list of gateways here. That&#8217;s injected. We also have our own add-ons, like fee recovery, form field manager, those add additional blocks and fields and those are injected at different points. It&#8217;s a highly customizable system, so there&#8217;s a lot going on.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack:</em> Super. Yeah. Well, do you have any other questions, Lena, to get them to show you something or shall we talk a little bit higher level now?</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Lena Morita</em>: Yeah, we can go higher level.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Well, thank you so much, Jason, for the demo. It&#8217;s fascinating, especially how the difference between before and now, because I only know the current version or the version three years ago and what you do now. So it&#8217;s a total different beast, I would say, as complexity, but also easy to use.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"9-strong-how-its-built-strong\">How it’s built</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>So just a ballpark, would you say from the code base, how much is actually based on the WordPress components and scripts and how much of that app do you have to rebuild kind of thing? So I would think the field API on PHP, that&#8217;s kind of the interface between those two as we saw.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Jason Adams</em>: Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Maybe it&#8217;s kind of an odd question. Yeah, I get that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Jason Adams</em>: Twenty-five percent. I mean a lot. Gutenberg definitely attributes to quite a bit.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Jon Waldstein</em>: I could take that one.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Jason Adams</em>: Yeah, go for it, Jon.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Jon Waldstein</em>: We built the donation form, the new one that you were seeing on the front end, completely from scratch. That whole thing with React serializing or hydrating data from the server, we did that from scratch, because our old forms were just using post types. So everything is server rendered, and it&#8217;s a little difficult to add that level of interactivity with React using the old system. So we really built it, the front end, from the ground up. The form builder that Jason was demoing is mostly things you can get from the Gutenberg package. We had to customize a couple things that we had to fork and call our own, mainly the sidebar that you saw where we have that design tab, that&#8217;s not something that&#8217;s available to us. So we had to create that and implement it on our own. But for the most part, what you&#8217;re seeing on the form builder can be achieved from Gutenberg packages.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: So the sidebar, when you say that, I saw the controls that were there, they looked like Gutenberg components, the color, bigger, and the different kind of&#8230; Yeah. So that definitely might have come through that. Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Jason Adams</em>: We barely invented anything in the inspector.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Jon Waldstein</em>: Yeah, and that&#8217;s the beautiful thing about using Gutenberg is if you want to create a block in our form builder, there&#8217;s nothing different about it than building a WordPress Gutenberg block. And we really wanted to make sure that was the case so that there&#8217;s nothing, no crazy documentation that you have to relearn. So we do have a community of developers that interact with GiveWP, external developers, and we want to preserve the customization of the plugin. So if you know how to build a block in WordPress, you&#8217;re going to know how to build a block for us as well.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Oh, that&#8217;s awesome. Yeah. Well, this is all talking about the good sides, but were there any surprises or challenges that you encountered while you were building that, or are you still encountering? What are the biggest surprises that you&#8217;ve found?</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"10-strong-give-wp-challenges-strong\">Challenges</h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Jon Waldstein</em>: Yeah. Well, we mentioned we had to customize some components like the sidebar. But I think the one I want to mention is GiveWP is not just one plugin. We have a lot of add-ons that extend the functionality of GiveWP, whether it be gateways and different ways to customize your form. We have a lot of things that interact with our main plugin. One of the bigger challenges recently was figuring out how to open up our customized Gutenberg form builder with our add-ons. Now, another shout out to Kyle Johnson, who is a developer on our team who built the first iteration of the form builder. To get things up and running we used just React, Create React App, which ends up bundling all the scripts together into one JavaScript file. So when you load the form builder, you&#8217;re just loading a page and it&#8217;s just loading that one JavaScript file.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>What we found out later is that in order to load external blocks from our add-ons and other things that are interacting with the form builder, all of these different things are always reacting with certain dependencies like React. They can&#8217;t all load Gutenberg at the same time. It&#8217;s just not going to work, which is how the post editor works and why WordPress Scripts package came out is that you can extract all the dependencies from your script and let WordPress load those for you. So that was a big kind of structural change we had to make so that we are now relying on WordPress to provide us with Gutenberg, which is actually something we didn&#8217;t want to do. We wanted to have full access to the latest version of Gutenberg, but it wasn&#8217;t possible for us, because we have add-ons that also need to interact with Gutenberg and React, and they can&#8217;t all just be loading their scripts at the same time. It&#8217;s just not going to work.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Like most of us know, wp_enqueue_scripts, you add an array of dependencies that you want your script to use, and WordPress will load those for you. And that&#8217;s how we had to go about loading our form builder and then having add-ons come in and give us a block or give us something to customize the form builder and just let WordPress handle loading external scripts. That was the big one.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Jason Adams</em>: I&#8217;ll add to that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Lena Morita</em>: I&#8217;m curious.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"11-strong-incorporating-react-strong\">Incorporating ReactJS</h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Jason Adams</em>: It&#8217;s easy to take for granted that the Gutenberg team had to tackle this issue of we&#8217;re creating a single React tree. We don&#8217;t want everybody to load their own version of React, and it has to all end up in the same place. So I remember when Gutenberg first came out and there&#8217;s the Gutenberg elements, they tucked React inside of Gutenberg, why&#8217;d they do that? And why did they come out with WP-Scripts that just swaps out for you&#8217;re doing at WordPress/components? What actually that does, is it grab it from WP.components. It&#8217;s like why is it doing all this? Well, the reality is, they went through all of the hard work of figuring out how to have everybody using the same version of React and loading everything to the same React tree all at the same time from 1,000 different places.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>That&#8217;s actually a lot harder than it sounds. Once we ran into that, we were like, &#8220;Okay.&#8221; We just had to switch everything to using WP-Scripts, because we&#8217;re like, &#8220;It&#8217;s just not worth it for us to try to solve the same problem of extensibility that Gutenberg itself has already solved so well.&#8221; It has some trade-offs, but it really, as a whole, it actually works quite well. So huge shout out to the Gutenberg team, because originally we actually had the first version of this loading in GitHub pages. It was literally totally standalone, but then we tried to extend it and we&#8217;re like, &#8220;This is a lot harder than we thought it would be.&#8221; Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"12-strong-trade-offs-and-compatibility-strong\">Trade-offs and compatibility</h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Lena Morita</em>: So speaking of trade-offs, I&#8217;m also sympathetic with the major downside of this. As a plug-in developer, you cannot rely on any version being in action at any moment. It&#8217;s very hard. Upstream changes can break your app at any moment. You don&#8217;t know what versions running. What are some things you&#8217;re doing to mitigate this risk I guess?</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Jon Waldstein</em>: We have to manually test it now. Before, if we were loading the latest version of Gutenberg, well, there&#8217;s only one instance of that. But since we&#8217;re loading Gutenberg from WordPress now, we actually had to bump up our minimum version of WordPress to whatever the version of Gutenberg that we support that comes with WordPress. That&#8217;s a major change for us, but it&#8217;s necessary.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Jason Adams</em>: We previously supported back to WordPress 5.0. So this whole thing actually made us come up with an entirely new policy around which versions of WordPress do we support. Before it was like we would support a version of WordPress until we were like, &#8220;I guess there&#8217;s something that we really need,&#8221; then we would bump it up to&#8230; We were talking about bumping it up to 5.5 or something like that, but we saw no reason to cut backwards compatibility until we had a specific reason to do so. This whole thing made us realize like, &#8220;Oh, we&#8217;re really tightly coupled now.&#8221; We&#8217;re really on the WordPress bandwagon and it&#8217;s really important what versions we support.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We didn&#8217;t invent this, other plugins are doing this, but we said, &#8220;Okay, we&#8217;re only going to officially, moving forward, support the latest released version of WordPress and the previous two.&#8221; That&#8217;s how we&#8217;re going to keep ourselves from getting into compatibility hell as new changes roll in that we have to become compatible for. Then that makes it harder and harder to be compatible with older versions. So we&#8217;re having to really kind of tighten in on that window. Fortunately, I will say, according to our telemetry, people are actually pretty darn good at staying within the latest or a few most late recent latest versions of WordPress. We don&#8217;t have a lot.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Lena Morita</em>: That&#8217;s good to know.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"13-strong-support-team-strong\">Support team</h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah, I was thinking so, what is your customer servicing to that? Yeah, because I can see that there are quite a few nonprofits that have not updated their WordPress for a while. But they could stay on your older version of GiveWP because it&#8217;s still supported, and you&#8217;re not going to cut it out right there.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Jason Adams</em>: So a good product question there. So our support team is actually very much in support of it. What we&#8217;ve found is that typically people fall into one of two camps. One, they&#8217;re set it and forget it. They set up their website five years ago, and it works, so don&#8217;t touch it, right? And that&#8217;s perfectly fine. Or you have people that keep things fairly up to date. You don&#8217;t have many people that are in this weird middle space where they update some stuff and not others. And if somebody does reach out to our support team and is having an issue or something, our team is trained. One of the first things they do is they say, &#8220;Are you updated?&#8221; So it&#8217;s not like they&#8217;re going to have to suddenly change their tune, because of this new policy. It&#8217;s something we&#8217;ve already recommended to people for years is, if you&#8217;re having a problem, you should start by updating what you have to make sure that&#8230; because the problem might be fixed already and you&#8217;re just not updated.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So yeah, we&#8217;re really not anticipating, and others like the events calendar and others have had this policy for a while, and so I did ask around within the product space, &#8220;Hey, was this a pain point for you? Did you notice a decrease in sales or higher churn rate?&#8221; The answer was unanimously, &#8220;No. No, actually, it&#8217;s a very healthy policy to have and it hasn&#8217;t caused us problems.&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. So we have one more question from Anton, and I think it goes back quite a few minutes, he was asking about the sidebar if that is accomplished through slot fills.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"14-strong-sidebar-customization-isolated-block-editor-strong\">Sidebar customization &#8211; isolated Block Editor</h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Jon Waldstein</em>: That one, no, we actually had to fork that. But I wanted to bring up the isolated block editor, which Lena works on or has worked on, because we&#8217;ve been following that project for a little while now. I think at its inception we were also building ours, which our form builder is very similar to how the isolated block editor works. One of the biggest problems was the sidebar customization, which to answer Anton&#8217;s previous question, if you were to use isolated block editor now, you can accomplish that with technically a slot fill, because we submitted a feature request to do that, and it was actually added just recently.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>It makes it a little bit more feasible to actually switch over to the isolated block editor shortly, because we&#8217;re really not doing anything crazy. That was kind of the main thing about using WordPress as dependencies. It&#8217;s like we&#8217;re really not customizing anything that crazy. We&#8217;re just using Gutenberg. We&#8217;re not like forking every single thing. We&#8217;re loading a bunch of blocks into it and maybe doing some style changes. So it should be pretty reliable. But we are looking at the block editor, the isolated block editor, as a way forward for this. I would suggest it for anyone else looking at this project or looking at something similar to this, because it&#8217;s a really easy way to get started.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Lena Morita</em>: Yeah, I agree.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Jason Adams</em>: Played around using it and realize like, oh, it has things like undo, redo. We don&#8217;t have that right now, but if you use the isolated block editor, you just have it. So yeah, part of our post 3.0 launch roadmap is to switch the isolated block editor, which will also take a lot of complexity off of our plate.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Excellent. Excellent. So I have another question. I&#8217;m so happy that I&#8217;m privileged to run this show so I can ask all the questions that I want.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Jason Adams</em>: Go for it.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"15-strong-making-it-easier-with-documentation-and-components-strong\">Making it easier with documentation and components</h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: You started kind of three, four years ago thinking about it and maybe a year and a half or two years ago, really doing proof of concepts and all that. So put yourself back into the shoes you would start out now, because that would be something that plugin developers might think about. What is it that you would ask of the Gutenberg team to improve or to build on the components or on the scripts so that work is a little easier? Or much easier, not just a little easier.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Jon Waldstein</em>: Documentation has been a little bit of a struggle for us, especially being like&#8230; And we understand we&#8217;re no experts at documentation. It&#8217;s tough work.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Can you specify a little bit on the documentation? Which piece?</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Jon Waldstein</em>: Well, if you know are going down the path of building your own block editor, there&#8217;s very little documentation on there. If there is, it&#8217;s a little outdated. We had to do a lot of digging through reading code and finding how to actually pull this thing off that didn&#8217;t quite match up with some of the documentation out there. So that was one of the biggest hurdles. Then also some components in Gutenberg are not accessible that we wanted to pull out and use ourselves. So some of those were just not exported. Maybe they&#8217;re just internal components. We found ourselves really wanting to, and we did use some of these components, but once we switched over to relying on WordPress to provide us the scripts, we lost some of those, because they&#8217;re not available. I would have to come up with a list to give you…</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Lena Morita</em>: With the block editor package? In the block editor package, you mean?</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Jon Waldstein</em>: Yeah, block editor. Maybe some more. We would have to define the path to the actual build component to grab, and sometimes those were missing from the exports. We would often have to fork the whole file, which causes side effects, because it&#8217;s relying on some things. So limiting that was tough at first, but we kind of worked around it. I would&#8217;ve to come up with a list to figure out which ones are really important to people like us.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Lena Morita</em>: Yeah, please send me that list. I&#8217;m interested. There is something about it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Jon Waldstein</em>: Yeah. Some of these would be documented like, &#8220;Hey, they&#8217;re available,&#8221; and then you&#8217;d go to use them and they&#8217;re just not.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: I know that Ryan Welchers is actually on the path to put example code into the read me files and all that, and he found quite a few that if you want to use that code snippet, you couldn&#8217;t, because it didn&#8217;t export. So he actually goes through it and while he is updating the documentation to also add the export feature to it. So I didn&#8217;t find it yet now quickly, that little issue or the tracking issue of that, but I can certainly share that with you and in the show notes and also with you personally, so you can add to the list so you don&#8217;t have to start from scratch. Have you, speaking of documentation, there&#8217;s also a separate documentation site that&#8217;s called The Storybook for the components. How did that help you?</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Jon Waldstein</em>: That was helpful. I&#8217;m not sure how complete it is or how up to date it actually is.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Lena Morita</em>: It&#8217;s getting more complete by the minute.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Jon Waldstein</em>: Yeah, there were some things on there that were very helpful.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Lena Morita</em>: It&#8217;s really nice right now. We spent a lot of time on it this past year.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Jon Waldstein</em>: Yeah, I love the idea of that. There&#8217;s different documentation sites. We&#8217;re not really sure which ones are up-to-date. So maybe add a version to what thing was added, that would be helpful.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Jason Adams</em>: That&#8217;s a really important note, I think. If you go to some documentation sites out there, I think React does this or Stripe does this, where the docs themselves are versioned. That&#8217;s really helpful, because otherwise that&#8217;s been a part of our struggles. We&#8217;ll find some piece of documentation on Gutenberg and we&#8217;re like, &#8220;Is this old? Is this current?&#8221; We just don&#8217;t know how to trust it. So we always end up going back to the source code anyway to validate the documentation that we found to make sure that it is in fact still recent.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah, totally get that. Especially because the documentation is actually built on top. The automation of the references is actually built on top of the Gutenberg plugin, but it doesn&#8217;t tell you that when you look at it. You are looking for something and you find it and then you try it out on WordPress without the plugin and the feature isn&#8217;t there yet, because it&#8217;s coming. It&#8217;s one of the upcoming kind of things. So I totally get this. Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Lena Morita</em>: This is on our radar, definitely.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah, absolutely. Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Lena Morita</em>: We&#8217;ll try to push for this.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"16-strong-some-hard-codes-strong\">Some things are hard-coded</h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Jason Adams</em>: One other minor thing on the original question I&#8217;ll add is, there are still some things in Gutenberg that are hard coded that you can&#8217;t really do anything about. One that we&#8217;re kind of just hoping nobody notices is if you click on a block and then there&#8217;s little header piece of the block there and there&#8217;s a contextual menu and options that drops down where you have things like copy styles or paste styles or that sort of a thing, we can&#8217;t get rid of that. Copying and pasting styles makes no sense in our context. We looked into it. That&#8217;s just hard coded. You can&#8217;t get rid of that. It&#8217;s just there. I was like, &#8220;Oh.&#8221; So there are still little pieces like that that you&#8217;re just like, &#8220;Well, hopefully nobody will notice that.&#8221; And then the last thing with Gutenberg that we ran into that is like, &#8220;This is interesting,&#8221; is well, not the last, another is…</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: I&#8217;m sure it&#8217;s not the last, yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"17-strong-locked-blocks-strong\">Locked blocks</h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Jason Adams</em>: &#8230; locked blocks. So that&#8217;s kind of an interesting concept where, for example, you have to have an amount field for us. You can&#8217;t take that out and still have your form work. So you can lock the block, but then they can go unlock the block. So locking something, it&#8217;s more like a pinky promise with the user, like please don&#8217;t get rid of this. I think it used to be that locking was like it was done. There was no way to unlock something, and then the UI was added in the list view to be able to unlock things. That was kind of an interesting one of like, &#8220;Oh, well, how do you actually enforce that something can&#8217;t be removed? You should not be able to delete this.&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then the other thing that we found that was interesting with locked blocks, is that if you have a locked block in one as a child block, so we have our two sections, if I have my amount block up here, when it&#8217;s locked, I can&#8217;t move it. So you can&#8217;t take it out of this section and move it into this section. If you drag and drop, it just will do nothing. So there&#8217;s just little itty-bitty things like that that kind of pop up. So the concept of what locked means in Gutenberg is a little bit, you kind of just got to play with it to find out what does lock even mean?</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah, yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Jason Adams</em>: It&#8217;s not clear and consistent, I would say.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"18-strong-filters-and-blocks-strong\">Filters and blocks</h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. Yeah. So in the last few versions of WordPress, there were server-side filters as well as client-side filters to customize your blocks and to curate the experience and switch off interfaces and all that through PHP filters or server side or JavaScript filters. Have you been able to mitigate some of the problems that you saw before?</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Jason Adams</em>: With the locked stuff that we talked about?</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. So Nick Diego just posted on the developer blog a new&#8230; So how to modify theme.json data, which is kind of part of it. Yeah, that&#8217;s the style part, but it&#8217;s also block styling. Oh, I can share it here. Whoops.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Jon Waldstein</em>: Oh, I&#8217;ll mention one. I&#8217;ll shout out to one filter that we just found extremely useful is the JavaScript filters for registering a block type, which really was amazing because now we can have core blocks. Let&#8217;s take the amount field or something, and we can have an add-on come in and add more settings or attributes to that block using the register block type. There&#8217;s a couple other filters for doing that where you can add things to a block that wasn&#8217;t there before. That&#8217;s new to me that you could do that natively, but for us, that was huge.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: It&#8217;s a little late in the game. Yeah. Yeah, I&#8217;m sorry, but we are getting to the end of our show. It was only scheduled for an hour. I think we could talk another two hours. I feel that way. And I don&#8217;t know, Lena probably has even more questions for you.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Lena Morita</em>: Definitely. So many questions.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: But it was such a great experience to have you on the show and to share some of the secrets that you encountered and how you made it all work for yourself. We will have some resources in the show notes.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"19-strong-announcements-and-contact-info-strong\">Announcements and contact Info</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>At this point, I only have two more questions for you all three. So do you have any announcement that you wouldn&#8217;t get in before or you want people to keep in mind? We can go around Jason, Jon, and Lena. The second question is, if people want to get in touch with you, what would be the best way? So you can answer one of the questions, both questions or none.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Jason Adams</em>: Yeah, so keep an eye out for Give 3.0 that will be landing at the beginning of Q3 is what we&#8217;re aiming for right now. You can go to the landing page, I provided the link for that and go spin it up and test it out yourself. We&#8217;re updating that. So as we roll out new internal versions of what we&#8217;re calling next gen, which is our 3.0, we&#8217;re updating that and we actually have it all set up. So if you do have that installed locally and we roll out a version, you can update it just like you would any other plugin and continue to test out, provide feedback. So we love getting feedback from folks on this. You can also reach out to me personally at <a href=\"mailto:jason.adams@givewp.com\">jason.adams@givewp.com</a>, or you can find me on Twitter as Jason.Adams.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Excellent. Yeah. Thank you, Jon?</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Jon Waldstein</em>: Yeah, and I&#8217;ll mention for any other developers that are interested, what we&#8217;ve demoed and what we&#8217;re showing is completely public. You could go on GitHub and look at all of this code that we wrote. It took us over a year. I think we&#8217;re coming up on a year and a half or something, maybe a little less than that, but a lot of work has gone into it. If you want to see actually what we&#8217;re doing, come on to GitHub and if you want to ask some questions, you could start a discussion on GiveWP, or we have a Canny board for additional feedback. If you were to go to the landing page and actually play around with this thing, you can actually provide feedback and we&#8217;ll take all the feedback into consideration for the future of GiveWP. And if you want to get in touch with me, I&#8217;m on Twitter, Jon Waldstein and <a href=\"mailto:jon@givewp.com\">jon@givewp.com</a> if you want to send me an email.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Excellent. And Lena?</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Lena Morita</em>: Yeah, I guess for me, I mentioned I work on the work path components package and me and the team that works on it, we really, really are always looking for new contributors. So if anyone&#8217;s interested in contributing back, we love working with new contributors. We are highly engaging and we collaborate a lot. So if anybody&#8217;s interested, just pick up an issue or I don&#8217;t know, ping me and we&#8217;ll help you find a fun, good issue to work on. You can find me on Twitter at Mirka, M-I-R-K-A. Same ID on GitHub.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Excellent. Yeah. And so my link or my answer is that we will do another live Q&amp;A in two weeks actually, but on Friday, on Friday, July 21st. We&#8217;ll talk about design systems and theme.json. I know that there are large agencies and large entities like universities, and so they all have a design system. They have corporate design, and they need all the websites kind of to follow that. The WordPress VIPs team built a bridge between Figma and theme.json. I hope I get the people who created that on the show. We will have some demos there, of course. We also will talk with Joni Halabi, who is the web developer at Georgetown University, and she also has, as a university, big design systems and how she works with patterns. So it&#8217;s a great show and I hope you will join us again there.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So a big thank you to our viewers and to Anton for the great questions. If you have more questions, you can always send them to me via email. That&#8217;s <a href=\"mailto:pauli@gutenbergtimes.com\">pauli@gutenbergtimes.com</a>. P-A-U-L-I at gutenbergtimes.com. Recording, as I mentioned, will be available in a few minutes on the YouTube channel, and we&#8217;ll publish a transcript in a couple of weeks on gutenbergtimes.com.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thanks again to Jason, Jon, and Lena for being here. It&#8217;s been a privilege to have you on the show, and it was a great joy talking to you. Be well and goodbye and good luck. Take care.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Jason Adams</em>: Thank you.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Lena Morita</em>: Thank you.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Thank you.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Jon Waldstein</em>: Bye.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Lena Morita</em>: Bye.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Bye, everyone.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Fri, 21 Jul 2023 23:50:52 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:18:\"Birgit Pauli-Haack\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:31;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:118:\"WPTavern: WordPress Contributors Demand Transparency and Objective Guidelines for Listings on Recommended Hosting Page\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=147073\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:129:\"https://wptavern.com/wordpress-contributors-demand-transparency-and-objective-guidelines-for-listings-on-recommended-hosting-page\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:6958:\"<p>WordPress&#8217; <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/hosting/\">Recommended Hosting</a> page is a hotly contested piece of online real estate, and has recently come into focus again following the<a href=\"https://meta.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/12718\"> removal of SiteGround</a> from the listings. When the change was highlighted during a recent Meta team meeting, Audrey Capital-sponsored contributor Samuel &#8220;Otto&#8221; Wood <a href=\"https://wordpress.slack.com/archives/C02QB8GMM/p1689199290876499\">said</a>, &#8220;Matt asked me to remove SiteGround because that page is getting revamped. I know no more than that.&#8221; Bluehost and Dreamhost are the only two hosts remaining on the page at this time.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The process for being listed on the Recommended Hosting page has historically been <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/the-recommended-hosting-page-on-wordpress-org-starts-over-from-scratch\">shrouded in secrecy</a>, causing contributors to speculate that large sums of money were required. Although the current criteria is posted on the page, the process of getting listed and de-listed is not transparent. It&#8217;s not clear if and how the criteria is being applied, as it states that listings are &#8220;completely arbitrary:&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>We’ll be looking at this list several times a year, so keep an eye out for us re-opening the survey for hosts to submit themselves for inclusion. Listing is completely arbitrary, but includes criteria like: contributions to WordPress.org, size of customer base, ease of WP auto-install and auto-upgrades, avoiding GPL violations, design, tone, historical perception, using the correct logo, capitalizing WordPress correctly, not blaming us if you have a security issue, and up-to-date system software.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>WordPress co-creator Matt Mullenweg has recently hinted at the possibility of re-opening the survey, inviting contributors in WordPress&#8217; Hosting Slack channel to weigh in on questions or data the survey should collect &#8220;to help us discern who we recommend.&#8221; He linked to questions from the <a href=\"https://mcm.survey.fm/2023-wordpress-hosting-survey\">survey used in 2016</a> when the page was <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/the-wordpress-org-recommended-hosting-page-is-revamped-features-flywheel-for-the-first-time\">updated</a> to include Bluehost, DreamHost, Flywheel, and SiteGround.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The new draft for the survey states: &#8220;It&#8217;s time to loop back and give every host an opportunity to be on the recommended page, and also make it international because we never really got recommended hosts in non-English countries right.&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The WordPress Hosting team has been working on a related effort called &#8220;<a href=\"https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FhjFjY9I6gn6uqz4oBsHvYzxnrUg0RfAYuRhlLjdWec/edit\">Project Bedrock</a>&#8221; that aims to create a directory in which any hosting company that meets a series of predefined requirements can appear as recommended hosting or compatible with the WordPress CMS. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Yes, project bedrock is a goal,&#8221; Hosting team rep Javier Casares said. &#8220;Some months ago we left the project in stand-by to create a pre-version of the project, creating a list of hosting companies inside the Make/Hosting, a &#8216;everyone can be on the list&#8217; (if criteria) as a complement for the /hosting), but the idea is that /hosting, this pre-project or the project should have the same criteria (the base).</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;We know Matt is the responsible for the /hosting, our idea is creating a &#8216;longer list&#8217; for the Hosting Handbook / page at Make/hosting. The idea is having the same criteria. So, both are complementary.&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although contributors to the project view it as complementary to the official recommendations, it may be confusing for WordPress to have multiple similar hosting resources with the same criteria but different listings. These appear to be conflicting efforts that have a lot of overlap but may ultimately be at odds with the goal of simplifying the host selection process for new WordPress users who don&#8217;t know which ones to consider.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Casares suggested a few technical criteria that the survey should focus on, including PHP versions, database versions, SSH access, automatic updates, one-click WordPress installation, free TLS certificates, backup, and more.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The 2023 survey is still in the early stages in draft form. WordPress Hosting team contributors suggested that requirements for revamping the page would be a good topic for discussion at WordCamp US&#8217; upcoming Community Summit next month.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the Post Status hosting channel, Namecheap co-founder Matt Russell suggested Mullenweg leverage <a href=\"https://wphostingbenchmarks.com/\">WPHostingBenchmarks</a> performance data. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;[WPHostingBenchmarks is] probably the most open, fairest, and long-term performance evaluation in the WP space,&#8221; Russell said. He also recommended Mullenweg revamp the page as more of a directory with options to select budget, regions/country, and more.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Review Signal founder Kevin Ohashi, who publishes the WPHostingBenchmarks site, shared concerns about transparency that he has had since the last time the page was updated:</p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>Who is reviewing this information? What criteria will be used in evaluating them? I know last time you said you were involved, as were other folks from Automattic. Automattic is a competitor in the hosting space, and no matter the hat being worn, there is some concern over sharing sensitive business info with a competitor.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Getting listed on that page is likely worth millions of dollars to any company in terms of business generated. I think the process and criteria should be transparent and clear from the beginning. I also think who is involved with evaluating should be known beforehand as well. At least give companies, and consumers, the information they deserve to evaluate participating and the outcome.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Ohashi recommends that no person employed by a hosting company should be involved in the evaluation of submissions. This would eliminate bias from competitors in the space trying to suppress those they deem to be a threat.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;I&#8217;d like to see more ethics and accountability, a code of ethics for any company getting listed would be a positive in my mind,&#8221; Ohashi said. &#8220;Companies should be competing on quality and product, not on astroturfing, deceptive billing practices and other shady behavior we often see in the space. In my benchmarks, I push measuring default performance because I believe that benefits the greatest number of customers. I think there&#8217;s an opportunity to push for a better ecosystem here and would love to see you take it.&#8221;</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Fri, 21 Jul 2023 21:42:22 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"Sarah Gooding\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:32;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:82:\"WordPress.org blog: WordPress 6.3 Live Product Demo – Highlights &amp; Recording\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:35:\"https://wordpress.org/news/?p=15445\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:88:\"https://wordpress.org/news/2023/07/wordpress-6-3-live-product-demo-highlights-recording/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:7537:\"<p>WordPress 6.3 ships on August 8th! For a sneak peek of what&#8217;s to come, members of the 6.3 release squad, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/annezazu/\">Anne McCarthy</a> and <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/richtabor/\">Rich Tabor</a>, held a live demo moderated by <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/njwrigley/\">Nathan Wrigley</a>.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>More than 100 attendees watched as some of the most anticipated product features were demonstrated, from the brand-new Command Palette to new design tools and more.</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n\n</div>6.3 Live Product Demo\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some of the key takeaways from the 6.3 live product demonstration.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Command Palette’s big debut</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the most anticipated features of 6.3 is the <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/17/introducing-the-wordpress-command-palette-api/\">Command Palette</a>. It lets you quickly navigate and open different WordPress functions within the post and Site Editor. Access it using a shortcut command (Command + K or Control + K).</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Page creation gets easier in the Site Editor</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Now you can browse and edit pages within the Site Editor, providing a more cohesive WordPress experience. A new drafting flow debuts, allowing you to create and publish pages directly within the editor.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Synced Patterns set to replace Reusable Blocks</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You can create and manage all your patterns directly in the Site Editor. Once edited, all synced patterns (previously called Reusable Blocks) will change across a site—a huge time saver when making changes.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Stay on top of design changes with Style Revisions</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This enhancement offers a visual timeline of your site so you can see all the revisions in your site’s history and restore a previous style with just a click.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">New design tools and blocks</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Controls for specifying aspect ratios to ensure design integrity, especially when using images in Patterns debut in 6.3, along with new blocks for Footnotes and Details. Easily add footnotes to your content and have them automatically linked to the corresponding text. With the Details block, hide or display content to create spoilers or accordions.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Performance</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>WordPress is getting faster with 6.3 as content with images will see speedier load times. Both theme types (Classic and Block) will also benefit from performance improvements. The upcoming <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/06/29/hallway-hangout-performance-improvements-for-wordpress-6-3/\">hallway hangout</a> is an excellent opportunity to learn more about performance enhancements directly from the WordPress Performance team.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">More from Core</h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Revert to previously installed versions when <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/11/new-in-6-3-rollback-for-failed-manual-plugin-and-theme-updates/\">manual updates for themes and plugins fail</a>.&nbsp;</li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/05/dropping-support-for-php-5/\">Dropping support</a> for PHP 5. The new minimum supported version of PHP will be 7.0.0. The recommended version of PHP remains at 7.4 or greater.</li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/19/wordpress-6-3-accessibility-improvements/\">Accessibility updates</a>, especially for List View and the broader Site Editor experience.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Improvements to internationalization <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/14/i18n-improvements-in-6-3/\">just-in-time translation loading</a>.</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<p>These new features and more await you as Phase 2 of the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/about/roadmap/\">WordPress Roadmap</a> comes to a close with the 6.3 release.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>A <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/21/6-3-live-product-demo-qa/\">question and answer session</a> followed the demo, with attendees asking plenty of great questions. The panelists shared links for additional reading regarding many new features—all conveniently added to the end of this post.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>A big thank you to everyone who helps make WordPress. Contributors power every WordPress release. Without the hundreds of contributors worldwide who help build WordPress, this live product demo wouldn’t have been possible. Thank you for all of your hard work.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">References from the Live Demo</h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/17/introducing-the-wordpress-command-palette-api/\">Introducing the WordPress Command Palette API</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/13/core-editor-improvement-advancing-the-power-of-patterns/\">Core Editor Improvement: Advancing the Power of Patterns</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/documentation/article/comparing-patterns-template-parts-and-reusable-blocks/\">Comparing Patterns, Template Parts, and Reusable Blocks</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/13/image-performance-enhancements-in-wordpress-6-3/\">Image performance enhancements in WordPress 6.3</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/18/wordpress-6-3-field-guide/\">The 6.3 Field Guide</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/11/new-in-6-3-rollback-for-failed-manual-plugin-and-theme-updates/\">New in 6.3: Rollback for failed manual plugin and theme updates</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/05/dropping-support-for-php-5/\">Dropping support for PHP 5</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/19/wordpress-6-3-accessibility-improvements/\">WordPress 6.3 Accessibility Improvements</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/14/i18n-improvements-in-6-3/\">Internationalization Improvements in 6.3</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/issues/30496\">#30496 Site Editor: MVP Customizer Compatibility/Integration</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/issues/52128\">#52128 Customization Ongoing Roadmap</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://learn.wordpress.org/tutorial/building-sidebars-with-the-site-editor/\">Building sidebars with the Site Editor</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/11/new-in-6-3-rollback-for-failed-manual-plugin-and-theme-updates/\">New in 6.3: Rollback for failed manual plugin and theme updates</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/14/layout-updates-in-the-editor-for-wordpress-6-3/\">Layout updates in the editor for WordPress 6.3</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Props to <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/richtabor/\" class=\"mention\"><span class=\"mentions-prefix\">@</span>richtabor</a> and <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/annezazu/\" class=\"mention\"><span class=\"mentions-prefix\">@</span>annezazu</a> for reviewing this post and to <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/cbringmann/\" class=\"mention\"><span class=\"mentions-prefix\">@</span>cbringmann</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/meher/\" class=\"mention\"><span class=\"mentions-prefix\">@</span>meher</a>, and <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/dansoschin/\" class=\"mention\"><span class=\"mentions-prefix\">@</span>dansoschin</a> for their logistics support to run the event.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Fri, 21 Jul 2023 19:26:26 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:16:\"Jonathan Pantani\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:33;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:79:\"Do The Woo Community: The Friday Show, What Makes the Do the Woo Podcast Unique\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:28:\"https://dothewoo.io/?p=75699\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:57:\"https://dothewoo.io/what-makes-do-the-woo-podcast-unique/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:417:\"<p>Do the Woo podcast has grown into a hybrid of a podcast, community and network. A podcast for the community, by the community.</p>\n<p>&gt;&gt; The post <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https://dothewoo.io/what-makes-do-the-woo-podcast-unique/\">The Friday Show, What Makes the Do the Woo Podcast Unique</a> appeared first on <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https://dothewoo.io\">Do the Woo - a WooCommerce Builder Community</a>	.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Fri, 21 Jul 2023 08:52:47 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:5:\"BobWP\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:34;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:72:\"Post Status: The WP Agency Journey with J.J. Toothman of Lone Rock Point\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:32:\"https://poststatus.com/?p=149945\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:82:\"https://poststatus.com/the-wp-agency-journey-with-j-j-toothman-of-lone-rock-point/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:47363:\"<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n\n</div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://poststatus.com/planet/feed/#h-transcript\">Transcript</a> ↓</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">In this episode, <a href=\"https://twitter.com/corymiller303\">Cory Miller</a> interviews <a href=\"https://twitter.com/jjtoothman\">J.J. Toothman</a>, owner of <a href=\"https://lonerockpoint.com/\">Lone Rock Point</a>, a WordPress agency based in Sudbury, Massachusetts. J.J. shares his agency journey, discussing the growth of his agency and its remote-first approach.</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><strong>Episode Highlights:</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<ul type=\"video\" class=\"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<li><strong>The Growth of Lone Rock Point</strong> [00:00:32] JJ discusses the growth of his agency, Lone Rock Point, from 4-5 people in spring 2020 to 16 people now.</li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Remote-first Approach</strong> [00:02:29] JJ talks about adopting a remote-first organizational structure from the beginning and how they didn&#8217;t miss a beat when the pandemic hit in 2020.</li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Focus on Public Sector and NASA</strong> [00:04:02] JJ explains his background in government contracting and how his agency focuses on working with the public sector, particularly in the federal level, including clients like NASA.</li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The federal government ecosystem</strong> [00:11:29] Discussion on the ecosystem and governance of federal government agencies, including guidance and policies.</li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Starting Lone Rock Point</strong> [00:13:39] JJ&#8217;s decision to start his own agency after exploring side hustles and feeling the desire to be more entrepreneurial.</li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Niching down to WordPress</strong> [00:18:25] The growth and success of Lone Rock Point after focusing on WordPress as their main service offering.</li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Topic 1: Using WordPress as a Content Management System</strong> [00:22:17] Discussion on using WordPress as a content management system and adapting WooCommerce for check payments.</li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Topic 2: WordPress and the Public Sector</strong> [00:22:58] Exploration of using WordPress in the public sector, particularly in government agencies like NASA, for managing and publishing content.</li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Topic 3: Web Modernization Project with NASA</strong> [00:28:26] Overview of a web modernization project with NASA, including evaluating different CMS options and deciding to invest in WordPress.</li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The SEO and Accessibility Tools in WordPress </strong>[00:32:35] Discusses the real-time analysis tools in WordPress for SEO and accessibility, such as Yoast, and how they differentiate it from other CMS platforms.</li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Resources and Knowledge Sharing in the WordPress Community </strong>[00:34:57] Explains the abundance of resources, knowledge sharing, and community support available in the WordPress ecosystem compared to other CMS platforms.</li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Importance of Open Source and User Experience in WordPress</strong> [00:37:11] Highlights the significance of open source adoption in the public sector and how WordPress&#8217;s user experience and inclusivity differentiate it from commercial solutions.</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-13\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/14.0.0/72x72/1f64f.png\" alt=\"🙏\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /> Sponsor: <a href=\"https://poststatus.com/wordpressdotcom\">WordPress.com</a></h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Build and manage professional sites with secure managed hosting on <a href=\"https://poststatus.com/wordpressdotcom\">WordPress.com.</a> </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Beautiful themes, built-in SEO, and payment tools, and access to over 50,000 plugins. Everything you need for your business, plus 24/7 support from WordPress experts.</p>\n</div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow\">\n\n<a href=\"https://poststatus.com/wordpressdotcom\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img width=\"752\" height=\"752\" src=\"https://poststatus.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/wpcom-wmark-black_sponsor23-752x752.png\" alt=\"WordPress.com\" class=\"wp-image-149724\" /></a>\n\n</div>\n</div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading eplus-wrapper\" id=\"h-mentioned-in-the-show\"><img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/14.0.0/72x72/1f517.png\" alt=\"🔗\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /> Mentioned in the show<strong>:</strong></h3>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://lonerockpoint.com/\">Lone Rock Point</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://wordpress.com/\">WordPress&nbsp;</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/\">NASA</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://automattic.com/\">Automattic</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://wpvip.com/\">WordPress VIP</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://www.fedramp.gov/\">FedRAMP</a>&nbsp;</li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://wpvip.com/partners/\">WordPress Agency Partnership Program</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://www.rtx.com/\">Raytheon</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/ames\">Nasa Ames Research Center</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://www.recodingamerica.us/\">&#8220;Recoding America&#8221;</a> by <a href=\"https://twitter.com/pahlkadot?lang=bn\">Jennifer Palka</a>&nbsp;</li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://woocommerce.com/\">WooCommerce</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page\">Wikis</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/\">Ticketfly</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://digital.gov/resources/21st-century-integrated-digital-experience-act/\">Integrated Digital Experience Act</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://www.drupal.org/\">Drupal</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://business.adobe.com/products/experience-manager/sites/aem-sites.html\">Adobe Experience Manager</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://wagtail.org/\">Wagtail</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://www.contentful.com/\">Contentful</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/\">Gutenberg</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://atomicdesign.bradfrost.com/chapter-2/\">Atomic Design System</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://yoast.com/\">Yoast</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/\">WordPress plugins</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://stackoverflow.com/\">Stack Overflow</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading eplus-wrapper\" id=\"h-you-can-follow-post-status-and-our-guests-on-twitter\"><img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/14.0.0/72x72/1f426.png\" alt=\"🐦\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /> You can follow Post Status and our guests on Twitter:</h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"eplus-wrapper\">\n<li><a href=\"https://twitter.com/jjtoothman\">JJ Toothman</a> (Owner, <a href=\"https://lonerockpoint.com/\">Lone Rock Point</a>)</li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://twitter.com/corymiller303\">Cory Miller</a> (CEO, <a href=\"https://twitter.com/post_status\">Post Status</a>)</li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://twitter.com/lemonadecode\">Olivia Bisset</a> (Intern, <a href=\"https://twitter.com/post_status\">Post Status</a>)</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"eplus-wrapper has-background\">The <strong>Post Status Draft</strong> podcast is geared toward WordPress professionals, with interviews, news, and deep analysis. <img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/14.0.0/72x72/1f4dd.png\" alt=\"📝\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /><br /><br /><a href=\"https://poststatus.com/category/post-status-podcasts/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Browse our archives</a>, and don’t forget to subscribe via <a href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/post-status-draft-wordpress/id976403008\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">iTunes</a>, <a href=\"https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zaW1wbGVjYXN0LmNvbS8ySkU5c2M4UA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Google Podcasts</a>, <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/c/PostStatus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">YouTube</a>, <a href=\"http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/krogsgard/post-status-draft-wordpress-podcast\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Stitcher</a>, <a href=\"https://wordpress-post-status-draft-podcast.simplecast.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Simplecast</a>, or <a href=\"https://feeds.simplecast.com/2JE9sc8P\">RSS</a>. <img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/14.0.0/72x72/1f3a7.png\" alt=\"🎧\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /></p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading eplus-wrapper\" id=\"h-transcript\">Transcript</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Cory Miller (00:00:02) &#8211; Hey everybody. Welcome back to Post Status Draft. Got another great interview in our agency Journey series and I&#8217;m talking with JJ Toothman, a member of Post Status and JJ, Hey, thanks for coming on post this draft and talking about your agency journey story.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>J.J. Toothman (00:00:18) &#8211; Hey, thanks for having me. Cory. It&#8217;s great to be here. Um, really appreciate everything you do for post status and for the community. So I&#8217;m happy to be, um, you know, a member of both. So.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cory Miller (00:00:32) &#8211; Awesome. Well, we&#8217;ve gotten to get to know each other over the last, like, I&#8217;d say, what, eight months and hear about some of the work that your agency does. It&#8217;s super, super exciting. But can you tell me about the agency where it is now? Team clients kind of work. You kind of do.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>J.J. Toothman (00:00:50) &#8211; There&#8217;s my dog and wife.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cory Miller (00:00:54) &#8211; Great introduction.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>J.J. Toothman (00:00:55) &#8211; Yeah. Um, so the. So my company is Lone Rock Point and I am located outside of Boston, Massachusetts, in a town called Sudbury.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>J.J. Toothman (00:01:09) &#8211; Um, if you know the Revolutionary War history, you remember the Battle of Lexington and Concord and Sudbury borders. Concord. I live about five miles from where Paul Revere was captured at the end of his famous ride to tell everybody the British were coming. Oh, wow. Lone Rock Point. We have grown it to 16 people. You know, 12 of those people are full time. And there&#8217;s a handful of of, of part timers. Um, the were distributed all over the place. Uh, I&#8217;ve got, you know, some of us are in California, Texas. Uh, Michigan. There&#8217;s a few people in around Grand Rapids. There&#8217;s people in Florida, a few people around Asheville, North Carolina. And we definitely, you know, adopted a remote first, you know, virtual kind of organization, organizational structure from the very beginning. You know, when when the pandemic happened in 2020, we didn&#8217;t miss a beat. You know, our the people that we were working with, you know, just it just continued.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>J.J. Toothman (00:02:29) &#8211; It&#8217;s weird to look back on that time and think about the, you know, ways that we were able to grow during that time in a period where so many small businesses were were, you know, struggling. But, you know, look back on that time and think about like we, you know, we were, you know, going remote, being virtual. That wasn&#8217;t a problem for us. We were ready to do that for the very beginning. And the people we were worked with, like just we just kept working on it, kept asking for more from us. It was actually a period of growth for us. We probably went from, you know, at the beginning of. You know, spring 2020, we were around four people and 4 or 5, and now we&#8217;re 16. We became a WordPress agency approximately 15, 16 months ago. Um, and we joined WordPress is kind of a continuation of our work with the public sector when I started my company in 2016. Um, you know that we can talk about the genesis of that, but it was, you know, I was had come from a federal government contracting world and I&#8217;ve been working for big companies like Raytheon, um, Perot Systems, Dell and, you know, decided that, you know, I wanted to start my own company, you know, had this, you know, the proverbial entrepreneurial itch that most entrepreneurs feel and just kind of wanted to try that out.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>J.J. Toothman (00:04:02) &#8211; So I started to serve this company and wanted to start working. There were two customers that I wanted to work with from the very beginning, and one of those was NASA, which is it&#8217;s hard for me to talk about my own journey and the work that we&#8217;re doing without connecting to the long history I have working with with NASA. So I use that relationship and that relationship capital that I&#8217;ve built, you know, from starting working with them back in as early as 2001. Well, one of my first clients and then one of my second clients, big clients was Automattic. Some people over there that had built relationships over the years came to me and said, Hey, you know a lot about, you know, this public sector world, you know, federal government contracting. Can you help us, you know, with kind of get into that vertical and so help them with some some business strategy around that? I helped them with some security compliance, things they needed to be aware of. And then that relation, you know, that work kind of matured a little bit and kind of ran its course a little bit.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>J.J. Toothman (00:05:15) &#8211; And then, you know, as they as WordPress VIP, you know, kind of solidified its it&#8217;s standing and it&#8217;s got themselves into what&#8217;s called the Fedramp marketplace. You know, they came to me and said, Hey, you should, you know, your company, you should we should continue working together. You should join the WordPress Agency partnership program. And that&#8217;s something I did, you know, specifically because of our shared interest in working together on public sector opportunities. And, um, you know, that&#8217;s, that&#8217;s, that&#8217;s, that&#8217;s really what my company is doing right now is, you know, Lone Rock Point. We are, we&#8217;re definitely exploring that intersection of WordPress and public SpaC, public sector, predominantly the federal level of that. You know, there&#8217;s a lot of state and municipal stuff opportunities there as well. Um, but we&#8217;re, you know, the, the kind of the, when you think of like WordPress and public sector, what I want people to come out of that connection with is is Lone Rock point and so that&#8217;s you know that&#8217;s work we&#8217;re doing with and and work we&#8217;re doing with NASA and it&#8217;s going we&#8217;ve been working on some projects from NASA for the past few years.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>J.J. Toothman (00:06:31) &#8211; And it&#8217;s it&#8217;s really rewarding work. It&#8217;s good to feel like you&#8217;re contributing to. You know, we&#8217;re not civil servants, but we&#8217;re definitely kind of contributing to. You know, putting the taxpayer dollars to work, being good stewards of taxpayer money. And we think WordPress has a a role in that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cory Miller (00:06:54) &#8211; Excellent. Well, there&#8217;s a lot here I want to unpack, but it&#8217;s so compelling. Congratulations on your success. Congratulations on what you&#8217;ve done in the public sector to take WordPress there. I love hearing stories like yours and our other members doing good work in our world. And I get to I think I&#8217;ve told you, I get to brag, Hey, I know the people working on these projects, you know, which is pretty fantastic, and taking WordPress to the Enterprise, but Public sector Spaces is really fantastic as WordPress grows. So okay, I want to I want to thank you for telling us kind of what Lone Lone Rock Point does today. So I heard in there 2016. So I, I had assumed, as we had talked for because of the kind of work you&#8217;re doing, you had been doing this particular agency type work for a long time.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cory Miller (00:07:49) &#8211; But wow, that&#8217;s why I say congrats one, Congratulations on your success. But like it&#8217;s pretty fast timeline to be able to get to doing an agency to doing this kind of work, I think. But can you take me back like before 2016, you said you were doing enterprise or. Yeah, public sector government, government contracting work. What were you doing before the agency?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>J.J. Toothman (00:08:10) &#8211; Before. Before I founded my agency. Yeah. Yeah. So I was, I was a software developer, web application developer. I got hired by Raytheon to work on a contract they had with NASA Ames Research Center. And back in 2001, actually, the thing that the opportunity that kind of brought me into that world was that&#8217;s when they first started thinking about like, what do they have to do about website accessibility? So they brought me in there to kind of help, you know, help, you know, mature what they were doing around all that kind of stuff. And it&#8217;s been interesting to see what the what where was thinking about this over the last couple of weeks.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>J.J. Toothman (00:08:57) &#8211; You know, when I first started working at NASA Ames and started talking about website accessibility and looking at all the various websites and web applications that was that were running at Ames Research Center, which is one of the, you know, field centers that&#8217;s part of the the NASA enterprise. Um, there was people were really just they were really resistant to it. They were trying to. They were trying to check the box on it quite a bit. You know, they were just like, What&#8217;s the minimum I have to do to, like, just check the box on this and so I can move on. Like it really the the optics of how important that was and just it just being the generally the right thing to do, forget the whole legal requirements of it all that really just wasn&#8217;t cemented. And here we are, you know, 20 plus years later where, you know, that&#8217;s that&#8217;s kind of like at the core of what is happening definitely in the public sector, but in the web in general, just like this, this strong emphasis on making it accessible and available to everybody.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>J.J. Toothman (00:10:00) &#8211; You know, I saw how that started, you know, 20 years ago. And it&#8217;s it was not the same temperature, both from various from developers, designers, project managers, you know, that whole thing is shifted in very positive ways over the last couple of decades. So I was a software developer there working on various, um, you know, web applications, internal business process type applications, looking at accessibility improvements. Um, and then just kind of grew things over the years, you know, you know, started, you know, started rising the ranks a little bit, like getting opportunities to understand how government projects actually work, how it works, which is a pretty thing. I started participating in proposals that big companies like Dell were doing and responding to government RFPs, which are massive undertakings unto themselves, um, understanding compliance and security regulations that exist in government, in government, and really just kind of understanding how these governments, these government agencies and, you know, as individual as they kind of have their own ecosystems unto themselves, that&#8217;s probably not, you know, unique to all various massive, you know, corporate enterprises.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>J.J. Toothman (00:11:29) &#8211; You know, we talk a little bit about the WordPress ecosystem now, but these these federal government agencies, they all have their own ecosystems around it. And then they&#8217;re also operating in this big federal thing where there&#8217;s kind of like this. Um, Jennifer Palka just wrote this great book called Recoding America, and she calls this term friendly fire. So where there&#8217;s like things where like the Office of Management, the OMB and General Services Administrations and other offices and agencies within the executive branch and other parts of government are putting together governance and policy around it and how the web should work. Um, and it creates all this types of, you know, these, this guidance and guardrails that you have to adhere to. So that becomes like kind of a larger ecosystem unto itself. So, you know, starting to understand how to work within that type of, um, you know, those types of scenarios and guardrails and boundaries and knowing how to interoperate it all just became, you know, something that started gaining more experience with and more exposure to with and, you know, think it&#8217;s been a big, you know, that knowledge is a big part of like why, you know, my company&#8217;s positioned and why we&#8217;ve achieved some success.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>J.J. Toothman (00:12:44) &#8211; You know, working and and gaining some credibility in parts of the public sector and procuring our relationship with with WordPress VIP and, you know, expanding our own opportunities within itself. Yeah, it&#8217;s exciting. It&#8217;s challenging. Exhausting at times, but it&#8217;s also exciting and rewarding.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cory Miller (00:13:04) &#8211; Yeah. Yeah. I can&#8217;t imagine. So just just for clarity. So you&#8217;re working full time at Raytheon or were you contract as a software?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>J.J. Toothman (00:13:12) &#8211; So a contract means you&#8217;re you&#8217;re you&#8217;re like you&#8217;re kind of embedded, so you&#8217;re a full time employee and you&#8217;re your government contractor working on a contract that, you know, a company like Raytheon or Dell or Booz Allen or Lockheed Martin has with the federal government to deliver services abilities that are part of their requirements.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cory Miller (00:13:39) &#8211; Okay. Okay. That totally makes sense. So what was that catalytic moment when you&#8217;re like, Hey, I&#8217;m gonna do this for myself, I&#8217;m gonna start my agency?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>J.J. Toothman (00:13:46) &#8211; Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cory Miller (00:13:47) &#8211; So prompted that. Um.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>J.J. Toothman (00:13:50) &#8211; A couple of things. So I left NASA for a while and I went and worked for a company, a music ticketing startup called Ticket Fly.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>J.J. Toothman (00:13:58) &#8211; I helped them, like, basically create a network of websites for small independent music venues, um, and help those music venues talk about, you know, what shows were coming, how to buy tickets, you know, when the on sale dates were and all the other, you know, all that content that is basically all about converting into ticket sales. And so I was with was, you know, with them when they were really small. And, you know, it was definitely the startup world and that was really exciting. It was also a bad time for my life. I just had like my my second child and like my work life balance was it was it was pretty bad. Um, you know, working at a small startup like that. So ended up going back to NASA. Um, you know, and just trying to, like, find my footing a little bit. I also wanted to leave California and move relocate back to the East Coast. And I knew that was, you know, being in a place, a large organization like that would offer some flexibility like that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>J.J. Toothman (00:15:05) &#8211; Um, but then, you know, I would say around a decade, you know, ten years ago. I started having this, you know, I started having that entrepreneurial itch again. I started thinking about, like, how fun it was to, you know, move fast at ticket fly and wanted that that feeling again. And so I started, you know, I explored a couple of like side hustles, you know, some small little independent web projects. One of them was like a newsletter to help families spend more time outdoors. And they didn&#8217;t really take off. They didn&#8217;t really get get some traction. And what I mean by that, it wasn&#8217;t necessarily traction from a, you know, where we&#8217;re making revenue or gaining customers. We were just like just the balance of of, you know, trying to do do that type of initiative while, you know, having a full time job and also like, you know, having a growing family and all that kind of stuff. And then in but was it was clear that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>J.J. Toothman (00:16:06) &#8211; You know, I was exploring something. And, you know, again, that desire to to like be in more, you know, control of of of my destiny, so to speak, and be entrepreneurial is something I just couldn&#8217;t I couldn&#8217;t get rid of completely. And it wasn&#8217;t happening within big companies like Dell in the way that I wanted to know. I really wanted to be, you know, in control of a lot of decisions that wasn&#8217;t in control of, um, and, you know, that&#8217;s why people start their own things and, you know, be founders of companies. And, you know, I had dinner with a friend of mine who was also in the government contracting space. He&#8217;s like, you know, you&#8217;ve been thinking about. And he told me he&#8217;s like, You&#8217;ve been thinking about all these little product ideas, these digital product ideas, like, you know, just just start a services business, you know, like and that will satisfy your need or the desire. You have to be entrepreneurial and, you know, like, you know, look at balance sheets and think about marketing and, you know, attracting talent and retaining talent and stuff like that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>J.J. Toothman (00:17:12) &#8211; And he was right. He was like, You know what? That&#8217;s a really good idea. And within 120 days, I&#8217;d like set the wheels in motion to, you know, start Lone Rock Point. Um, and, you know, we, we went from there. So it started in the fall of I started the company in the fall of 2016. It was just me for, you know, a year. And then it was like me and a virtual assistant for like another year. And I, you know, I started under this like this umbrella of like, digital transformation consulting. At the time, I was doing a lot of work with the public sector around cloud transformations. So people were were operating applications and on premise data centers and starting to make that migration into things like Amazon Web Services. And so working out a lot of change management type type projects associated with that. And it all kind of just fit under this like big umbrella of digital and cloud transformation, which, to be totally honest with you, is, is is too vague and too broad and borderline meaningless.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>J.J. Toothman (00:18:25) &#8211; You know, if you ask ten different people what digital transformation is, you&#8217;re probably going to get ten different definitions of it. Yeah. And so it&#8217;s really hard to like, you know, grow a services business out that way is really just like me being a consultant at that point. Um, and it wasn&#8217;t until like started niching down into, you know what, like let&#8217;s just do this WordPress thing, you know, was I was delivering, um, you know, whitepapers and providing analysis of like how what people should do with like their, their inventory of web applications and advising them on what is and what platforms they should be using. And a lot of times ended up started like you know, making recommendations around WordPress oriented applications, sometimes just building WordPress sites, sometimes using WordPress as an application framework. Um, in over the, in the time I&#8217;ve been with NASA. I&#8217;ve used WordPress with them and a lot of different ways. We&#8217;ve done it in a WordPress network multi-site kind of way for allowing smaller NASA missions and programs and projects to, you know, have their own websites where they all communicate what they&#8217;re up to and what their findings are and share what they learned with, you know, with, with interested stakeholders and visitors to their sites.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>J.J. Toothman (00:19:55) &#8211; Um, there, there&#8217;s been some internal things where needed to like communicate various services as it had to various corners of the agency. So we did like a WooCommerce thing where people can go to a web application, a website and just pick what, what services they want. Like I need, I need some Amazon cloud storage or processing or, you know, EC2 units. And they could apply, they could add all those things to a cart and then say, check out and, you know, check, you know, do a checkout with that and just start getting services provided to them that way. So um, and then, you know, over time it just became clear that like, this is, I keep recommending this, like there&#8217;s growth opportunity for me here and then, you know, niching down to being like, we&#8217;re going to be a WordPress, a more traditional WordPress agency is really when, you know, the growth started happening and the opportunity started becoming a little bit. And it isn&#8217;t just like strategic consulting, it became the execution part of it as well.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>J.J. Toothman (00:21:00) &#8211; And the tactics part of it too, and the tactics and execution. We&#8217;re all oriented for the most of the time.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cory Miller (00:21:06) &#8211; Yeah, I&#8217;d love to hear these stories because you got, you know, a big career in enterprise and public sector, you know, with your Raytheon and NASA days and then entrepreneurial hit. Okay, want to do this and then seeing you know when you say NASA and WordPress, it just seems like those things should always go together, you know, and that&#8217;s what really compelling to me is seeing WordPress more on the public sector enterprise. And now there&#8217;s really big institutions in in the US federal government anyway, probably around the world too, but that are starting to use WordPress more and more and leverage it and see that opportunity. Um, so I love kind of how those intersection of things happen. So that lone rock point would kind of exist and grow and then you hit your I was going to ask the question when the WordPress come into play, but you pretty much answered it. So like your 2 or 3 or so, it seems like, hey, we&#8217;re going to drill down.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cory Miller (00:22:04) &#8211; And then when you mention WooCommerce that like that use case for an internal tool within a big organization like that to procure and get resources and things, that&#8217;s so compelling. You know, most of my.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>J.J. Toothman (00:22:17) &#8211; Career that like, people just wanted that checkout expert, They wanted that. They wanted that experience of like, I want X, Y and Z, I want to add it to the cart and I want to tell you that I want it. And we just, you know, WooCommerce has that option to, you know, just do check payments, right? Which removes the credit card processing out of it. And so we kind of adapted that to, all right, we&#8217;re going to send this order to somebody who can fulfill that order via this WooCommerce WordPress system. Um, and, you know, it&#8217;s, it&#8217;s, it&#8217;s, you know, it&#8217;s using the WordPress ecosystem at its best, like using it almost kind of as Legos and want this part of it. I want that part of it. I want to, I want to glue them together in this way.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>J.J. Toothman (00:22:58) &#8211; And it&#8217;s, you know, kind of a no code kind of way around WordPress to solve some, you know, some very simple, narrow use cases. But, you know, my, my journey with WordPress, you know, starts way back in 2007 at my first stint with at Ames Research Center. Um, you know, I was working with all these various scientists and researchers and they just like need a place to like publish my, my research findings and publish my data and, and they, they all one, they all had the same, um. You know, requirements and needs. At the highest level, it&#8217;s like I just need a place to put it. And I want to I want to be able to manage it myself in a way. And I don&#8217;t know. I don&#8217;t know how to don&#8217;t know how to code. I don&#8217;t know. I don&#8217;t have anybody on my team who knows HTML. And so that, you know, that basically introduced the concept of like content management systems into all this back in 2007.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>J.J. Toothman (00:24:03) &#8211; And, you know, we were looking at things like wikis at the time and, and then discovered WordPress and around that and just the user experience of someone just, you know, managing their content with that type of, you know, WordPress, CMS, this is like version 2.0 of WordPress, you know, back when they added pages in addition to posts was the real thing. That&#8217;s like, oh, this is what this satisfies what everyone&#8217;s looking for. They want an easy place just to log into. And you know, they all some of them wanted to start blogging. Some of them wanted to start blogging without knowing that they wanted to start blogging. They just want to share what they know and tell their stories. Um, and then back in 2007, I created this is also the Web 2.0 era where, you know, your blogging was, was kind of heavy in the lexicon back then. And I was I did one of NASA&#8217;s first official public blogs on WordPress and, and kind of grew with WordPress, you know, from there that led to the ticket fly work.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>J.J. Toothman (00:25:13) &#8211; And so WordPress was kind of always in my DNA, even when wasn&#8217;t, you know, it wasn&#8217;t like a defined part of what I was, you know, of my, my role description. But my role was in some cases to be strategic and provide advice and provide some roadmaps. And, you know, how do we do things? Give us some give us some guidance here. And a lot of times just said like, well, you don&#8217;t have to create a custom bespoke application for this. Just use a content management system like WordPress, you know, teach your users how to how to how to manage using WordPress themselves. And and you go from there. So and the WordPress ecosystem is what makes all that happen mean there&#8217;s all these different, you know, there&#8217;s all these different plugins and themes and you just kind of integrate it all together, um, you know, in a unique way. And you have a great solution architecture, depending on how you put it together.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cory Miller (00:26:08) &#8211; What you&#8217;re talking kind of way back.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cory Miller (00:26:11) &#8211; But you know, remember a lot of the solutions that we have now didn&#8217;t exist. So, you know, big organizations were having to do like the the internal resourcing that you&#8217;re talking about. They&#8217;d have to custom code those things or build them because they didn&#8217;t exist off the shelf. Then you fast forward and you go, you could take WooCommerce save. I can&#8217;t even imagine how much time to kind of do git to feature like, you know, par with that and then take that open source solution and then utilize it and just customize with a with a great agency like you all to figure out what their exact needs are. So it&#8217;s it&#8217;s great to see how everything has fast forward to. Well, we touched on this. I know we&#8217;re going to have more conversations down the road. And and I want to talk more about the public sector and enterprise. And I know we&#8217;re talking and we&#8217;re going to have some great conversations in the next couple of months about this, because I know you&#8217;re passionate about it, about the public sector and bringing WordPress to the public sector, but we&#8217;ll save that for another time.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cory Miller (00:27:07) &#8211; I don&#8217;t want to spoil too much of that, but I appreciate so much the journey and what you&#8217;re doing. So thank you for telling us that. That&#8217;s, that&#8217;s that&#8217;s incredible. Um, okay. What are you excited about today? What are you excited about today and the future going forward and what you&#8217;re doing with the agency and your team and the work you&#8217;re doing?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>J.J. Toothman (00:27:27) &#8211; Yeah. So a few years ago, the government, Pervez passed a Congress passed an act called the Integrated Digital Experience Act. And within that act is basically it tells all these federal agencies how to modernize their website. So, you know. Obvious things like improve accessibility. They have to be accessible. They have to work on mobile. They. They. You have to have like good search. They should. People should be able to find content there. They also need to be based on user research and user needs. So they&#8217;re all logical things within. You know, public sector and it&#8217;s all so I&#8217;m really excited about that. Be something that initiates or triggers a lot of the work that I&#8217;ve been doing for the last couple of years.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>J.J. Toothman (00:28:26) &#8211; And so for the last few years I&#8217;ve been working on a web modernization project with NASA. It exists for a couple of reasons. It exists. One, because of that idea act. It also exists because NASA has a couple of thousand websites and they don&#8217;t want there to be a couple of thousand websites. They want all that information in one website. So we&#8217;ve been doing a lot of work with them. You know, that started back in kind of mid 2000, late 2000, and it started with, hey, what should be using for its main, you know, web source, major web properties. And so I spent a year taking a look at the landscape of you know, of all the available CMS&#8217;s that are out there, you know, Drupal source site, Adobe Experience manager and then some new newer ones like Wagtail. And then there&#8217;s even we even took a look at, you know, some of the software as a service type solutions like Contentful and just trying to understand the pros and cons of Elda.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>J.J. Toothman (00:29:38) &#8211; And so we spent a year taking a look at the CMS landscape and acquiring data for it, acquiring evidence of it. And while in my heart, you know, being a WordPress guy, I knew like, you know, WordPress makes a lot of sense here. You know, we it&#8217;s still there was a lot of benefit for me to kind of like take a look at like what, you know, all the driving factors for making a decision like that were, um, and you know at the end of it WordPress like was the, the solution, the CMS that NASA wanted to invest in for the future. And that&#8217;s what we&#8217;ve been working on for the last couple of years. So for the last couple of years we&#8217;ve been working on a couple of big. Uh, NASA WordPress projects. And a lot of, you know, I talked a lot about how I&#8217;ve been using WordPress and a no code kind of way. This is not a no code kind of way. There was a lot of Gutenberg custom development here.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>J.J. Toothman (00:30:34) &#8211; It&#8217;s the, it&#8217;s, it&#8217;s the project that has everything like, you know, an emphasis on SEO, an emphasis on accessibility. There&#8217;s a new atomic design system that was created for this. And so the seeing the marriage of an atomic design system and Gutenberg, you know, come to bring all that stuff to life has been really, really exciting. And I&#8217;m excited to like for, for, you know, people, you know, interested in what NASA is up to and people interested in WordPress to see the fruits of all this labor that we&#8217;ve been working on for the last couple of years and it&#8217;s all coming in the next few months. And yeah, so I&#8217;m really excited to share that with you and share that with other people in the community.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cory Miller (00:31:19) &#8211; Yeah, that&#8217;s excellent. So I want to take just a minute in sidebar because you did this whole year, you know, one of seeing what&#8217;s out there, seeing what the options are. And I love that you&#8217;ve done some deep, deep research for big organizations trying to make a big, important decision on it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cory Miller (00:31:36) &#8211; Um, I&#8217;m just curious what we&#8217;re couple takeaways. As you just surveyed the landscape. You know, we love WordPress. We understand, you know, we, we support WordPress, but, but we know that there&#8217;s a lot of stuff out there. Um, but I&#8217;m curious, what, what did the landscape look like? Where were some of the things you saw when you looked at the other platforms you mentioned like Wagtail? I hadn&#8217;t heard that one before. I&#8217;ve heard of Contentful for instance, and of course Drupal. But what, what were a couple of the takeaways on that year of investigation out there?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>J.J. Toothman (00:32:08) &#8211; So the I, I would say that there are two major, maybe three major differentiators that separated WordPress from the rest from the rest of the pack. If you will. Um, you know, there&#8217;s a lot of great content management systems out there. You know, they all do the same thing or try to do people the same. They try to make it easy for people to publish information onto the web and make it easy for others to consume it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>J.J. Toothman (00:32:35) &#8211; But the differentiators from WordPress versus the other CMS that we were looking at were number one. A lot of again, it had a lot of it had to do with the ecosystem. WordPress was the only CMS that had real time analysis tools around SEO. So and accessibility to kind of try to improve those situations before the point of publishing. So Yoast is the obvious example. So Yoast, you know, we&#8217;ve all been exposed to Yoast. Yoast allows you to allows the content creator user to be authoring and editing content and getting some real time analysis about how friendly or compatible, whatever the term you want to use it is before the point of publish. There&#8217;s accessibility tools out there that do the same things that are kind of integrated within the WordPress Admin WordPress dashboard that allow that content creator user to like, you know, when it&#8217;s in draft format to analyze. Do I have accessibly accessible content that I&#8217;m about to publish in here and make live other CMS didn&#8217;t have that baked in. You know, there&#8217;s WordPress plugins that do these things.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>J.J. Toothman (00:33:51) &#8211; Um, we could even, we even have the ability to prevent publishing until certain excessively thresholds and SEO optimization thresholds are met. That was really, really attractive. All the most of the majority of the other solutions are you publish it first it&#8217;s live and then you can go back and check it and then you kind of have to retrofit it. I&#8217;ve been working in enterprises enough to know that that doesn&#8217;t happen once it&#8217;s published, Once it&#8217;s out there, people are generally going to move on. They&#8217;re not going to do the analysis of like, All right, how do I go back and improve this thing? So you really got to you really got to catch those things early and often. Um, you know, up front in the, in the content publishing lifecycle. So that was one of the big differentiators was that and that again, that&#8217;s all a product of the WordPress ecosystem and the innovation that comes out of that ecosystem. The other one was just kind of like the resources around this. So we all, you know, you can take for a grain of salt like, you know, the the whole thing about, you know, WordPress powers, 40% of the web, you know, that kind of stuff.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>J.J. Toothman (00:34:57) &#8211; But there is some byproduct of that. And that is there&#8217;s a lot of people using it. There&#8217;s a lot of people building it. There&#8217;s a lot of people developing on it. There&#8217;s a lot of people extending on. There&#8217;s a lot of knowledge being shared around that. One of the things I did was I went in the stack overflow and compared WordPress with other CMS&#8217;s and just being like, How many conversations are happening around this thing, you know, that we&#8217;re looking at? And it was, you know, what you expected, the ability for, you know, to be able to. Try to solve a problem by getting by by, you know, interfacing or sponging up knowledge that was already contributed back in some way, you know, via via StackOverflow or, you know, other places on the Web, other groups, Slack channels, etcetera, that exists in WordPress in a way that it doesn&#8217;t exist in these other, you know, CMS products. You know, the if you want to if you want to get developer knowledge around Adobe Experience Manager, you for for the most part there are some Adobe experience manager specialists out there, but for the most part you got to go to Adobe for it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>J.J. Toothman (00:36:02) &#8211; Um. Uh, you know, same thing with sorts. There&#8217;s not there&#8217;s not a huge community of sort site developers out there. So for a place like NASA, you know, resource acquisition becomes a problem. Like, where are they going to find talent for that? Yeah. And you know, again, WordPress, you know, kind of is head and shoulders above the rest in that area. Um, and then, you know, this whole concept of WordPress is for everyone to like that. That rang true in all this research too. Like it&#8217;s more than just developer community. There&#8217;s user communities out there that are also sharing their knowledge here. Um, you know, there&#8217;s all these kinds of like, there&#8217;s, there&#8217;s solutions for learning WordPress that are provided by the communities and multiple companies with the community that add a lot of value within the equals. So it&#8217;s not just like the software ecosystem, but it&#8217;s like, you know, the kind of service ecosystem to that exist within WordPress. Um, and then honestly, like, you know, portability matters to, um, you know, there&#8217;s, for the most part, like I really just wanted public sector to adopt open source.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>J.J. Toothman (00:37:11) &#8211; You know, that&#8217;s the first decision I want, I want them to do is just, just, you know, make an open source decision. And then you&#8217;ve done that. You know, you&#8217;re in a good you&#8217;re in a better place than picking a commercial, you know, bespoke solution. You know, And then, you know, once you get past that hurdle now, you know, the obvious open source can cannot exist. And you know, the user experience of WordPress and that whole concept of WordPress being for everyone and being considering everyone, depending on who you are, really rings true and is a differentiator as well.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cory Miller (00:37:50) &#8211; Well, that&#8217;s excellent. And that rings true. You know, I&#8217;m curious because as I talked to more enterprise agencies, all of you out there in the world interfacing with clients, with their needs, what they actually are trying to get done. That&#8217;s really, really great to hear and it&#8217;s reflective of the community. I think sometimes they&#8217;ve been in the community like you as long as we have.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cory Miller (00:38:10) &#8211; I take some of those things for granted. So I think that&#8217;s that&#8217;s excellent. Well, JJ, thanks so much for the time today. I know you just got back from a big trip and you&#8217;ve got work to pile out, but I appreciate you coming on the podcast and sharing your agency journey, and I look forward to our next conversation, sharing the good work you&#8217;re doing with WordPress in our world. That too.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>J.J. Toothman (00:38:31) &#8211; Corey Thanks for having me.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cory Miller (00:38:34) &#8211; All right. Thanks, everybody, for being here today. And we&#8217;ll talk to you. We&#8217;ll see. We&#8217;ll talk to you. We&#8217;ll hear from you. They&#8217;ll listen to us soon.</p>\n<p>This article was published at Post Status — the community for WordPress professionals.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Thu, 20 Jul 2023 18:47:02 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:11:\"Cory Miller\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:35;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:68:\"Post Status: WordPress 6.3 RC1 • Field Guide • Gutenberg Phase 3\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:32:\"https://poststatus.com/?p=149937\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:71:\"https://poststatus.com/wordpress-6-3-rc1-field-guide-gutenberg-phase-3/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:26528:\"<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-this-week-at-wordpress-org-april-3-2023\">This Week at WordPress.org (July 17, 2023)</h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"has-background has-theme-palette-8-background-color wp-block-post-excerpt\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__excerpt\">WordPress 6.3 will arrive on August 8, so there isn&#8217;t much time left for testing compatibility. Whether you are a plugin or theme maintainer or managing clients&#8217; websites, <strong>now is the time to test the latest features</strong>. Mike Schroder shares their most anticipated feature with auto-rollbacks coming.<br /><br />Collaborative editing is coming to WordPress, but what might that look like? A much-needed refresh of the Admin dashboard will also arrive as we expand Gutenberg from posts and pages through themes and now to additional parts of WordPress. <strong>Rather than voicing your opinions after such large overhauls ship, now is the time to read through the Phase 3 ideas and provide insights. </strong> </p></div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-infobox kt-info-box_94d1bd-77\"><div class=\"kt-blocks-info-box-link-wrap kt-blocks-info-box-media-align-left kt-info-halign-left\"><div class=\"kt-blocks-info-box-media-container\"><div class=\"kt-blocks-info-box-media kt-info-media-animate-none\"><div class=\"kadence-info-box-icon-container kt-info-icon-animate-none\"><div class=\"kadence-info-box-icon-inner-container\"><span class=\"kb-svg-icon-wrap kb-svg-icon-fe_gitMerge kt-info-svg-icon\"></span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"kt-infobox-textcontent\"><h2 class=\"kt-blocks-info-box-title\"> WP 6.3, Field Guide, Phase 3</h2><p class=\"kt-blocks-info-box-text\"><br /><img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/14.0.0/72x72/1f680.png\" alt=\"🚀\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /> <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2023/07/wordpress-6-3-release-candidate-1/\">WordPress 6.3 Release Candidate 1</a><br /><br /><img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/14.0.0/72x72/1f3a7.png\" alt=\"🎧\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /> <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2023/07/episode-60-sneak-a-peek-at-wordpress-6-3-with-special-guest-mike-schroder/\">Sneak a Peek at WP</a><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2023/07/episode-60-sneak-a-peek-at-wordpress-6-3-with-special-guest-mike-schroder/\"> 6.3 with Mike Schroder</a><br /><br /><img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/14.0.0/72x72/1f9d1-1f3fd-200d-1f4bb.png\" alt=\"🧑🏽‍💻\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /> <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/test/2023/06/27/help-test-wordpress-6-3/\">Help Test WordPress 6.3</a><br /><br />3&#x20e3; <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/phase-3/\">Gutenberg Phase 3</a><br /><br /><img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/14.0.0/72x72/1f4da.png\" alt=\"📚\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /> <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/18/wordpress-6-3-field-guide/\">WordPress 6.3 Field Guide</a><br />><br /></a><br /><br />><br /></a><br /><br /></p></div></div></div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-_b57166-6e\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\" /></div></div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-news\"><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news\">News</a></h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2023/07/wordpress-6-3-release-candidate-1/\">WordPress 6.3 Release Candidate 1</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2023/07/episode-60-sneak-a-peek-at-wordpress-6-3-with-special-guest-mike-schroder/\">WP Briefing: Episode 60: Sneak a Peek at WordPress 6.3 with Special Guest Mike Schroder</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2023/07/designed-with-wordpress/\">Designed with WordPress</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-_8f6276-eb\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\" /></div></div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-16\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">WordPress 6.3</h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/polyglots/2023/07/18/wordpress-6-3-ready-to-be-translated/\">WordPress 6.3 ready to be translated</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/19/wordpress-6-3-accessibility-improvements/\">WordPress 6.3 Accessibility Improvements</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2023/07/wordpress-6-3-release-candidate-1/\">WordPress 6.3 Release Candidate 1</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/19/wordpress-6-2-release-candidate-phase-2/\">WordPress 6.3 Release Candidate Phase</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/13/improvements-to-the-metadata-api-in-wordpress-6-3/\">Improvements to the metadata API in WordPress 6.3</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/06/30/6-3-release-parties-schedule-and-hosts/\">6.3 Release Parties Schedule and hosts</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2023/06/wordpress-6-3-beta-2/\">WordPress 6.3 Beta 2</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/design/2023/05/25/wordpress-6-3-design-kickoff/\">WordPress 6.3 design kickoff</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/05/25/bug-scrub-schedule-for-6-3/\">Bug Scrub Schedule for WordPress 6.3</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/05/18/wordpress-6-3-planning-roundup/\">WordPress 6.3 Planning Roundup</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/05/18/roadmap-to-6-3/\">Roadmap to 6.3</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">WordPress 6.4</h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/18/wordpress-6-4-whats-on-your-wishlist/\">WordPress 6.4: What’s on your wishlist?</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/06/05/wordpress-6-4-development-cycle/\">WordPress 6.4 Development Cycle</a></li>\n</ul>\n</div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">WordPress 6.3 Field Guide and Dev-Notes</h3>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/18/wordpress-6-3-field-guide/\">WordPress 6.3 Field Guide</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/17/introducing-the-block-selectors-api/\">Introducing the Block Selectors API</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/17/introducing-the-wordpress-command-palette-api/\">Introducing the WordPress Command Palette API</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/14/layout-updates-in-the-editor-for-wordpress-6-3/\">Layout updates in the editor for WordPress 6.3</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/17/social-icons-block-applied-colors-now-dynamically-update-based-on-theme-json-and-global-styles/\">Social Icons block: Applied colors now dynamically update based on theme.json and Global Styles</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/18/miscellaneous-editor-changes-in-wordpress-6-3/\">Miscellaneous Editor changes in WordPress 6.3</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/18/bundled-themes-dropping-internet-explorer-scripts-and-styles/\">Bundled themes dropping Internet Explorer scripts and styles</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/17/improvements-to-the-cache-api-in-wordpress-6-3/\">Improvements to the Cache API in WordPress 6.3</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/14/configuring-development-mode-in-6-3/\">Configuring development mode in 6.3</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/14/i18n-improvements-in-6-3/\">I18N Improvements in 6.3</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/13/image-performance-enhancements-in-wordpress-6-3/\">Image performance enhancements in WordPress 6.3</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/13/improvements-to-the-metadata-api-in-wordpress-6-3/\">Improvements to the metadata API in WordPress 6.3</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/14/wp_query-used-internally-in-get_pages/\">WP_Query used internally in get_pages()</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/14/registering-scripts-with-async-and-defer-attributes-in-wordpress-6-3/\">Registering scripts with `async` and `defer` attributes in WordPress 6.3</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/11/new-in-6-3-rollback-for-failed-manual-plugin-and-theme-updates/\">New in 6.3: Rollback for failed manual plugin and theme updates</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/14/improved-caching-for-database-queries-in-wp_user_query/\">Improved Caching for Database Queries in WP_User_Query</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/18/miscellaneous-developer-changes-in-wordpress-6-3/\">Miscellaneous developer changes in WordPress 6.3</a></li>\n</ul>\n</div>\n</div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-21\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-19\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/accessibility\">Accessibility</a></h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/accessibility/2023/07/17/accessibility-team-meeting-agenda-july-21-2023/\">Accessibility Team Meeting Agenda: July 21, 2023</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-community\"><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/community\">Community</a></h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/community/2023/07/13/recap-of-the-diverse-speaker-training-group-wpdiversity-amer-emea-on-july-12-2023/\">Recap of the Diverse Speaker Training group (#WPDiversity) AMER/EMEA on July 12, 2023</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/community/2023/07/13/new-handbook-page-for-wordcamp-organizers-wordcamp-speaker-selection-for-content-and-diversity/\">New handbook page for WordCamp Organizers: WordCamp Speaker Selection (for content AND diversity)</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/community/2023/07/12/summary-of-the-q2-community-team-role-updates/\">Summary of the Q2 Community Team Role Updates</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-core\"><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core\">Core</a> </h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/06/29/hallway-hangout-performance-improvements-for-wordpress-6-3/\">Hallway Hangout: Performance Improvements for WordPress 6.3</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/18/a-week-in-core-july-17-2023/\">A Week in Core – July 17, 2023</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Phase 3 Ideations</h3>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/03/real-time-collaboration/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Real-Time Collaboration</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/04/workflows/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Workflows</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/05/revisions/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Revisions</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/07/media-library/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Media Library</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/10/block-library/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Block Library</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/12/admin-design/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Admin Design</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-developer-blog\"><a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/news/\">Developer Blog</a></h3>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/news/2023/07/beyond-block-styles-part-1-using-the-wordpress-scripts-package-with-themes/\">Beyond block styles, part 1: using the WordPress scripts package with themes</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/news/2023/07/make-your-sites-typography-make-a-statement/\">Make your site’s typography make a statement</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/news/2023/07/whats-new-for-developers-july-2023/\">What’s new for developers? (July 2023)</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/news/2023/07/how-to-modify-theme-json-data-using-server-side-filters/\">How to modify theme.json data using server-side filters</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-meetings\">Meetings</h3>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/19/editor-chat-agenda-july-19th-2023/\">Editor Chat Agenda: July 19th, 2023</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/18/dev-chat-agenda-july-19-2023/\">Dev Chat agenda, July 19, 2023</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Design</h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/design/2023/07/03/design-share-jun-19-jun-30/\">Design Share: Jun 19–Jun&nbsp;30</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/docs\">Docs</a></h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/docs/2023/07/18/call-for-volunteers-to-help-with-6-3-end-user-documentation/\">Call for volunteers to help with 6.3 end-user documentation</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/docs/2023/07/18/agenda-for-docs-team-bi-weekly-meeting-july-18-2023/\">Agenda for Docs Team bi-weekly meeting July 18, 2023</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/updates/2023/07/17/documentation-team-update-july-17-2023/\">Documentation Team Update – July 17, 2023</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-hosting\"><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/hosting\">Hosting</a></h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/hosting/2023/07/11/hosting-team-meeting-agenda-2023-07-12/\">Hosting Team meeting agenda 2023-07-12</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/hosting/2023/05/15/is-wordpress-compatible-with-php-8/\">Is WordPress compatible with PHP 8?</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/marketing\">Marketing</a></h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/marketing/2023/06/26/notes-global-marketing-team-meeting-20-june-2023/\">Notes: Global Marketing Team meeting, 20 June 2023</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/marketing/2023/06/19/notes-global-marketing-team-meeting-13-june-2023/\">Notes: Global Marketing Team meeting, 13 June 2023</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/meta\">Meta</a></h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/meta/2023/06/20/make-team-dashboards/\">Make Team Dashboards</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/meta/2023/06/15/triaging-open-issues-on-trac-for-make-teams/\">Triaging open issues on Trac for Make Teams</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/meta/2023/06/13/new-filter-controls-discover-commercial-and-community-in-the-theme-and-plugin-directory/\">New Filter Controls: Discover “Commercial” and “Community” in the Theme and Plugin Directory</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/meta/2023/06/11/linking-to-supporting-orgs/\">Linking to Supporting Orgs</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/meta/2023/06/09/new-curation-filter-in-pattern-directory/\">New curation filter in Pattern Directory</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-mobile\"><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/mobile\">Mobile</a></h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/updates/2023/07/12/mobile-team-update-july-12th/\">Mobile Team Update – July 12th</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/mobile/2023/04/11/contribute-to-the-future-of-the-wordpress-app/\">Contribute to the Future of the WordPress App</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/updates/2023/07/12/mobile-team-update-july-12th/\">Mobile Team Update – July 12th</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-openverse\"><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/openverse\">Openverse</a></h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/openverse/2023/07/18/community-meeting-recap-2023-07-18/\">Community Meeting Recap (2023-07-18)</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/openverse/2023/07/17/last-week-openverse-2023-07-10-2023-07-17/\">A week in Openverse: 2023-07-10 – 2023-07-17</a></li>\n</ul>\n</div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-performance\"><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/performance/\">Performance</a></h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/18/performance-chat-summary-18-july-2023/\">Performance Chat Summary: 11 July 2023</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-plugins\"><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/plugins\">Plugins</a></h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/plugins/2023/06/29/plugin-review-team-update-the-next-phase-begins/\">Plugin Review Team Update: The next phase begins</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/updates/2023/07/17/plugin-review-team-17-jul-2023/\">Plugin Review Team: 17 Jul 2023</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-polyglots\"><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/polyglots\">Polyglots</a></h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/polyglots/2023/07/19/weekly-polyglots-chat-july-19-2023-1300-utc/\">Weekly Polyglots Chat – July 19, 2023 (13:00 UTC)</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/polyglots/2023/07/18/wordpress-6-3-ready-to-be-translated/\">WordPress 6.3 ready to be translated</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-project\">Project</h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/project/2023/07/13/proposal-for-establishing-a-make-diversity-equity-inclusion-and-belonging-deib-team-within-the-wordpress-community/\">Proposal for Establishing a Make Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (“DEIB”) Team within the WordPress Community</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Support</h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/support/2023/06/wp-contributor-mentorship-program-support-team-edition/\">WP Contributor Mentorship Program: Support team edition</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/sustainability\">Sustainability</a></h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/sustainability/2023/07/14/sustainability-chat-summary-july-14-2023/\">Sustainability Chat Summary, July 14, 2023</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-test\"><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/test\">Test</a></h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/test/2023/06/27/help-test-wordpress-6-3/\">Help Test WordPress 6.3</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-theme\"><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/theme\">Theme</a></h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/updates/2023/07/12/themes-team-update-july-12-2023/\">Themes team update July 12, 2023</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/themes/2023/07/13/themes-team-meeting-notes-july-11-2023/\">Themes Team Meeting Notes –&nbsp;July 11, 2023</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-training\"><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/training\">Training</a></h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://learn.wordpress.org/learn-wordpress-july-2023-newsletter/\">Learn WordPress July 2023 Newsletter</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/training/2023/07/10/training-team-2023-half-year-review/\">Training Team 2023 Half Year Review</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/training/2023/07/08/next-steps-for-github-updates/\">Next steps for GitHub updates</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/training/2023/07/08/announcement-updates-to-team-meeting-times/\">Announcement: Updates to team meeting times</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/training/2023/07/07/project-thread-learning-pathways-on-learn-wordpress/\">Project Thread: Learning Pathways on Learn WordPress</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-tutorials\"><a href=\"https://learn.wordpress.org/tutorials\">Tutorials</a></h3>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://learn.wordpress.org/tutorial/it-choosing-and-installing-a-theme/\">Scegliere e installare un tema</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://learn.wordpress.org/tutorial/7-tips-to-improve-website-security/\">7 Tips to improve website security</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-online-workshops\">Online Workshops</h3>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://learn.wordpress.org/?meeting=testing-wordpress-6-3\">Testing WordPress 6.3</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://learn.wordpress.org/?meeting=come-join-the-wordpress-training-team-4\">Come join the WordPress Training Team!</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://learn.wordpress.org/?meeting=how-to-validate-content-feedback-for-the-wordpress-training-team-3\">How to validate content feedback for the WordPress Training Team</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://learn.wordpress.org/?meeting=how-to-validate-content-feedback-for-the-wordpress-training-team-2\">How to validate content feedback for the WordPress Training Team</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://learn.wordpress.org/?meeting=mentorship-program-introduction-to-the-wordpress-open-source-project\">Mentorship Program: Introduction to the WordPress Open Source Project</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-courses\"><a href=\"https://learn.wordpress.org/courses\">Courses</a></h3>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://learn.wordpress.org/course/developing-with-the-wordpress-rest-api/\">Introduction to developing with the WordPress REST API</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/tv\">WordPress TV</a></h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/tv/2023/06/15/enhancing-slide-management-for-video-publications/\">Enhancing Slide Management for Video Publications</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">WordCamp Central</h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://central.wordcamp.org/news/2023/07/wordcamp-dhaka-2023-has-been-cancelled/\">WordCamp Dhaka 2023 Has Been Cancelled</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://central.wordcamp.org/news/2023/07/wordcamp-rochester-is-back/\">WordCamp Rochester is Back!</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://central.wordcamp.org/news/2023/07/wordcamp-san-jose-2023-looking-for-speakers-and-sponsors/\">WordCamp San José 2023: Looking For Speakers And Sponsors!</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://central.wordcamp.org/news/2023/06/wordcamp-finland-back-to-tampere-with-educational-insightful-and-thought-provoking-talks/\">WordCamp Finland: back to Tampere with educational, insightful and thought-provoking talks</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-wptv\">WPTV</h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://wordpress.tv/category/year/2022/\">Latest WordPress TV videos</a></li>\n</ul>\n</div>\n</div>\n</div>\n</div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" />\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-related-news\">Related News:</h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://blog.jquery.com/2023/05/11/jquery-3-7-0-released-staying-in-order/\">jQuery 3.7.0</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://nodejs.org/en/blog/release/v20.2.0\">Node v20.2.0 released</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://www.php.net/archive/2023.php#2023-07-06-1\">PHP 8.3.0 Alpha 3 available for testing</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://www.php.net/archive/2023.php#2023-05-11-1\"></a><a href=\"https://www.php.net/archive/2023.php#2023-07-06-2\">PHP 8.2.8 Released!</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://www.php.net/archive/2023.php#2023-07-06-3\">PHP 8.1.21 Released!</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://github.com/PHPMailer/PHPMailer/releases/tag/v6.8.0\">PHPMailer 6.8.0</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://262.ecma-international.org/\">TC39</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"http://github.com/composer/composer/releases/tag/2.5.8\">Composer 2.5.8</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-theme-palette-7-background-color has-background\">Thanks for reading our WP dot .org roundup! Each week we are highlighting the news and discussions coming from the good folks making WordPress possible. If you or your company create products or services that use WordPress, you need to be engaged with them and their work. Be sure to share this resource with your product and project managers. <br /><br /><strong>Are you interested in giving back and contributing your time and skills to WordPress.org?</strong> <img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/14.0.0/72x72/1f64f.png\" alt=\"🙏\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /> <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/support/article/contributing-to-wordpress/\">Start Here ›</a><br /><br /><strong>Get our weekly WordPress community news digest</strong> — Post Status&#8217; <a href=\"https://poststatus.com/news/week-in-review/\">Week in Review</a> — covering the WP/Woo news plus significant writing and podcasts. It&#8217;s also available in <a href=\"https://poststatus.com/newsletter\">our newsletter</a>. <img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/14.0.0/72x72/1f48c.png\" alt=\"💌\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /></p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile has-background\"><a href=\"https://poststatus.com/\"><img src=\"https://poststatus.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/vertical-post-status-logo-250.png\" alt=\"Post Status\" class=\"wp-image-85823 size-full\" /></a><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-normal-font-size\" id=\"h-get-ready-for-remote-work\">You — and <a href=\"https://poststatus.com/#Agency\">your whole team</a> can <a href=\"https://poststatus.com/#choose-membership\">Join Post Status</a> too!</p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-small-font-size\"><strong>Build your network. Learn with others. Find your next job — or your next hire.</strong> Read the <strong>Post Status</strong> <a href=\"https://poststatus.com/newsletter/\">newsletter</a>. <img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/14.0.0/72x72/2709.png\" alt=\"✉\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /> Listen to <a href=\"https://poststatus.com/podcasts/\">podcasts</a>. <img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/14.0.0/72x72/1f399.png\" alt=\"🎙\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /> Follow <a href=\"https://twitter.com/post_status/\">@Post_Status</a> <img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/14.0.0/72x72/1f426.png\" alt=\"🐦\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /> and <a href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/company/post-status-llc/\">LinkedIn</a>. <img src=\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/14.0.0/72x72/1f4bc.png\" alt=\"💼\" class=\"wp-smiley\" /></p>\n</div></div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n<p>This article was published at Post Status — the community for WordPress professionals.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Thu, 20 Jul 2023 12:50:44 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:18:\"Courtney Robertson\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:36;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:77:\"Do The Woo Community: Woo AgencyChat Live with Judd Dunagan and Carlos Caneja\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:28:\"https://dothewoo.io/?p=75689\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:76:\"https://dothewoo.io/woo-agencychat-live-with-judd-dunagan-and-carlos-caneja/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:410:\"<p>Judd from Bright Vessel and Carlos from Britecode have a conversation around WooCommerce agency life. </p>\n<p>&gt;&gt; The post <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https://dothewoo.io/woo-agencychat-live-with-judd-dunagan-and-carlos-caneja/\">Woo AgencyChat Live with Judd Dunagan and Carlos Caneja</a> appeared first on <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https://dothewoo.io\">Do the Woo - a WooCommerce Builder Community</a>	.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Thu, 20 Jul 2023 09:56:47 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:5:\"BobWP\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:37;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:94:\"Do The Woo Community: WooCommerce Agency Growth and the Power of Subscriptions with Kenn Kelly\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:28:\"https://dothewoo.io/?p=75674\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:93:\"https://dothewoo.io/woocommerce-agency-growth-and-the-power-of-subscriptions-with-kenn-kelly/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:471:\"<p>Kenn Kelly from Never Settle joins us as he shares his story of his agency, their passion for supporting a cause and so much Woo.</p>\n<p>&gt;&gt; The post <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https://dothewoo.io/woocommerce-agency-growth-and-the-power-of-subscriptions-with-kenn-kelly/\">WooCommerce Agency Growth and the Power of Subscriptions with Kenn Kelly</a> appeared first on <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https://dothewoo.io\">Do the Woo - a WooCommerce Builder Community</a>	.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Thu, 20 Jul 2023 08:50:00 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:5:\"BobWP\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:38;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:66:\"WPTavern: #84 – Aaron Reimann on WordPress’ First Twenty Years\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:48:\"https://wptavern.com/?post_type=podcast&p=147025\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:77:\"https://wptavern.com/podcast/84-aaron-reimann-on-wordpress-first-twenty-years\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:54997:\"Transcript<div>\n<p>[00:00:00] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Welcome to the Jukebox podcast from WP Tavern. My name is Nathan Wrigley.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jukebox is a podcast which is dedicated to all things WordPress. The people, the events, the plugins, the blocks, the themes, and in this case a history of WordPress&#8217;s important moments.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;d like to subscribe to the podcast, you can do that by searching for WP Tavern in your podcast player of choice, or by going to WPTavern.com forward slash feed forward slash podcast. And you can copy that URL into most podcast players.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have a topic that you&#8217;d like us to feature on the podcast, I&#8217;m keen to hear from you and hopefully get you, or your idea, featured on the show. Head to WPTavern.com forward slash contact forward slash jukebox, and use the form there.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So on the podcast today we have Aaron Reimann. Aaron is a PHP developer who started working with WordPress in 2008. He&#8217;s currently running ClockworkWP, a design, development and hosting shop. He&#8217;s built sites for companies of all shapes and sizes ranging from small nonprofits to Fortune 100 companies.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>He&#8217;s been an organizer for WordCamp Atlanta and the Atlanta WordPress meetup, and he also speaks regularly at events throughout the WordPress community, including WordCamp Europe, 2023 which is where this podcast was recorded.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Aaron gave a presentation at the event called &#8216;where did we come from?&#8217; In that session, he spoke about something which we don&#8217;t often dwell upon, WordPress&#8217; history. In the technology space we&#8217;re always looking towards the future. What new features are being worked on? What&#8217;s in the latest version of WordPress. So this is an opportunity to gaze back over the previous 20 years and see just how far WordPress has come.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We do this by looking at some of the more important milestones in the WordPress landscape. Which features were added that allowed the CMS to become the success that it now is.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Back in the early days, WordPress&#8217; success was anything but certain. There were a set of rival CMS platforms all vying for the attention of developers and website builders. Joomla and Drupal may be familiar names, but there were many others as well. All of these platforms, WordPress included, had their strengths and weaknesses. And at the time it seemed like any of them could become the dominant CMS.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We discuss what might have been the key things which set WordPress apart, and made it the pick for many people who needed an online presence. The fact that WordPress was easy to install, and easy on the eye, were certainly important.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then there&#8217;s the advent of the plugin architecture within WordPress. It&#8217;s fair to say that a vanilla version of WordPress will get you many of the features you need to get a website up and running. But if you want to do more then it&#8217;s likely that you&#8217;ll be relying on plugins. The fact that you could install and update from a growing range of plugins made WordPress indispensable. Able to create websites for almost any purpose.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then there&#8217;s themes. It&#8217;s nice to have a functioning website, but it&#8217;s nicer still to have a functioning website which looks great. Themes enabled non-designers to make an impact online and made an entire industry for those who could turn their hand to theme creation.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another pivotal moment was when custom fields were added into core, you were no longer bound by simply adding content to your posts and, later, pages. You could now create complex websites in which all sorts of data could be manipulated and displayed. WordPress now had all the hallmarks of a fully fledged CMS.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then there&#8217;s Gutenberg in WordPress&#8217; more recent past. Aaron is not yet completely sold on Gutenberg, still preferring the page builder that he&#8217;s grown accustomed to. But no discussion of WordPress&#8217; first 20 years would be complete without a mention of this important change.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then there&#8217;s the community of people who made and continue to make the software. Without the people there would be no WordPress.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We round off the discussion, talking about the fact that there appears to be a very high chance that WordPress will still be around in another 20 years. Will it still be the popular choice for website building? Who knows, but it&#8217;ll be fun to see what the future holds.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;re interested in finding out more, you can find all of the links in the show notes by heading over to WPTavern.com forward slash podcast. Where you&#8217;ll find all the other episodes as well.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And so without further delay, I bring you Aaron Reimann.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I am joined on the podcast by Aaron Reimann.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:05:30] <strong>Aaron Reimann:</strong> Correct.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:05:30] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Thank you. Very nice to have you with us. How you doing?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:05:33] <strong>Aaron Reimann:</strong> Well actually, I guess that just by default I want to say, yeah I&#8217;m doing great. I am doing great, but I am jet lagged. We landed from, came from Atlanta to Athens. Landed on Monday, and I&#8217;m, I think I&#8217;m just now getting back to normal, but I&#8217;m still just a little, little tired.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:05:46] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Well, you&#8217;re very brave if you are suffering from jet lag. You&#8217;ve just had the bit of WordCamp Europe, which for you at least anyway, was going to be the most challenging.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:05:53] <strong>Aaron Reimann:</strong> Right.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:05:53] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> You had a presentation, workshop?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:05:56] <strong>Aaron Reimann:</strong> Presentation.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:05:56] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Presentation, and it was all about, well, the subject that we&#8217;re going to talk about. Tell us how that went.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:06:01] <strong>Aaron Reimann:</strong> I think it went well. Of course, I&#8217;m biased and I was a little blinded by the lights while I was talking on stage. But I think it went well. Some people had some good questions at the end, and then some of the people that weren&#8217;t exactly willing to ask the questions in front of everyone, I had a few people ask questions afterwards and two of them you know, said this was great. I wanted to know the history of WordPress and I&#8217;m new. I thought that was really good.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:06:25] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yeah, that&#8217;s perfect. Great introduction. So we&#8217;re going to talk about the history of WordPress, but just before we do that, probably to give us a bit of orientation and information about you, just tell us a little bit about your background, your relationship with WordPress.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:06:36] <strong>Aaron Reimann:</strong> Okay. I&#8217;ve been a web developer since 1996, which I know dates me quite a bit. I started using WordPress in 2005, I think it was version 1.5.5 or something like that. And I only used it for a blog and I just kind of dumped my brain on the blog. Ran it for about three years, and it wasn&#8217;t until 2008, until I really started digging into WordPress. But in 2008 I quit my job. I was an IT guy, maintaining servers and computers and stuff like that and quit my job.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Started an agency with a friend of mine. Didn&#8217;t know what I was doing. But I had to figure out what platform do I want to use, and we&#8217;ll probably get into that. But ever since 2008 I&#8217;ve been using WordPress, and I&#8217;ve been running an agency. I sold, my business partner sold our agency in 2019, and then started a new company. I used basically the same contracts and things like that. When I started my business in 2008, I didn&#8217;t know what I was doing. Doing the reset in 2019. I had a process and a and knew how to run an agency. So it was much easier the second go round.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:07:49] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> So anybody that&#8217;s been using WordPress from one point anything, you really have been there from pretty early on.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:07:56] <strong>Aaron Reimann:</strong> Pretty early on.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:07:56] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> And used it a lot with, presumably with different clients for different applications. So the purpose of this conversation is to talk around the history of WordPress. This is kind of perfect because we are right up against the 20th anniversary. Software has managed to keep going for 20 years, which is pretty amazing. Just that is pretty amazing.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:08:13] <strong>Aaron Reimann:</strong> I&#8217;m sure we could probably sit there and just list them. This project died. This one died. This one died. I mean it&#8217;s common.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:08:19] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> But for some reason WordPress kept going. I&#8217;m going to begin the podcast interview with whole history of CMSs around the time that you began. Because it wasn&#8217;t really clear that WordPress was going to take the spot that it did. I think it&#8217;s fair to say now, if you were describing this as a race, it would be fair to say that WordPress won the CMS race? </p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:08:42] <strong>Aaron Reimann:</strong> Absolutely.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:08:43] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> But back then, back in the early 20 somethings, there was quite a few rivals. There was a few projects that could easily have taken off. They had the same open source ethos in many cases, some of them not so. Some of them you had to pay for and so on. So I just wondered if you&#8217;ve got any stories to tell or information about projects that you&#8217;ve used with other CMSs, like Drupal or Joomla, or Expression Engine, whatever it may be.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:09:04] <strong>Aaron Reimann:</strong> Yeah. So in 2008, I actually started using CMS Made Simple, because I saw it as easier than WordPress and more featured than WordPress. But WordPress is one of those things where once you get the ball rolling WordPress became unstoppable because it had so many more people joining and adding to the community. Which means more plugins, more features, more everything.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And so I dropped CMS Made Simple after building about three websites I think. I wound up dropping that to use WordPress. And I also had a business partner that wasn&#8217;t technical at all, and he really liked the fact that he could, I don&#8217;t know if it was cPanel or some kind of hosting platform. Gave him a one button push to install WordPress, and so he could start working on a website and he didn&#8217;t have to do anything technical. And I think that probably has had a big effect on WordPress because it just became so easy to install.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:10:05] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yeah, I genuinely thought that at the time, at least I was using different platforms. I came to WordPress in probably about 2015. So a long time after you and I played with all these other ones. And in many cases I felt that the features that they offered were superior. But the one thing that separated them from WordPress, the one thing that I should probably say, the one thing that separated WordPress from them, was the UI.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I felt that the UI was much more straightforward to use. It was actually quite beautiful. It hasn&#8217;t changed much in those years. It was just easier on the eye. It was much more straightforward. Dare I say it, there were less options, which might be a good thing or a bad thing.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:10:43] <strong>Aaron Reimann:</strong> I would agree with you. I think things like anytime I had to work on Joomla, I think it was around 2008 or so, Mambo I don&#8217;t know what the argument was, but all the developers dropped and started Joomla and Joomla became the thing, and Mambo died. Or Mamba, I don&#8217;t remember how to pronounce it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But any time I had to log into a Joomla site, it was a mess. I looked at it and I didn&#8217;t know exactly where to go. WordPress, even with version as I demonstrated today in my talk, version 7, 0.7.1, it was really simple. You log in there, there actually wasn&#8217;t even a dashboard at the beginning. You just log in and boom, you are right in the editor to create a post.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>People don&#8217;t have to sit there and think, how do I use this? It&#8217;s one of those things where like my mom could write a blog post. It was that simple. Whereas Joomla or Drupal, there&#8217;s a few more layers before you get into what you&#8217;re trying to get into.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:11:40] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yeah, it&#8217;s interesting. A lot of the rival platforms, they decided for more complexity. So they could, in effect, they could probably out of the box achieve more complicated things. But it turns out that plugins, as well probably come onto a bit later, plugins kind of stepped in and fixed that problem for us anyway. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:11:55] <strong>Aaron Reimann:</strong> Absolutely.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:11:56] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> So WordPress is 20 years old. The next thing that we&#8217;ve written down on our shared show notes is the milestones, if you like, during those past 20 years. There are certain things which happened in that past 20 years, which are probably more significant. I mean, there&#8217;s probably literally thousands of things that we could talk about, little tiny things. Some of them are much bigger bumps in the road. Things that really changed WordPress.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:12:15] <strong>Aaron Reimann:</strong> There&#8217;s probably a ton of them too, that I am not even aware of. Even though I&#8217;ve been in the community for so long. I&#8217;m focused on my use case of WordPress where I build marketing sites basically. I mean we write some plugins and do that, but mostly we focus on marketing sites. And I&#8217;m sure there&#8217;s a ton of things that I&#8217;m not even aware of that has happened that it doesn&#8217;t affect me, so I didn&#8217;t pay attention to it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:12:39] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yeah, but there certainly have been some big bumps. We&#8217;ve listed out a few here that between us, I think we think are significant. The first one, now we may not get this in the right order, it may be very well that some of these came prior to other ones.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:12:52] <strong>Aaron Reimann:</strong> It&#8217;s fresh in my head, so I probably will get it right. I think. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:12:55] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> You lead off then.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:12:56] <strong>Aaron Reimann:</strong> Well, if I remember correctly, going from 0.7.1 to 1.0, the only thing that really was added. They cleaned it up a little bit. It had less references to b2. If you look at the first version, all the files started with b2.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:13:11] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> We should say what b2 is.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:13:13] <strong>Aaron Reimann:</strong> That, might be helpful. So WordPress is a fork of b2/cafelog. I think I&#8217;m saying that correctly. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:13:21] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> That&#8217;s correct, yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:13:23] <strong>Aaron Reimann:</strong> Okay, and so everything was prefixed with b2, in the first version of WordPress and 1.0, there&#8217;s only three files that were prefixed with b2, and they were, I think XML-RPC files, or XML feeds or something like that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But everything got a lot cleaner. And so with 1.0 is where it, to me it looks more like WordPress. And then with 1.2 is when we got the plugin framework. And then in 1.5 is when we got themes. And those to me, I think we could probably talk the rest of the show about those two things. Probably shouldn&#8217;t, but we could.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:14:01] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> I think themes and plugins, plugins in particular, I think are where, for me at least, a lot of the magic has lay. A lot of the success is down to third party developers and the plugin architecture of WordPress. WordPress&#8217;s mission to democratize publishing is laudable, and it would be lovely, but a bare bones version of WordPress, a vanilla version of WordPress will only get you so far if you want something complicated. So the ability to open up WordPress to plugin developers was pretty seismic, I think.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:14:30] <strong>Aaron Reimann:</strong> Yeah, I agree. With plugins also comes with bloat, which is the thing that I run into, and I mentioned it on my talk. Someone asked me a plugin question and I said the worst site I ever worked on, I logged in once and I said, I&#8217;m not going to work on this site because there were 104 active plugins, active. There were some inactive ones there. I said I&#8217;m afraid to edit anything. So plugins are a blessing. And if you don&#8217;t know enough about what that can do to your site, it becomes a curse.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:15:06] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yeah, I&#8217;ve had similar experiences where, there&#8217;s just simply too much on there. And for WordPress&#8217;s promise to make it possible for almost anybody to create a website, maintain a website, update a website, that can be difficult. Because there is no indication anywhere that if you&#8217;re adding more plugins, you&#8217;re adding more bloat. You&#8217;re adding more time for pages to load because there&#8217;s things going on in the background.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:15:24] <strong>Aaron Reimann:</strong> It&#8217;s creating more tables in the database, and that is one of the things that you&#8217;ll see. People will have a live website and they&#8217;ll try a bunch of plugins and they&#8217;ll try five or six plugins, and it&#8217;s leaving these little imprints mostly, maybe in the files, but mostly in the database.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>It creates tables, but there&#8217;s no cleanup. That&#8217;s a problem. And then when, five years later when you&#8217;re trying to migrate the site, you see all these tables and you&#8217;re like, why are these tables, do they, are they in use? Can I delete &#8217;em? Stuff like that. It&#8217;s just, it just comes with lack of knowledge.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:15:57] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> I guess, if you had to have a seesaw of whether plugins were a good thing or a bad thing. I think for me, definitely it&#8217;s heavily weighted on the side of they&#8217;re a good thing. You&#8217;re right, they can be overused and what have you may be put in functionality that really you don&#8217;t actually need just because you want to play with it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But the ability to turn a pretty basic blogging platform as it was, into something which could do literally anything that the internet allows is pretty compelling. And that, for me, the plugin and theme, more plugin in my mind.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:16:30] <strong>Aaron Reimann:</strong> Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:16:30] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> But the plugin and theme architecture is one of the key pieces for its popularity and success.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:16:36] <strong>Aaron Reimann:</strong> Yeah. I think that theming though is super important. As much as I don&#8217;t like some of the theming shops that are out there. I&#8217;m not naming names or anything like that. But a lot of those themes that people would purchase, they were bloated. They would come in with five custom post types that they don&#8217;t need, but people would see my website can look this pretty. I like what that screenshot of that theme looks like and people would buy it. It&#8217;s eye candy, and I don&#8217;t know if Drupal and Joomla, they don&#8217;t have anything like that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:17:09] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Certainly not on the same scale. There are theming engines in there, but no. And it became very commercial, didn&#8217;t it as well. You were able to purchase themes for really quite extraordinarily cheap prices.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:17:21] <strong>Aaron Reimann:</strong> Right.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:17:21] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> And again, sometimes I think a blessing and a curse because I tried all of these things, guilty as charged. Tried downloading themes, and then realized that I had to take out more than I, I&#8217;d see something and think, oh, that&#8217;s exactly what I want. I would download the theme, use the theme, and then figure out. It was more work to remove the bits that I didn&#8217;t need, but it still worked. And for me, it drew me into the WordPress ecosystem.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then I learned that&#8217;s not for me. I&#8217;d like something more bare bones. So that&#8217;s the way I went, but it got me into it, which was the important part. So, yeah, themes as well then. Okay, what else? After themes and plugins, what else have we got?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:17:56] <strong>Aaron Reimann:</strong> Themes and plugins. And then I think it was in 2.9, the functionality was in 2.9, but it wasn&#8217;t documented and it came out in 3.0, were the custom post types. And the custom post types were a game changer for me because before, let&#8217;s take press releases. A client wants to have their press releases separate from their blog. The only way you could do that before was to create a category in your blog and make it not show up with the blog, but show up over here. And you feel like you&#8217;re just trying to hack something together, to make it fit.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And then when custom post types came out, it was amazing to me because it allowed us where, yeah, we can do that. You know, a client say I need to have this type of content show. Like, we can do that. It wasn&#8217;t trying to rig something that was impossible anymore.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And we use custom post types almost every site that we build. It&#8217;s just a, it&#8217;s a no-brainer. They say we need a way to do X and we&#8217;re like, okay, custom post type. We use that more than anything else probably.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:19:02] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> It&#8217;s interesting because we were talking earlier about things like Joomla and Drupal. I can&#8217;t speak to Joomla because I didn&#8217;t really use it, but Drupal even inversions significantly before the era that we&#8217;re now talking about, that kind of functionality was built into the core of the platform.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And because I was a user of Drupal when I came to WordPress, and it wasn&#8217;t immediately obvious in any part of the UI how to create a custom post type, and I know that you can do that. I had to figure out how to do it. In many cases, I think people will install some plugin, which takes care of that, but you can obviously do that in different ways.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:19:33] <strong>Aaron Reimann:</strong> Like, three different ways to do it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:19:35] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> I do remember scratching my head thinking, where&#8217;s the button? Where&#8217;s the button for the, whatever it&#8217;s called. And it turns out it was custom post type. But then figuring out, okay, you can do this and you can create metadata around those and you can separate your website up. Like you said, this is the portfolio aspect of the website. And these are the, these are the other bits of the website.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yeah, that&#8217;s really important. And it essentially, it turned it from a blogging platform into more of a, well, a fully featured CMS. In fact, I&#8217;d say you can&#8217;t really talk about it being a CMS until custom post types.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:20:03] <strong>Aaron Reimann:</strong> I say that made it a platform. It&#8217;s a platform. Where In 2006 and 2007, I was learning Ruby on Rails. And I realized every time I was creating something in Ruby on Rails, I needed to create, I had to figure out a way for people to log in. So that&#8217;s a module basically, that you&#8217;d have to install, and all these little pieces. And then I looked at WordPress and I&#8217;m like, oh, WordPress has all these things. And so to me, WordPress became in 3.0, just became a platform where if you&#8217;re smart enough, if you know how to develop plugins, you can make it do anything you want it to do. Which is awesome.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:20:40] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Anybody who&#8217;s been using WordPress for a small amount, well not even a small amount of time, a fairly long amount of time. But certainly when you began using it, this feature didn&#8217;t exist. And it strikes me as so bizarre that you couldn&#8217;t create pages at at the beginning. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:20:54] <strong>Aaron Reimann:</strong> Oh, right, right.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:20:56] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> I mean, it was a blog roll, it was a blogging platform, so everything was a post.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But tell us about that, because that also is a fairly significant thing. You could create pieces of static content, which are not in some sort of hierarchy with other pieces of content, and that, again, crucial, important step.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:21:09] <strong>Aaron Reimann:</strong> Yeah, and to be honest, I&#8217;m kind of going in the back of my head. I probably, maybe 15% of the websites that we build use the blog. That&#8217;s probably a high number for us. Most of our clients don&#8217;t want a blog. They don&#8217;t see the value. And sometimes I think, you probably should have a blog, and try to push them. It&#8217;s a way to create content. If it&#8217;s a marketing site and their goal is for someone to push the button, fill out this form, and that&#8217;s the call to action. You don&#8217;t need a blog, but what would you do without pages?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, that really, that kind of predates me. I always had pages with 1.5. I used it, All I had for my blog was I had one page that was a contact page. I mean, that&#8217;s it. But I needed that. I couldn&#8217;t have a blog post about my contact information because it&#8217;ll get lost in the shuffle.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:22:01] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> It&#8217;s kind of interesting that, well, I&#8217;ve read a post recently, I can&#8217;t remember where, if I can summon up where it was, I will add it into the show notes. But I read a piece recently, which describes what you&#8217;ve just been talking about, this 15% or less. The person writing the post essentially said, can we make it so that the blog, the posts are an option? So it&#8217;s toggleable. So you download WordPress and you enable or disable all of the blogging functionality. So the posts menu disappears, and actually would clean up a lot of the interface.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And in the sites that you are describing, building where it&#8217;s page, page, page, page, custom post type, whatever. That might be quite a neat feature, but it&#8217;s curious that it is totally the opposite of how the thing began. It began that way, and yet it has morphed. My use is the same as your use. It&#8217;s all about the pages. And quite often clients will say, I will create a blog, and you know, it never gets beyond the first post.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:22:55] <strong>Aaron Reimann:</strong> They&#8217;ll write one or two and then it just, it disappears. I try to always try to tell them, if you&#8217;re going to start this, you can&#8217;t stop. It just makes you look bad when you, your most recent blog post was five years ago. At least go in and change the date, do something. It is interesting that we don&#8217;t have much of a use case for blogs and I don&#8217;t think I host a single web, I also do hosting. I host probably about 300 websites and I don&#8217;t think any of them are just a blog. All of them are WordPress installs that&#8217;s page focussed, that maybe, maybe has a blog. So it is interesting how it completely shifted and that&#8217;s probably true for the majority.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:23:37] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yeah, I think so. That seems to fit. I&#8217;m not suggesting that we get rid of that functionality. It&#8217;s crucial, but it&#8217;s kind of interesting. Just that blog post, it was interesting to me that you could switch that off. And they also showed what the UI might look like when all of the different things that are attached to WordPress&#8217; post functionality. If you remove those from the UI, it does become a little bit easier for a novice who&#8217;s got no intention of using a blog to manage.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:24:00] <strong>Aaron Reimann:</strong> I remember when I was first trying to theme, I was trying to figure out what are the differences between pages and posts. I just couldn&#8217;t figure it out for a little, I kept getting confused. Should this be a post or should this be a page? Then I just realized, okay, so posts are chronological, it&#8217;s date based, and pages are not. And I&#8217;m like, okay, that makes sense. Have you&#8217;ve looked at the hierarchy graphic?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:24:24] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:24:24] <strong>Aaron Reimann:</strong> If you&#8217;re listening to this and you don&#8217;t, you&#8217;re not familiar with that and you make themes, you&#8217;re missing a big golden nugget of information because the hierarchy page, it&#8217;s awesome. It&#8217;s really cool and it&#8217;s gotten more complex as things progressed.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:24:38] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> So we have pages, we&#8217;ve done custom post types. We&#8217;ve done the beginning of the platform, with its rivals there. One other thing which we haven&#8217;t touched on, which I think we should is Gutenberg. That&#8217;s been a very, very big push for WordPress over the last three or four years?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:24:53] <strong>Aaron Reimann:</strong> Five.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:24:53] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Five.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:24:54] <strong>Aaron Reimann:</strong> It&#8217;s been five years. It was released, sound like a know-it-all. It&#8217;s just, I only know this stuff because I just did a, did a talk about it. 2018, 5.0, is when it came out. It seems like it would&#8217;ve been just a couple years ago.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:25:07] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Right, it really does.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:25:08] <strong>Aaron Reimann:</strong> We&#8217;re coming up on, I think five years of Gutenberg.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:25:11] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> It was a radical change. It really did upend the way that you create content. For some people it&#8217;s highly desirable. It allows them to do all sorts of things that they were not able to do. And it puts the, if you like, page building type functionality in front of people without the need to download any kind of plugin.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But from the shared show notes that we&#8217;ve got, it&#8217;s one of the things in the last 20 years roadmap, which you are not entirely sold on.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:25:38] <strong>Aaron Reimann:</strong> Not yet. So I&#8217;ve got a project, we&#8217;re going to be starting in the fall where I&#8217;m going to be using Gutenberg. The reason why we&#8217;re going to be using Gutenberg for pages and posts is I&#8217;m going to need this website to last me 10 or 15 years with content. Most websites that we build, it&#8217;s a marketing site. It&#8217;s going to get rebuilt, redesigned or whatever in three or four years, where if the page builder goes kaputs, you know, and disappears, no big deal, we&#8217;ll just, when we rebuild the site, we&#8217;ll just pick a better page builder.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this case, this is going to be, this is for a state project and it&#8217;s going to be, the content needs to last 10 years or so. And to me, at that point, that&#8217;s where, okay, I&#8217;ve gotta use Gutenberg because I know Gutenberg, because that was the chosen way to do it. I&#8217;m going to stick with that, and that&#8217;s going to be good for my client for this specific case.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the day-to-day stuff, simple marketing websites, it would be hard for me to go to a client and say, here&#8217;s Gutenberg and you can edit the pages using this. It&#8217;s a lot more overwhelming than, I&#8217;m a big Beaver Builder fan. And every client that we hand over the site, we give them these little videos. Here&#8217;s how you edit this. We record it and give it to &#8217;em. So they&#8217;re able to see how to do it. They&#8217;ve got a video on how to do it, and it&#8217;s, to me, just Beaver Builder is, it&#8217;s so easy.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And so that&#8217;s why I&#8217;ve, still haven&#8217;t jumped, you know, on that bandwagon yet. I know I&#8217;m going to have to you know, at some point. So, it&#8217;s a hard shift for me.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:27:12] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yeah. I can well understand when it&#8217;s shipped in version five, the UI looks broadly the same as it does today, but the things that you could do with it then. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:27:22] <strong>Aaron Reimann:</strong> A lot more.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:27:24] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Well, you can really do a lot more now, but it also felt that it was extremely limiting at the time it was released. I wonder if we could rewind history and replay that moment in time, I do wonder if perhaps more features should have been added so that the experience was much more obvious.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>In other words, maybe it should have been an opt-in thing for a period of time, rather than, here&#8217;s Word Press 5.0, it&#8217;s now the default, and I wonder what your thoughts are on that. That it should be some kind of toggleable on, off thing?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:27:53] <strong>Aaron Reimann:</strong> I have no problem with, I like diversity when it comes, just options with things. I love the fact that the Elementor people that are here. Obviously that&#8217;s a plugin that&#8217;s very, very popular, but no one&#8217;s forced to use it. You know, you can use whichever one you want and, knock on wood, right, and hope that that will continue. Where WordPress doesn&#8217;t get so Gutenberg focussed where Beaver Builder and Elementor and Divi and all those, can&#8217;t work on WordPress. At that point then there&#8217;ll probably be some forking of some projects, which would be kind of interesting.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But I think it probably came out a little too early, in the aspect of it was the chosen choice, but I don&#8217;t think people had much of a choice. I mean it seems like it was decided, and you kind of had to start using it. And then you have the Classic Editor plugin becomes extremely popular. All of a sudden there&#8217;s what, 6 million? I don&#8217;t know, it seemed like it was five or 6 million active installs for that, because that was a big, we&#8217;re not interested in Gutenberg. We tried it. We didn&#8217;t like it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s different now. If it were released today, you know, where it has a lot more features, we wouldn&#8217;t have had so much of a, should I use the word backlash? I mean it, I don&#8217;t know if it was a backlash. I know in my WordPress community in Atlanta, Georgia, nobody embraced it. It was too abrupt.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:29:20] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> I think it&#8217;s fair to say that in the time that I&#8217;ve been a user of WordPress, the stories that got generated, the amount of time that was given over to talking about it. It&#8217;s like nothing else. It was really, kind of bifurcated the community. There were those that loved it, and there were those that didn&#8217;t like it. And I think you&#8217;re right, it&#8217;s definitely matured and it&#8217;s got to the point now where I think a lot of people have just, they&#8217;ve gotten on with it and they&#8217;re using it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But interestingly, like you, you&#8217;re still able to use the tools that you liked and trusted prior to that as well anyway.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:29:49] <strong>Aaron Reimann:</strong> Right. And I tell people, when you&#8217;re editing a page, you&#8217;re going to be using Beaver Builder, and when you are blogging, you&#8217;ll be using this new thing called Gutenberg. And they&#8217;re okay with that, because they&#8217;re not trying to, it&#8217;s a post, right? So I mean, it&#8217;s going to have text and pictures and not much else.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We&#8217;re not trying to build functionality like a slider or anything crazy in there. I don&#8217;t even know, is that even in, I hope that&#8217;s not in Gutenberg. I think using it just for a blog, you&#8217;re not going to push the limits of Gutenberg. Like I&#8217;ve said, I&#8217;m going to have to start doing it, because I know it is the future.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:30:27] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> So far we&#8217;ve talked entirely really about WordPress as a piece of software, but yet here we are at WordCamp in Europe, Athens in particular. You&#8217;ve just presented in front of a bunch of people, so you probably have a much greater idea of the magnitude of this event. If you just walk downstairs, I know this is going to be hard to get across in the audio, but it really is a giant event. It&#8217;s truly enormous.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So I wanted to get into the community side of things, and whether or not, when you think the word WordPress, do you generally think of just software, the piece of software that you download from the internet? Or do you also have the community of WordPress in your head when you are thinking about that over the last 20 years?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:31:03] <strong>Aaron Reimann:</strong> I started using WordPress in 2008 and I went to my first WordCamp, I don&#8217;t know if it was 2012 or 13. I think it was 12, in Nashville. And that is where I just fell in love with the community, because nowhere else in the world have I been able to just ask people, the people are just so willing to help.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So if you&#8217;re a newbie or you need someone, you&#8217;re trying to figure out how do you fix this plugin, or add this functionality and you&#8217;re at a WordCamp. People are, they&#8217;ll jump in and just start, oh, maybe you should do this. I mean people are extremely helpful. That&#8217;s where I started falling in love with WordPress as far as the community.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And since then I&#8217;ve spoken at 20 plus WordCamps. Mostly in the southeast, US. It&#8217;s something that I don&#8217;t think is replicated anywhere else. For a little while I was in the Rails, Ruby on Rails world. They don&#8217;t have a community like that. The PHP community in Atlanta at least is it&#8217;s good, but it&#8217;s still not, and in Atlanta pre covid, we had 14 active meetups in the Atlanta area. It was extremely popular, and our WordCamp that we used to have every year, we would have 650 people there. And the only reason why it was 650, limited at 650 is because the venue that we used, that&#8217;s all we could do.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The community, at least in Atlanta, it&#8217;s been incredible. I&#8217;ve made friends there. Now we&#8217;re planning WordCamp Atlanta, and, you know, every Friday we&#8217;re on a call. Talking to these people that have become my friends over the past 10 years, which is really cool.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:32:45] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> I can&#8217;t disassociate the piece of software from the community now. In my head when I say WordPress, those two things are inextricably linked. And I think the fact that WordPress is able to be used by a whole different swathe of people. So you&#8217;ve obviously got the really technical people who enjoy the code, there&#8217;s all of that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And then there&#8217;s the people who are into their SEO and marketing, and who knows what. There&#8217;s a million different pathways. And the fact that they can all combine in an event like this. The talks are not limited to one subject. There really is a broad spectrum of things on offer.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I think it is pretty special. I don&#8217;t know, I don&#8217;t quite know what the secret sauce was there that made that happen. But it did happen, and it is pretty unique. I think you hit the nail on the head. I&#8217;ve yet to encounter another community that&#8217;s loosely based around software that is quite as welcoming. It&#8217;s amazing.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:33:32] <strong>Aaron Reimann:</strong> Where these people become your friends, that&#8217;s weird. And this being at WordCamp Europe, I haven&#8217;t seen people since 2019, and I&#8217;m running into people and it&#8217;s great. I&#8217;m remembering people&#8217;s names, you know, which sometimes I don&#8217;t do great at, but it&#8217;s awesome. And it sounds kind of cheesy, but you have friends and brothers and sisters, you know, it&#8217;s a really cool thing.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:33:56] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> If you&#8217;re listening to this podcast episode and you never have attended any kind of WordPress event, I would say give one a try. It is definitely worth it. And if the first one doesn&#8217;t hit your expectations, give a few more a try, and see what happens. Because I can absolutely identify with what you&#8217;ve said. It&#8217;s embedded in my life. Lots of long-term friendships. And with people that I definitely, definitely would never have met. And who now I consider to be my good friends.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So over the last 20 years, WordPress, if you look at the graph, so on the one hand we&#8217;ve got the years running, and then on the other we&#8217;ve got the usage data. The line just keeps going up. 2011 is higher than 2010. 2013 is higher than 2012. We keep talking about this figure of roughly 40 something, 43, 42, it hovers around there, percent of the web. So it&#8217;s seemingly experienced more or less unstoppable growth.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>What do we think about the next 20 years? Do you think there&#8217;s a plateau at which one platform like WordPress can reach, and then we just have to meter our expectations and say, well, that&#8217;s as far as one can expect it to go? Or are we after, I don&#8217;t know, 86%, double?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:35:02] <strong>Aaron Reimann:</strong> Has it not plateaued? I feel like it has plateaued, and I can&#8217;t tell you why. I don&#8217;t know why it&#8217;s plateaued. I can just give you general ideas. There&#8217;s still some people that will never use WordPress. They&#8217;ll say, oh, I see it in the news. It&#8217;s hacked all the time. And it&#8217;s like, it&#8217;s not hacked. It&#8217;s WordPress core is secure. It&#8217;s hosting issues, not updating things, or a plugin that&#8217;s not updated.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But there&#8217;s always going to be, you&#8217;re going to get the stigma from certain groups of people, that are never going to want to use that. And then there&#8217;s people that are going to want to use different, they don&#8217;t want to use PHP. If they&#8217;re going to build, they&#8217;re not going to until WordPress is no longer PHP based, you know. I think it&#8217;s not going to be able to surpass that, because of the fact that there are other technologies out there that aren&#8217;t compatible with that stack.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:35:55] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> I guess it&#8217;s impossible for something to keep growing exponentially, because at some point there&#8217;s just a natural limit. There&#8217;s other people who will be interested in other things. It&#8217;s amazing that it got, even if it did stay where it is or possibly decline, it&#8217;s pretty remarkable that it got where it did in 20 years. So I think we can all be content with where it is right now anyway.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:36:14] <strong>Aaron Reimann:</strong> Yeah, well I ended my talk telling people that chances are, even if WordPress were to stop today, I don&#8217;t know what would, cause, you know, where everyone&#8217;s like, we don&#8217;t want to build on WordPress anymore. I probably will still retire fixing WordPress sites because there are so many millions of sites that are out there that are going to linger for years on end.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;ll be able to make a little money off of maintaining WordPress sites 20 years from now. Which is pretty cool. And I think about like Cold Fusion. I know Cold Fusion, I think they got an update a couple years ago or maybe a year ago or something like that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>There&#8217;s still Cole Fusion sites, which Cold Fusion to me died in 2007 or, or something like that. But it&#8217;s still lingering. And I think if WordPress stopped today, we&#8217;d have a very similar thing. Where I could still make a living off of WordPress. Which is a cool feeling, I guess.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:37:05] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> The rise of WordPress, if you drill down into the statistics, you just look over the last, let&#8217;s say eight years. It&#8217;s risen remarkably quickly. It&#8217;s got faster and faster towards this 43 or whatever it may be, percent. It feels like if you drill down into the data that page builders were a big part of that. And I do wonder, we were talking a moment ago about Gutenberg, and I wonder if in the future, I wonder what that dynamic will do? If the page builders all get consumed or Gutenberg eats their launch.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I don&#8217;t know what&#8217;s going to happen there, but I thought that was a curious thing to tease out of this. That the growth that we&#8217;ve had recently, probably in large part can be attributed to page builders, and the ability to create pages, and all of that relatively easily inside the UI. I don&#8217;t really have any thoughts on how that will carry on?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:37:53] <strong>Aaron Reimann:</strong> I would definitely agree with you. I kind of went down the path of, I first used Visual Composer, probably like 2015 or so. I was like, that&#8217;s a cool idea. It seemed buggy to me, but once I tried Beaver Builder, I was sold. And I think once people realize, for example, a couple weeks ago I built a website for my brother. And he just needed something pretty simple, but I showed him using a page builder. I said, I built the header and footer, and I said, here&#8217;s how you put content in. And he built the other pages. He did, change it, upload the images and stuff like that. He knows nothing about computers.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So the page builders have definitely made it where you don&#8217;t need a developer. I mean, obviously for something more complex, if you need some kind of functionality to talk to some third party API, yeah you&#8217;re going to need a developer. But I mean, if all you&#8217;re trying to do is display content, the page builders have just made it so easy. Beyond easy.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:38:52] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> I do wonder in the future, it seems like every podcast that I record at the minute ends up at this question, what AI will do to WordPress. And I know that we didn&#8217;t discuss this in our show notes, but it&#8217;s interesting, Page builders made it fairly straightforward for non-technical people to, what you see is what you get. And it truly did that. It literally almost pixel for pixel. It was exactly what you were looking at before you click publish.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And I wonder what&#8217;s going to happen to WordPress with AI, and whether or not the job in the future will be entirely different for people like you. Whether it will be more talking to an interface and telling it, no move left. Make that red. Get me a picture of a cat over there.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:39:33] <strong>Aaron Reimann:</strong> I don&#8217;t know man. I watched Terminator 2, when I was 15 and I&#8217;m not interested. And I think people are going to be using it to write their term papers and, you know, all that. It&#8217;s interesting, I think, I don&#8217;t know, have me back in five years. We&#8217;ll figure out was this a good thing or a bad thing? I&#8217;m not using, ChatGPT much. I&#8217;ve tinkered with it, but I can&#8217;t, I haven&#8217;t put it into my, day-to-day yet.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;m talking to a developer friend of mine. He is, at his company, they&#8217;re making them learn how to use it because it&#8217;s going to, not replace them, but it&#8217;s going to make them more powerful and make them quicker and be able to build things faster. And I think that&#8217;s where we get to look forward to. You know, until the robots take over. We&#8217;ll see.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:40:19] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Yeah. We&#8217;ll have you back in five years and we&#8217;ll see. We&#8217;ve really gone around the whole subject, but I was wondering over the last 20 years, if you had any wishlist things that you wish had gone into WordPress. If you could rewind and say, wouldn&#8217;t it have been good to put that in, to slot that in, in year five or seven. Honestly you can make anything you like up here. Really interesting just to get your insight.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:40:41] <strong>Aaron Reimann:</strong> Yeah. I don&#8217;t, because of the fact that I&#8217;ve always been a, I shouldn&#8217;t say always because I don&#8217;t write code anymore, but I, you know, I had 15 years of writing code and I now have people that write code for me at my company. And anything that WordPress couldn&#8217;t do, we just built it. So I needed WordPress to be stable and be a core where it gives us a login. Something that gives us pages and posts, just the real basics and everything else we can build, which is pretty awesome. I love it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:41:13] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> That&#8217;s a perfect place to end it, I think. Aaron, If there&#8217;s a URL you want to drop or a Twitter handle or someplace that people can get in touch with you to talk about this, what would we do?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:41:22] <strong>Aaron Reimann:</strong> My company is clockworkwp.com, and then my Twitter handle is @reimann, so A R E I M A N N.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:41:32] <strong>Nathan Wrigley:</strong> Thank you very much for talking to us on the podcast today. I really appreciate it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:41:35] <strong>Aaron Reimann:</strong> All right. Thank you.</p>\n</div>\n\n\n\n<p>On the podcast today we have <a href=\"https://twitter.com/areimann\">Aaron Reimann</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Aaron is a PHP developer who started working with WordPress in 2008. He is currently running <a href=\"https://clockworkwp.com/\">ClockworkWP</a>, a design, development and hosting shop. He’s built sites for companies of all shapes and sizes, ranging from small nonprofits to Fortune 100 companies. He’s been an organiser for WordCamp Atlanta and the Atlanta WordPress Meetup. He also speaks regularly at events throughout the WordPress community, including WordCamp Europe 2023 where this podcast was recorded.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Aaron gave a presentation at the event called ‘Where did we come from?’ In that session he spoke about something which we don’t often dwell upon, WordPress’ history. In the technology space we’re always looking towards the future. What new features are being worked on? What’s in the latest version of WordPress? So this is an opportunity to gaze back over the previous twenty years and see just how far WordPress has come.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We do this by looking at some of the more important milestones in the WordPress landscape. Which features were added that allowed the CMS to become the success that it now is.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Back in the early days WordPress’ success was anything but certain. There were a set of rival CMS platforms all vying for the attention of developers and website builders. Joomla and Drupal may be familiar names, but there were many others as well. All of these platforms, WordPress included, had their strengths and weaknesses, and at that time it seemed like any of them could become the dominant CMS.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We discuss what might have been the key things which set WordPress apart, and made it the pick for many people who needed an online presence. The fact that WordPress was easy to install, and easy on the eye were certainly important.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then there’s the advent of the plugin architecture within WordPress. It’s fair to say that a vanilla version of WordPress will get you many of the features you need to get a website up and running, but if you want to do more, then it’s likely that you’ll be relying on plugins. The fact that you could install and update from a growing range of plugins made WordPress indispensable; able to create websites for almost any purpose.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then there’s themes. It’s nice to have a functioning website, but it’s nicer still to have a functioning website which looks great. Themes enabled non-designers to make an impact online, and made an entire industry for those who could turn their hand to theme creation.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another pivotal moment was when custom fields were added into Core. You were no longer bound by simply adding content to your posts and, later, pages. You could now create complex websites in which all sorts of data could be manipulated and displayed. WordPress now had all the hallmarks of a fully fledged CMS.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then there’s Gutenberg in WordPress&#8217; more recent past. Aaron is not yet completely sold on Gutenberg, still preferring the page builder that he’s grown accustomed to, but no discussion of WordPress’ first twenty years would be complete without a mention of this important change.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then there’s the community of people who made, and continue to make, the software. Without the people, there would be no WordPress.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We round off the discussion talking about the fact that there appears to be a very high chance that WordPress will still be around in another twenty years. Will it still be the popular choice for website building? Who knows, but it’ll be fun to see what the future holds.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Useful links.</h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://europe.wordcamp.org/2023/session/where-did-we-come-from/\">Aaron&#8217;s talk at WordCamp Europe 2023</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.drupal.org/\">Drupal</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.joomla.org/\">Joomla</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://expressionengine.com/\">Expression Engine</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.cmsmadesimple.org/\">CMS Made Simple</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.cpanel.net/\">cPanel</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mambo_%28software%29\">Mambo</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WordPress#Release_history\">b2</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://konstantin.blog/2010/custom-post-types-in-wordpress-3-0/\">Custom Post Type WordPress release 3.0</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://rubyonrails.org/\">Ruby on Rails</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.wpbeaverbuilder.com/\">Beaver Builder</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://elementor.com/\">Elementor</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.elegantthemes.com/gallery/divi/\">Divi</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/classic-editor/\">Classic Editor plugin</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_fusion\">Cold Fusion</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://visualcomposer.com/\">Visual Composer</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://clockworkwp.com/\">ClockworkWP website</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://twitter.com/areimann\">Aaron&#8217;s Twitter</a></p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Wed, 19 Jul 2023 14:00:00 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:14:\"Nathan Wrigley\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:39;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:73:\"Do The Woo Community: Three Major Considerations on Shaping an AI Feature\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:28:\"https://dothewoo.io/?p=75656\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:72:\"https://dothewoo.io/three-major-considerations-on-shaping-an-ai-feature/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:406:\"<p>Dan Walmsley shares when contemplating how to shape a feature, there\'s at least three major considerations</p>\n<p>&gt;&gt; The post <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https://dothewoo.io/three-major-considerations-on-shaping-an-ai-feature/\">Three Major Considerations on Shaping an AI Feature</a> appeared first on <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https://dothewoo.io\">Do the Woo - a WooCommerce Builder Community</a>	.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Wed, 19 Jul 2023 08:41:00 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:5:\"BobWP\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:40;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:26:\"Matt: Chorus and WordPress\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:22:\"https://ma.tt/?p=91542\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:43:\"https://ma.tt/2023/07/chorus-and-wordpress/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:2611:\"<p>I woke up this morning to a lot of people sending me the link to <a href=\"https://www.axios.com/2023/07/18/vox-media-chorus\">today’s Axios story</a> reporting that Vox Media (which includes The Verge,&nbsp;<em>New York Magazine</em>, Polygon, and many other outlets) is&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://www.axios.com/2023/07/18/vox-media-chorus\" target=\"_blank\">moving from its proprietary CMS, Chorus</a>, to&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://wpvip.com/\" target=\"_blank\">WordPress VIP</a>, Automattic&#8217;s open source solution for large publishers.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is very exciting—not just for the obvious reasons, but because I’ve been a fan and reader of Vox since they started. As a tool-maker, one of the greatest honors is when fantastic people choose your tools to practice their craft. I’m also sure their feedback will make WordPress better! Vox Media folks, if there were any Chorus features you loved, drop them in the comments and we’ll make sure they can become a plugin or get baked into WP core. And if anyone has built amazing features in other CMSes you’d like to see in WordPress, we’re hiring!</p>\n\n\n\n<p>As I said in&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://ma.tt/2023/05/with-mike-little-and-dries-buytaert/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">my recent conversation with Dries Buytaert and Mike Little</a>&nbsp;celebrating WordPress’ 20th anniversary, and with a hat tip to&nbsp;<em><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fight_Club\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Fight Club</a></em>, I believe that on a long enough timeline, the survival rate of proprietary software drops to zero. I don’t fault anyone for starting a CMS—I’ve been guilty of that myself a half-dozen times, not counting WordPress—but while something custom-built may seem better for your needs in the beginning, that never lasts. Unless you invest heavily in engineering (like tens of millions per year), the steady improvement of a healthy open source community, like the tens of thousands of developers working on WordPress every day, will eventually catch and surpass any proprietary system.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not all open source projects achieve the famed positive flywheel; it takes decades, and most will fail in the process. The ones that reach exit velocity, though, become part of the fabric of civilization. At that point, it makes more sense to build on top of them rather than recreate the wheel. You’ll still get where you’re going, it’ll just be a smoother, faster ride.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>(Midjourney prompt: A chorus of people using WordPress.)</em></p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Tue, 18 Jul 2023 22:40:09 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:4:\"Matt\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:41;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:67:\"Gutenberg Times: Introducing the Breadcrumbs WordPress Block Plugin\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:35:\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/?p=24884\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:78:\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/introducing-the-breadcrumbs-wordpress-block-plugin/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:6503:\"<p>In 2009, I <a href=\"https://justintadlock.com/archives/2009/04/05/breadcrumb-trail-wordpress-plugin\">announced the release</a> of my first breadcrumbs plugin. It was a one-file PHP script that I’d been using in my themes for around a year, and I wanted to contribute it to the larger WordPress community in the form of a plugin. Over the past 14 years, this original script has changed multiple times.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today, I am happy to announce a new version of it. This time as a block plugin: <a href=\"https://github.com/x3p0-dev/x3p0-breadcrumbs\">X3P0: Breadcrumbs</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I submitted it to the official WordPress plugin directory last week, and it should eventually make it there. There’s currently around a two-month waiting period for plugin reviews, and I wanted to get this into the community’s hands a bit sooner than that. You can snag a copy from the <a href=\"https://github.com/x3p0-dev/x3p0-breadcrumbs/releases\">Releases page</a> on the plugin’s GitHub repository.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The goal for this block was to offer a simple interface that anyone could use instead of having to interact with a complex PHP script.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Aside from the standard design tools (e.g., colors, dimensions, border, etc.), the block offers a handful of custom options in version 1.0. The first is the ability to customize how the home “crumb” works:</p>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>The icon picker lets you choose from a range of home icons and emoji. You can also show/hide the “Home” label.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Next to it in the toolbar is a separator picker, which lets you choose the icon or symbol that sits between each breadcrumb:</p>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>The block boasts a couple of extra options for conditionally hiding the breadcrumbs on the site homepage and whether the last breadcrumb item should be visible.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I’d love for you to give the plugin a spin and let me know what you think. There are many ways that I believe the plugin could be even better, but I’d rather get your feedback first.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Few Questions and Answers</h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why does the editor show placeholder breadcrumbs?</h3>\n\n\n\n<p>One early version of this block did dynamically populate the breadcrumbs in the Post Editor. But this block is primarily meant to be used in templates in the Site Editor. Like other template-specific blocks, there’s no way to populate the data (which is dynamic) until the block is rendered on the front end. So placeholders make sense.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I opted to keep the output the same between the Post Editor and Site Editor so that the experience would be consistent regardless of where the block was inserted. Plus, this keeps the code lighter, which is always a win in my book.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Does this work with classic themes?</h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Absolutely. The block is just a wrapper around a PHP class, and you can call it directly from your classic theme’s PHP templates:</p>\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><span><code class=\"hljs language-php\"><span class=\"hljs-meta\">&lt;?php</span> <span class=\"hljs-keyword\">if</span> ( class_exists( <span class=\"hljs-string\">\'X3P0\\Breadcrumbs\\Trail\'</span> ) ) {\n	\\X3P0\\Breadcrumbs\\Trail::display();\n} <span class=\"hljs-meta\">?&gt;</span></code></span><small class=\"shcb-language\" id=\"shcb-language-16\"><span class=\"shcb-language__label\">Code language:</span> <span class=\"shcb-language__name\">PHP</span> <span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">(</span><span class=\"shcb-language__slug\">php</span><span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">)</span></small></pre>\n\n\n<p>Alternatively, you can parse and output the block:</p>\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><span><code class=\"hljs language-php\"><span class=\"hljs-meta\">&lt;?php</span> <span class=\"hljs-keyword\">echo</span> do_blocks( <span class=\"hljs-string\">\'&lt;!-- wp:x3p0/breadcrumbs /--&gt;\'</span> ); <span class=\"hljs-meta\">?&gt;</span></code></span><small class=\"shcb-language\" id=\"shcb-language-17\"><span class=\"shcb-language__label\">Code language:</span> <span class=\"shcb-language__name\">PHP</span> <span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">(</span><span class=\"shcb-language__slug\">php</span><span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">)</span></small></pre>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why aren’t there more block settings?</h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The PHP under the hood of the plugin is highly configurable. There’s around two dozen options and a few filter hooks that allow developers to change how nearly every aspect of the breadcrumb trail is output.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But just dumping each of those options into the interface would likely make a terrible user experience.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>For version 1.0, at least, I took the <em>less is more</em> approach to block settings. This will give me time to both listen to feedback on what’s actually needed and to evaluate how those options would be best integrated into the UI in the future.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Does the plugin handle X, Y, or Z scenarios?</h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Yes…<em>Probably.</em></p>\n\n\n\n<p>Breadcrumb trail structures can range from fairly simple to extremely complex. The plugin tries to handle each scenario it comes across as gracefully as possible by default.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Again, as I introduce more of the plugin settings from the PHP side into the block itself, this will open it up for more editor-based customization.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What about the potential core breadcrumbs block?</h3>\n\n\n\n<p>There is a <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/issues/21943\">three-year-old ticket</a> requesting a breadcrumbs block in core WordPress, and there is also some early work in a <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/32500\">pull request</a>. I feel like we’ll eventually have a core block, but there is no guarantee on when that will happen.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>A core block could take a while since it would need to consider extensibility before becoming a feature-complete implementation. There are several breadcrumb solutions, and each have their own take on what the resulting output should be.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If/When it happens, I’ll reevaluate what this means for this plugin. It may be better to migrate it as a variation on the core block or for it to continue being a standalone implementation. As they say, <em>I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.</em></p>\n\n\n\n<p>I’m also happy for core to borrow any (or all) code needed from my plugin—the great thing about the GPL is that we can do cool things like share code.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Tue, 18 Jul 2023 18:25:29 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:14:\"Justin Tadlock\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:42;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:53:\"WordPress.org blog: WordPress 6.3 Release Candidate 1\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:35:\"https://wordpress.org/news/?p=15431\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:69:\"https://wordpress.org/news/2023/07/wordpress-6-3-release-candidate-1/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:11275:\"<p>WordPress 6.3 RC1 is ready for download and testing.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>This version of the WordPress software is under development.</strong> <strong>Please do not install, run, or test this version on production or mission-critical websites.</strong> Instead, you should evaluate RC1 on a test server and site.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Reaching this part of the release cycle is a key milestone. While release candidates are considered ready for final release, additional testing and use by the community can only make it better.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Get an overview of the <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/6-3/\">6.3 release cycle</a>, check the <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/\">Make WordPress Core blog</a> for <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/6-3/\">6.3-related posts</a>, and review the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2023/06/wordpress-6-3-beta-2/\">new features in WordPress 6.3</a>. Save the date for a <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2023/07/6-3-live-product-demo/\">live product demo</a> scheduled for Thursday, July 20, 2023, at 16:00 UTC (<a href=\"https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88141234315?pwd=TE1Odk5Wd0hiVlNYWHB5Q2xCYkhSZz09\">Zoom link</a>). This live demo will be a great opportunity to join the WordPress community to celebrate the accomplishments of 6.3 and this final chapter of <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/02/04/phase-2-finale/\">Phase 2</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">RC1 highlights</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Thanks to the many WordPress beta testers, this release contains 40+ (Editor) and 80+ (Trac) updates since the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2023/07/wordpress-6-3-beta-4/\">Beta 4 release</a>. Keep it up WordPressers!</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Notable updates for this release include:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>WordPress database error when installing PHPUnit tests (<a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/58673\">#58673</a>)</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use <code>_get_block_template_file</code> function and set $area variable (<a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/52708\">#52708</a>)</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Indicate when a theme supports the Site editor in the Themes REST API response (<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/58123\" target=\"_blank\">#58123</a>)</li>\n\n\n\n<li><code>bulk_edit_posts()</code> function needs an action hook (<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/28112\" target=\"_blank\">#28112</a>)</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Allow editing existing footnote from formats toolbar (<a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/52506\">#52506</a>)</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Patterns: Add client side pagination to patterns list (<a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/52538\">#52538</a>)</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Trim footnote anchors from excerpts (<a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/52518\">#52518</a>)</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Browse the technical details for issues addressed since Beta 4 using these queries:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/commits/wp/6.3\">GitHub commits for 6.3</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li>Closed <a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/query?status=accepted&status=closed&changetime=07%2F11%2F2023..07%2F18%2F2023&milestone=6.3&col=id&col=milestone&col=owner&col=type&col=priority&order=id\">Trac tickets</a> since July 11</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<p>For a recap of what’s coming in 6.3, please refer to the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2023/06/wordpress-6-3-beta-2/\">Beta 2 post</a>, which summarizes key features.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can also dig into technical information about various components in 6.3:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/13/core-editor-improvement-advancing-the-power-of-patterns/\">Core Editor Improvement: Advancing the Power of Patterns</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/13/image-performance-enhancements-in-wordpress-6-3/\">Image performance enhancements in WordPress 6.3</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/13/improvements-to-the-metadata-api-in-wordpress-6-3/\">Improvements to the metadata API in WordPress 6.3</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/17/improvements-to-the-cache-api-in-wordpress-6-3/\">Improvements to the Cache API in WordPress 6.3</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/11/new-in-6-3-rollback-for-failed-manual-plugin-and-theme-updates/\">New in 6.3: Rollback for failed manual plugin and theme updates</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/14/registering-scripts-with-async-and-defer-attributes-in-wordpress-6-3/\">Registering scripts with `async` and `defer` attributes in WordPress 6.3</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/14/i18n-improvements-in-6-3/\">I18N Improvements in 6.3</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/11/new-in-6-3-rollback-for-failed-manual-plugin-and-theme-updates/\">New in 6.3: Rollback for failed manual plugin and theme updates</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/14/configuring-development-mode-in-6-3/\">Configuring development mode in 6.3</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/14/layout-updates-in-the-editor-for-wordpress-6-3/\">Layout updates in the editor for WordPress 6.3</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/14/wp_query-used-internally-in-get_pages/\">WP_Query used internally in get_pages()</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/14/improved-caching-for-database-queries-in-wp_user_query/\">Improved Caching for Database Queries in WP_User_Query</a>&nbsp;</li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/17/social-icons-block-applied-colors-now-dynamically-update-based-on-theme-json-and-global-styles/\">Social Icons block: Applied colors now dynamically update based on theme.json and Global Styles</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/17/introducing-the-block-selectors-api/\">Introducing the Block Selectors API</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/17/improvements-to-the-cache-api-in-wordpress-6-3/\">Improvements to the Cache API in WordPress 6.3</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/17/introducing-the-wordpress-command-palette-api/\">Introducing the WordPress Command Palette API</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/18/miscellaneous-editor-changes-in-wordpress-6-3/\">Miscellaneous Editor changes in WordPress 6.3</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/18/bundled-themes-dropping-internet-explorer-scripts-and-styles/\">Bundled themes dropping Internet Explorer scripts and styles</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/18/miscellaneous-developer-changes-in-wordpress-6-3/\">Miscellaneous developer changes in WordPress 6.3</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<p>For a compilation of the dev notes above and more, read the <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/18/wordpress-6-3-field-guide/\">comprehensive WordPress 6.3 Field Guide</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Test the new features in WordPress 6.3</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Testing for issues is a critical part of developing any software, and it’s a meaningful way for anyone to contribute—whether you have experience or not. While testing the upgrade process is essential, trying out new features is too.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Encountered an issue? Please report it to the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/support/forum/alphabeta/\">Alpha/Beta area</a> in the support forums. If you are comfortable writing a reproducible bug report, you can <a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/newticket\">file one on WordPress Trac</a>. You can also check your issue against a list of <a href=\"https://core.trac.wordpress.org/tickets/major\">known bugs</a>.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>New to testing? This <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/test/2023/06/27/help-test-wordpress-6-3/\">detailed guide</a> is a great place to start if you’ve never tested a beta/RC release.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Want to know more about testing releases in general? Follow along with the <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/test/\">testing initiatives in Make Core</a> and join the <a href=\"https://wordpress.slack.com/messages/core-test/\">#core-test channel</a> in the <a href=\"https://wordpress.slack.com/\">Making WordPress Slack</a>.</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Vulnerability bounty doubles during the Beta/RC phases</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The monetary reward for reporting new, unreleased security vulnerabilities is doubled between the Beta 1 release and the final release candidate (RC). Please follow responsible disclosure practices as detailed in the project’s security practices and policies outlined on the <a href=\"https://hackerone.com/wordpress\">HackerOne page</a> and in the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/about/security/\">security white paper</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Get WordPress 6.3 RC1</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You can test WordPress 6.3 RC1 in three ways:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Option 1:</strong> Install and activate the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-beta-tester/\">WordPress Beta Tester</a> plugin (select the “Bleeding edge” channel and “Beta/RC Only” stream).</li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Option 2: </strong>Direct download the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/wordpress-6.3-RC1.zip\">RC1 version (zip)</a>.</li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Option 3:</strong> Use the following WP-CLI command:<br /><code>wp core update --version=6.3-RC1</code></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The current target for the final release is <strong>August 8, 2023</strong>, about three weeks away. Your help testing this version ensures everything in this release is the best.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Thanks to WordPress plugin and theme developers</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Do you build plugins and themes? Your products play an integral role in extending the functionality and value of WordPress for users of all types worldwide.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Chances are, you have already been testing your latest themes and plugins with WordPress 6.3 betas. With RC1, you will want to complete your testing and update the “<em>Tested up to”</em> version in your plugin’s readme file to 6.3.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you find compatibility problems, please post detailed information to the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/support/forum/alphabeta/\">support forums</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Help translate WordPress</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Do you speak a language other than English? ¿Español? Français? Português? Русский? 日本? <a href=\"https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp/dev\">Help translate WordPress into more than 100 languages.</a> This release also marks the <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/polyglots/handbook/glossary/#hard-freeze\">hard string freeze</a> point of the 6.3 release cycle.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Haiku for RC1</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>RC1 is here<br />Hold your applause ‘til the end<br />Download, test, repeat</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Thank you to the contributors who collaborated on this post: </em><a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/dansoschin/\"><em>@DanSoschin</em></a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/meher/\"><em>@Meher</em></a>, and <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/jpantani/\"><em>@JPantani</em></a>.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Tue, 18 Jul 2023 17:08:04 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:11:\"Dan Soschin\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:43;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:76:\"Do The Woo Community: Welcome Tammie Lister Back to the Do the Woo Host Team\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:28:\"https://dothewoo.io/?p=75636\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:75:\"https://dothewoo.io/welcome-tammie-lister-back-to-the-do-the-woo-host-team/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:446:\"<p>In this show, Tammy Lister return and joins Jonathan as they talk about their own builder experience and where their monthly show is headed.</p>\n<p>&gt;&gt; The post <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https://dothewoo.io/welcome-tammie-lister-back-to-the-do-the-woo-host-team/\">Welcome Tammie Lister Back to the Do the Woo Host Team</a> appeared first on <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https://dothewoo.io\">Do the Woo - a WooCommerce Builder Community</a>	.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Tue, 18 Jul 2023 08:59:32 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:5:\"BobWP\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:44;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:57:\"WPTavern: WordCamp US 2023 Contributor Day Signup Is Open\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=146996\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:68:\"https://wptavern.com/wordcamp-us-2023-contributor-day-signup-is-open\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:1586:\"<p><a href=\"https://us.wordcamp.org/2023/\">WordCamp US 2023</a> is happening next month in National Harbor, Maryland. The <a href=\"https://us.wordcamp.org/2023/contributor-day/\">Contributor Day</a> will kick off the event on Thursday, August 24, preceding the conference days. It is open to any attendee, including those who have never contributed before and seasoned contributors alike. There are many technical and non-technical ways to contribute to WordPress.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Those who are not able to attend WordCamp US are also welcome to join the event virtually via the the #contributor-day <a href=\"https://wordpress.slack.com/\">Slack channel</a>. New contributors attending in person will begin at 8:30 AM EST and returning contributors will join at 9:30. A guide will be present in the Slack channel at 10 AM EST to help virtual contributors. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Recommendations for preparing for Contributor Day are on the <a href=\"https://us.wordcamp.org/2023/contributor-day/\">event page</a>, along with a list and description of all the <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/\">Make WordPress teams</a> that contributors can elect to join.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://us.wordcamp.org/2023/contributor-day/\">The sign up form is now open</a> for everyone who plans to attend the event in person. It includes the opportunity to give feedback on anticipated accessibility needs and meal preferences for the lunch provided during the event. Contributors will also be asked to select their preferred contributor team(s) during sign up so organizers can be prepared with team leads available.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Mon, 17 Jul 2023 21:52:19 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"Sarah Gooding\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:45;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:104:\"WPTavern: Gutenberg 16.2 Brings Improvements to Pattern Management, Introduces Vertical Text Orientation\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:30:\"https://wptavern.com/?p=146972\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:114:\"https://wptavern.com/gutenberg-16-2-brings-improvements-to-pattern-management-introduces-vertical-text-orientation\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:3740:\"<p>Gutenberg 16.2 was released with a number of important changes to pattern management. Most notably, <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/51704\">Reusable blocks have been renamed to Patterns</a>, and the <a href=\"https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/52102\">Library section of the Site Editor has been renamed to Patterns</a>. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>This release also introduces a sync status on the pattern details screen to give more information to site owners when managing patterns. The custom patterns label has been changed to &#8220;My Patterns&#8221; in the Patterns sidebar. A new lock icon designates theme patterns as unable to be edited or modified. All of these changes were cherry-picked from this version of Gutenberg and are included in the upcoming WordPress 6.3 major release, as of <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/wordpress-6-3-beta-3-released-introduces-ui-changes-to-pattern-management\">Beta 3</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\"></div>\n\n\n\n<img />Changes to Patterns &#8211; <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/14/whats-new-in-gutenberg-16-2-12-july/\">Gutenberg 16.2 release post</a>\n\n\n\n<p>Gutenberg 16.2 introduces a vertical text orientation, which can be applied using a block&#8217;s typography settings. At this time the feature is only available when the theme author opts in for the theme to support it, but it may be expanded in the feature.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;This new feature is a first step towards full support of vertically written languages as well as for decorative purposes in website design,&#8221; Automattic-sponsored Gutenberg contributor Bernie Reiter said in the release post.</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Just tested: Vertical text alignment with Gutenberg 16.2 Pretty Cool. <a href=\"https://t.co/kEawp89Y9o\">https://t.co/kEawp89Y9o</a> <a href=\"https://t.co/IVLhgXJhcN\">pic.twitter.com/IVLhgXJhcN</a></p>&mdash; Birgit Pauli-Haack (@bph) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/bph/status/1679464594283155458?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 13, 2023</a></blockquote>\n</div>\n\n\n\n<p>Footnotes, which were <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/gutenberg-16-1-introduces-pattern-creation-and-library-adds-distraction-free-mode-to-site-editor\">introduced in Gutenberg 16.1</a>, received several usability improvements in this release. The first iteration was bare bones with the footnotes created automatically and then inserted at the bottom of the content. This update makes a Footnotes block available in the block inserter, so users can place it again in case it gets deleted.</p>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>Other notable improvements in Gutenberg 16.2 include the following: </p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Command Tool has been renamed to Command Palette</li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;Home” template renamed to  “Blog Home” for clarity</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Adds confirmation step when deleting a template</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Experiments: Create wordpress/interactivity with the Interactivity API</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<p>It also appears the Gutenberg team is preparing for the eventual deprecation of TinyMCE.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;We’ve added a new Gutenberg Experiment to explore a potential path towards the deprecation of TinyMCE,&#8221; Reiter said. &#8220;When enabled, it prevents loading TinyMCE assets and Classic blocks by default, only enabling them if usage is detected. The update also handles scenarios where posts contain Classic blocks or users input raw HTML, offering conversion options or reloading to use the Classic block.&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Check out the <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/14/whats-new-in-gutenberg-16-2-12-july/\">Gutenberg 16.2 release post</a> for more details on the enhancements and bug fixes included in this release.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Mon, 17 Jul 2023 19:55:35 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"Sarah Gooding\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:46;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:107:\"WordPress.org blog: WP Briefing: Episode 60: Sneak a Peek at WordPress 6.3 with Special Guest Mike Schroder\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:53:\"https://wordpress.org/news/?post_type=podcast&p=15398\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:109:\"https://wordpress.org/news/2023/07/episode-60-sneak-a-peek-at-wordpress-6-3-with-special-guest-mike-schroder/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31370:\"<p>Join WordPress Executive Director Josepha Haden Chomphosy and Core Tech Lead Mike Schroder as they discuss their favorite new features and enhancements coming in WordPress 6.3.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>Have a question you’d like answered? You can submit them to&nbsp;<a href=\"mailto:wpbriefing@wordpress.org\">wpbriefing@wordpress.org</a>, either written or as a voice recording.</strong></em></p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Credits</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Host: <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/chanthaboune/\">Josepha Haden Chomphosy</a><br />Guests: <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/mikeschroder/\">Mike Schroder</a><br />Editor:&nbsp;<a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/dustinhartzler/\">Dustin Hartzler</a><br />Logo:&nbsp;<a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/javiarce/\">Javier Arce</a><br />Production:&nbsp;<a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/eidolonnight/\">Nicholas Garofalo</a><br />Song: Fearless First by Kevin MacLeod</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Show Notes</h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/6-3/\">WordPress 6.3 Development Cycle and Release Team</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/11/new-in-6-3-rollback-for-failed-manual-plugin-and-theme-updates/\">New in 6.3:&nbsp;Rollback&nbsp;for failed manual plugin and theme updates</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/13/core-editor-improvement-advancing-the-power-of-patterns/\">Core Editor Improvement: Advancing the power of Patterns</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/05/22/core-editor-improvement-smoother-site-editing/\">Core Editor Improvement: Smoother Site Editing</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/06/29/whats-new-in-gutenberg-16-1-29-june/#text-blocks-now-with-footnotes\">Text blocks: now with footnotes</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/?s=%22details+block%22#details-block\">The Details block is now stable</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/test/2023/06/27/help-test-wordpress-6-3/\">Help Test WordPress 6.3</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>A small list of big things</strong>\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/community/2023/07/05/wcus-2023-contributor-day-help-needed/\">WCUS 2023 Contributor Day: Help Needed!</a> &#8211; The WordCamp US Contributor Team is asking for help with their new approach to organizing this year’s Contributor Day.</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Watch the <a href=\"https://us.wordcamp.org/2023/news/\">WCUS News page</a> for a call for open-source-related art, poetry, and music.</li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/category/releases/\">WordPress Releases</a> &#8211; Find WordPress 6.3 RC1 and other releases.</li>\n\n\n\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/community/2023/06/16/celebrating-the-completion-of-the-meetup-reactivation-project/\" target=\"_blank\">Celebrating the Completion of the Meetup Reactivation Project</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/community/2023/06/22/attention-wordpress-event-organizers-this-important-workshop-on-july-20-2023-is-for-you/\">WP Diversity Workshop for WordPress event organizers</a> &#8211; Join this 2.5-hour interactive watch party online on July 20, 2023, to learn how to create welcoming and diverse WordPress&nbsp;Meetups&nbsp;and WordCamps for your WordPress community.</li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2023/07/6-3-live-product-demo/\">6.3 Live Product Demo</a></li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<span id=\"more-15398\"></span>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Transcript</h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>( Intro music )</em></p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:00:00] <strong>Josepha:</strong> Hello, everyone, and welcome to the WordPress Briefing, the podcast where you can catch quick explanations of the ideas behind the WordPress open source project, some insight into the community that supports it, and get a small list of big things coming up in the next two weeks.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;m your host, Josepha Haden Chomphosy. Here we go.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>( Intro music continues )</em></p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:00:39] <strong>Josepha:</strong> We have with us Mike Schroder. They are on the WordPress 6.3 release squad, and I believe, Mike, that your role there is the Core Tech Lead.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Is that right?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:00:50] <strong>Mike:</strong> Yeah, that&#8217;s correct. I&#8217;m one of the tech leads along with Andrew Ozz and David Baumwald.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:00:56] <strong>Josepha:</strong> Thank you so much for being able to join me today.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:00:58] <strong>Mike:</strong> Thanks for inviting me.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:01:00] <strong>Josepha:</strong> This is our 6.3 sneak peek, and so it has a little bit of a &#8220;What do you wish people knew about the upcoming release?&#8221; aspect to it, but it also has like a &#8220;What do we find most interesting about the work that we&#8217;ve been doing in this release so far?&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>As the Core Tech Lead, what currently is like your favorite thing that y&#8217;all are getting into the release or the thing that&#8217;s the most interesting or happiest to finally be done with it?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:01:27] <strong>Mike:</strong> Yeah, I think there are a couple of things. So I was playing around with the release in anticipation for this, and one of the favorite sort of user-facing features that I played with was the live preview for Block themes. And it just makes it feel so intuitive to open up a new Block theme and play around with Styles and different designs and see how it looks.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I really enjoyed it, opened it up on my personal site and started messing around with different color palettes and things like that, and it was a lot of fun.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:01:55] <strong>Josepha:</strong> Like it&#8217;s a live preview, but also with all of the content they already have on your site.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:01:59] <strong>Mike:</strong> It does use the templates and so it, it shows some of the live content from the from the homepage, for instance, and some of those blocks, and some of the other areas are editing the templates rather than the live content. But yes, it was neat to play around with it and see my blog content in the background and yeah, some real-time design. That was really fun.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:02:20] <strong>Josepha:</strong> And has that been a big focus of the release? Was it something that you and the other Tech Leads both for the Core side and the Editor side just had to focus a lot on in this round of the release?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:02:33] <strong>Mike:</strong> So I was not a part of a lot of that work. So I&#8217;m not gonna take credit for it. I think that is the culmination, all of those different things together of a lot of the things that the Editor team has been working on for some time. And it was just, it was really refreshing to see it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The other feature that I had in my head, if it&#8217;s okay for me to talk about a second one, is something that has been trying to get landed in Core for quite some time, and that has to do with automatic rollbacks. If plugin updates or theme updates start to happen and then they fail in the middle of that update, then it will automatically restore the previous version of the plugin or theme. And that&#8217;s a pretty big improvement over the previous behavior, which could result not as well.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:03:16] <strong>Josepha:</strong> Right. Where you would just have a site that was like, &#8220;Best of luck to you,&#8221; and emails that told you what kind of probably was broken. I shouldn&#8217;t be sassy about that. The WSOD protection that we put in really was a huge leap forward for the way that we handled that in the past, but this is great news.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:03:34] <strong>Mike:</strong> Yes, I was so excited when that landed, and this is I guess the next part of that. And it&#8217;s been, yeah, it&#8217;s been in the works for a long time, through testing and there was an entire team that did a lot of work on it in a future plugin. And I&#8217;m very excited to see it land.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:03:49] <strong>Josepha:</strong> That&#8217;s great. That&#8217;s one of those things that we hope a WordPress user never has to know exists. Like it&#8217;s always our hope that the plugins work perfectly and the themes work perfectly. And so unless something is going really wrong you won&#8217;t know that&#8217;s a feature. Surely it tells you like, &#8220;This didn&#8217;t update by the way. Go figure that out.&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:04:08] <strong>Mike:</strong> Yeah, the whole idea of this particular feature is to make it feel more like everything is smooth and one site continues to work, and the underpinning of it has been going in for a couple of releases. The whole idea is to make the experience more smooth for users.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:04:21] <strong>Josepha:</strong> Cool. That auto rollback actually was not on my radar as a thing to keep an eye out for in this release, so that&#8217;s really neat. One of the things that I saw as I was doing, I don&#8217;t do any complicated testing. I mostly do like testing of what users would expect with the workflow with my eyeballs and a mouse.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:04:40] <strong>Mike:</strong> Well, that&#8217;s, that&#8217;s wonderful.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:04:42] <strong>Josepha:</strong> I&#8217;m not doing any of the fancy testing with like code, but one of the things that I saw as I was working through my general, just regular test, my spot check click around test was that it looks like there&#8217;s some consolidation, some consolidation of the navigation in the Editor.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, it had I think maybe Pages and Templates in there before, and now there are five things in there. Do you have a bit of a concept of what went into that, what we&#8217;re hoping everybody&#8217;s gonna be able to accomplish there now?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:05:13] <strong>Mike:</strong> So I, I was not involved as much in the later stages of this, but I was in a couple of the first couple iterations of this particular feature, and I think this is, I don&#8217;t want to guess the exact amount of times that this has been sort of reworked so the experience is good for users, there been so much effort that&#8217;s gone into helping navigation be a comfortable experience for people to work with within the site editor.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And what I have heard is that everyone that&#8217;s worked on it is very excited that it&#8217;s landing and that users will be able to experience it and more easily work with navigation.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:05:46] <strong>Josepha:</strong> Yeah, I think that navigation is one of those things, both like creating good navigation as a software designer, but then also as somebody who&#8217;s like putting together a website. Good navigation is hard to do. And it&#8217;s design where everyone&#8217;s, &#8220;Good design is invisible,&#8221; and we don&#8217;t actually mean that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We don&#8217;t mean it&#8217;s invisible. We mean it&#8217;s not intrusive, it doesn&#8217;t get in your way, it acts in the way you think it&#8217;s going to act, and it knows or has a good guess about where you&#8217;re trying to be, what you&#8217;re trying to do in that particular moment on a site. And so like the fact that we&#8217;ve had probably hundreds of people working on navigation inside the software is no surprise to me, but I bet it&#8217;s gonna be a surprise to a lot of people.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>They&#8217;ll be like, &#8220;It&#8217;s like folders, right?&#8221; Turns out it&#8217;s not.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:06:33] <strong>Mike:</strong> Yes, it was, incredibly, incredibly difficult to design. I know there was, the couple instances that I was most involved with, I know there was so much discussion about how folks are used to working with navigation within WordPress and sort of what expectations are for menus and what expectations are for, you know, users both that have been using WordPress for a long time and users who, who are new to WordPress, and the Site Editor. And having all of those considerations from the various stakeholders just makes it a really difficult design problem.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:07:03] <strong>Josepha:</strong> Yeah, absolutely. And I mean, not for nothing like the WP Admin itself, that dashboard inside the WordPress software, like that&#8217;s been due for an update for quite some time. This is the same one that I think we&#8217;ve had since 2008, which was also very disruptive in its way. And so like it was a good disruption, but we really haven&#8217;t made any substantial changes to it since then. And part of it is because there are so many use cases for WordPress, and we don&#8217;t have a good concept of that because we don&#8217;t have a lot of tracking in the software. We don&#8217;t take anyone&#8217;s like data about what field they work in. We don&#8217;t do any of that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And so it&#8217;s hard for us to account for all of the use cases and get a really excellent design for a majority of the people that are gonna be using it. Because like we don&#8217;t actually build software for robots around here. Not yet.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:07:54] <strong>Mike:</strong> <em>( laughs )</em> Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:07:55] <strong>Josepha:</strong> No, I don&#8217;t think we&#8217;ll ever be robot-building software.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:07:57] <strong>Mike:</strong> I doubt it, but I also don&#8217;t wanna predict the future. No, I agree. And I think that is absolutely one of the super tricky things about building WordPress. I&#8217;m really glad that WordPress doesn&#8217;t collect any of that data. And it makes it so that the sort of testing that, that you were talking about, in user studies and things like that, are incredibly helpful for figuring out what the best approaches are.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:08:21] <strong>Josepha:</strong> Yeah, absolutely. Since we&#8217;re just in the zone of like things that Josepha likes and that she saw, I&#8217;m gonna also do this other thing. In one of the last couple of releases, the Style Book came out, which was such an exciting thing for me. It&#8217;s great to be able to see whether or not all of the style choices you&#8217;ve made in various parts of the admin or in the code, depending on how you&#8217;re doing things.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s nice to make sure, in one big set, that like everything is coherent. Everything that you thought you changed did get changed and it looks the way that you wanted it to look in concert with everything else in there. And it looked like we now have revisions specific to styles, like styling things across the site, have revisions.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Is that right?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:09:06] <strong>Mike:</strong> That&#8217;s correct.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:09:07] <strong>Josepha:</strong> I think that&#8217;s a super big deal because as somebody who is just, I&#8217;m filled with techno joy. I don&#8217;t always want to look at a manual. I just want to do stuff until it breaks and then hope I can fix it. The hoping you can fix it part <em>( laughs )</em> can sometimes be really nerve-wracking if what you&#8217;re doing is creating a site for a client or you are working on your first big theme and you wanna make sure that&#8217;s all together.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And so style revisions to go along with some of the Editor revisions I think is a great change.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:09:39] <strong>Mike:</strong> Same. Absolutely. This is not a feature I have, done too much particular playing with, at this point.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:09:44] <strong>Josepha:</strong> You&#8217;re a very skilled developer.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:09:46] <strong>Mike:</strong> I appreciate that. That&#8217;s very kind. I think that adding revisions to anything that folks regularly change in posts or pages is, really important. And making it very easy to get to both make forward changes and also to realize, &#8220;Oh, there was this other change that was, you know, there was three clicks ago that I really loved. How do I get back to that? How do I see the history?&#8221; And that&#8217;s what I love about that sort of feature. Being able to really easily see, &#8220;Okay, when did this happen? In what series? How can I jump back and get to that spot that felt right.&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:10:19] <strong>Josepha:</strong> Yes. Anytime that we can have that kind of historical layering of things, I think is good. I went to a meetup. I like to go to meetups that are 101 content, because that&#8217;s like the folks that really need new refined processes the most. But I went to a 101 meetup a couple years back, and I remember that the presenter was saying like, take a theme that you pretty much like and make some changes until you have a theme that you love.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And people kept saying like, &#8220;Yeah, but what if I break everything?&#8221; And he said in the middle of that to everyone, not knowing who I was because who cares? He was like, &#8220;Yeah, WordPress is not gonna let you do anything that will completely destroy a theme or completely destroy your site. There&#8217;s an undo button and you can just undo it. It&#8217;ll be fine.&#8221; And I was like, &#8220;Yeah, that is true now.&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:11:15] <strong>Mike:</strong> I love that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gosh. I mean, I remember when I was playing with my first WordPress site, and even to make really small changes with navigation or with menus, I had to go in and make changes to the PHP code, and none of that was protected.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:11:31] <strong>Josepha:</strong> You&#8217;re like, &#8220;This is free-range me out here.&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:11:34] <strong>Mike:</strong> I love, absolutely. I love that is just no longer the case anymore and it&#8217;s super easy to go in and play with a theme and make changes without worrying about any of that. And, I mean, I may be a developer, but that&#8217;s the way I would prefer. That&#8217;s the way I go in and edit my sites now too.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If I wanna mess with a theme, go in, and it was the Customizer and now it&#8217;s the Site Editor, and it&#8217;s great.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:11:58] <strong>Josepha:</strong> Yeah, it&#8217;s a leap forward, I think, leap forward.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So another thing that I ran into, I guess it&#8217;s two things that I ran into while I was wandering around in there recently, and it&#8217;s possible that I ran into these two things because I just personally love them the most, but the Footnotes block looks like it is potentially going to land.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I have been so excited about this block for no reason. I have dreams about it. I wish that were not a true statement. I did recently have a dream about it. I dreamt that it didn&#8217;t land in the release, and that I went to talk to Ella about it and she was like, &#8220;Oh, yeah, publishers have given up on footnotes and they&#8217;re just doing end notes now, and so I decided not to ship it.&#8221; Like this is a dream I had.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And so I&#8217;m a little worried, but tomorrow I&#8217;m gonna be like, &#8220;Hey, Ella, friend, what&#8217;s happening?&#8221; And she&#8217;s gonna be like, &#8220;Yeah, end notes are where it&#8217;s at.&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And then the other block that I&#8217;m personally very excited about is what I like to call the &#8220;Spoilers block.&#8221; I know it is not &#8220;Spoilers&#8221;, it&#8217;s the called &#8220;Details,&#8221; but anytime I&#8217;ve ever used that after like early, early times in my career, early in my career, I used to call them accordions and I don&#8217;t know why, but now I call them &#8220;Spoiler blocks.&#8221; But I know it&#8217;s actually called the &#8220;Details block,&#8221; where you can put in a piece of information at the top, essentially a title, and then expand it to get more information in there.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So are both of those actually gonna land or am I gonna be heartbroken?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:13:24] <strong>Mike:</strong> As far as I&#8217;m aware, yes. I know that I haven&#8217;t checked recently on the latter, but I was just playing with the Footnotes block, and it&#8217;s really cool. I really like the interface. I think that it makes it really simple to add quick footnotes to, anywhere in the site, and everything feels very automated and simple.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:13:46] <strong>Josepha:</strong> As someone who every, almost everything that I&#8217;ve ever written, I want to have an aside in it, which essentially just becomes a footnote. One of the weirdest parts about Gutenberg at first is that like, the asterisk way of doing it, where you just put one after the word and then put one at the start. The asterisk makes it into a list block, and for a long time you also couldn&#8217;t escape it, and so I had to do a lot of fancy footwork to get my footnotes to work for a while, and so I&#8217;m excited for that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:14:15] <strong>Mike:</strong> I think I had similar discouraging moments with lists and I was really encouraged by the way the footnotes select, and I&#8217;m sure there are other ways to do it too, but select, right-click, footnote, and they all automatically go to the bottom order, all of it. It&#8217;s a really smooth process.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:14:31] <strong>Josepha:</strong> Yeah. I&#8217;m really excited about it. I know that like for the last two or three major releases, a bulk of what we&#8217;ve been offering to folks is like, design stuff, and we&#8217;re just like, &#8220;It&#8217;s a bunch of design things,&#8221; but this release actually has over 500 different tickets that were marked as features or enhancements that are going into it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And so, you and I have talked about seven things so far, but I also understand that there are literally 500 tickets or so that were marked as &#8220;feature&#8221; or &#8220;enhancement.&#8221; And so we are definitely not gonna catch everything that goes in there, but there is kind of a group of another group of enhancements to the design tools because of course this wraps up the bulk of phase two so that we can all move into the collaborative editing phase.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And so like, do you have a sense for, like is this just mostly polish for those design and like image media management kinds of things? Or are there big features that are coming in those also?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:15:29] <strong>Mike:</strong> My understanding is that it&#8217;s all of the above. I think that there are a lot of new features being added along with polish to those features. And I think the neatest thing is that there are also a lot of enhancements that are focused on bringing all of those things together and making it feel like more of a connected experience. And so I think that&#8217;s my favorite part so far in testing that I&#8217;ve been doing of, the many, as you mentioned, so many additional new features that, that we&#8217;re added this time. And, I have a huge amount of respect for, you know, everyone that works, for the huge amount of folks that work on it across the project.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:16:07] <strong>Josepha:</strong> Yeah. Yeah, you&#8217;ve given a couple of answers where you were like, &#8220;I wasn&#8217;t personally involved in that,&#8221; but on the one hand, I was like, &#8220;Everyone knows that we&#8217;re not all personally involved in it,&#8221; but on the other hand, not everybody knows how many people touch all of these tickets and features and bugs and tests as we get them ready to be put into the release.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Last year, I was super worried that like, post active fear of Covid, and now everyone just like deciding that they&#8217;ve done their best and they&#8217;re going back out there. Like I was really worried that everyone was gonna be having so much fun out of the house, that they would stop contributing.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:16:43] <strong>Mike: </strong><em>( laughs )</em></p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:16:44] <strong>Josepha:</strong> I know, but we actually had one of our most active years for contributors last year, which means that especially for the releases that are coming this year, the people who worked all the way through last year, like almost 2000, I think, contributors, just to code, that&#8217;s not even like the contributors who worked on reigniting the community and putting together events, all of those things like all of the other things that we do.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s, it is remarkable to me that when we look at any feature it is definitely been looked at or worked on, or at least passed through desks of easily a hundred people, even for small little things. And I just love that, the depth of the work we do.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:17:29] <strong>Mike:</strong> Absolutely. Same. I remember wondering about that too, about your same sort of concerns. And it&#8217;s been really great to be a part of the community as it&#8217;s essentially, as it&#8217;s grown together again, I think is maybe the best way I can think of to say it. That&#8217;s been quite wonderful.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:17:46] <strong>Josepha:</strong> Yeah, absolutely. Mike, this has been an absolutely delightful conversation. Is there anything you would like to leave us with before we move on to our small list of big things today?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:17:58] <strong>Mike:</strong> The release candidate for 6.3 comes out tomorrow, and what I would love the most is if anyone in interested in testing, anyone, whether it&#8217;s testing exactly like this sort of testing that you were just talking about, with loading the RC and clicking around and seeing what works the best and what doesn&#8217;t work and what feels good and what doesn&#8217;t, or if it&#8217;s testing, if you&#8217;re like a plugin or a theme developer, testing with those things to see how things work and looking for backwards compatibility breaks that are unexpected so we can fix them before release.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you work at a hosting company or you make sites for folks, helping test that to see that it works really well on your platforms for folks that you work with. I think all of those would be super helpful, and there are testing instructions that can be found on the release candidate announcement page.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:18:43] <strong>Josepha:</strong> Perfect. Wonderful. Mike, thank you so much for joining me today.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:18:47] <strong>Mike:</strong> Thank you so much. I&#8217;ve really appreciated the time.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>( Musical interlude )</em></p>\n\n\n\n<p>[00:18:49] <strong>Josepha:</strong> That brings us now to our small list of big things. It&#8217;s actually kind of a big list of big things today. So first on the list is that WordCamp US has a Contributor Day and we need your help. So the WordCamp US Contributor Team has contacted all of the team reps asking for help with a new approach to organizing this year&#8217;s Contributor Day.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The hope is to make the initial steps to contribution easier. And so they&#8217;re asking teams who will be present to help participate with that process. I will have a link in the show notes to the post that has more information.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Also second thing related also to WordCamp US is that I would like to put out a call for art and music, especially that is related to open source and the freedoms that it brings. So one of the things that makes WordPress so fantastic in the world is not only that like we&#8217;re creating opportunities for folks, we&#8217;re offering economic, and I don&#8217;t know, philosophical freedoms to people, but we frequently do think about that in the vein of, you know, commerce and work and the economy, and we rarely think about it in the obviously related subset of arts and music. And so I also would like to put out a call for any open source related arts or poetry or music that you all have created.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I would love to be able to display some of that at WordCamp US this year. I don&#8217;t think I have a link quite yet for a call for that, but as soon as I do, I&#8217;ll send it out on social media and other places.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The third thing on our small list of big things is that, as Mike mentioned, tomorrow is the RC1 release date for WordPress 6. 3, and you can help us to test that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s always good for us to test any release as it&#8217;s working its way through the process, but certainly by the time it gets to RC, that&#8217;s when we are pretty sure it&#8217;s going to be as stable as possible. We&#8217;ve done some soft string freezes and feature freezes-ish. And so that&#8217;s about as stable as it&#8217;s going to get. And so I encourage everyone to get out and test that as much as possible. And in all the ways that Mike shared.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Item number four, we are also reaching a milestone. So, a couple weeks ago, we reached the one year milestone for the start of the Meetup Reactivation Project.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>We have about 50% of our Meetup groups reactivated. If you are listening to this and you are a Meetup organizer and you haven&#8217;t heard from anyone from WordCamp Central or the community team, I&#8217;m going to put a link to the notes, or rather, a link to the post in the notes so that you can also learn more about that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>You don&#8217;t have to hear from us in order to get your meetup group going again. But, if you are interested to know what has gone into that process, or always just want to know what&#8217;s going on in the community side of things, that&#8217;s a good place to start. So there will be a link to that in the show notes as well.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Number five, WordPress event organizers in general, but also anyone. So there are two different events coming up on Thursday, on July 20th.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>First, there is the WP Diversity Workshop. This is added workshop for us to help promote the ideas of building diverse and inclusive WordPress events. And so, this is not necessarily one of those events for people who want to increase their skills in speaking so that they are able to, to speak confidently at a WordPress event. These are for people who are organizing WordPress events and want to make them more inclusive and more diverse from the start. I encourage any organizer to go to it, regardless of whether you&#8217;re doing WordPress events or not, but certainly for WordPress events that is something that we care about and want to have included in our entire event series.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The other thing that&#8217;s happening on Thursday, because like I said, two things happening on Thursday, is that we have a WordPress 6. 3 live product demo. We&#8217;ve been doing these for the last few releases, and you get a couple of people from either the release squad, or like folks who do that kind of developer relations work in WordPress, who sit down and just do a general click-through, a general run through, a public demo of what we expect to land in the release.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And so that also is on Thursday. I will also have a link for you in the show notes. If you are listening to this not on WordPress.org and you don&#8217;t know where the show notes are, don&#8217;t worry. The show notes are on WordPress.org. You go to WordPress.org/news/podcast and in the transcript there are show notes that have links to all of these things.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And that, my friends, is your big, small list of big things. Thank you for tuning in today for the WordPress Briefing. Thank you again for my guest, Mike&#8217;s, time. I&#8217;m your host, Josepha Haden Chomphosy, and I&#8217;ll see you again in a couple of weeks.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>( Outtro music )</em></p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Mon, 17 Jul 2023 13:00:00 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:17:\"Nicholas Garofalo\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:47;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:100:\"Gutenberg Times: Gutenberg Changelog #86 – WordPress 6.3, Gutenberg 16.2 and Phase 3 Collaboration\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:53:\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/?post_type=podcast&p=24845\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:90:\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/podcast/gutenberg-changelog-86-wordpress-phase-3-collaboration/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:58807:\"<p><strong>Sarah Norris,</strong>&nbsp;JavaScript developer and 6.4 editor tech co-lead joined Birgit Pauli-Haack on the Gutenberg Changelog for the first time. They discussed WordPress 6.3, Gutenberg 16.2 and Phase 3 Collaboration</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Add a summary/excerpt here</p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/podcast/gutenberg-changelog-86-wordpress-phase-3-collaboration/#shownotes\">Show Notes</a> / <a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/podcast/gutenberg-changelog-86-wordpress-phase-3-collaboration/#transcript\">Transcript</a></p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Music:&nbsp;<a href=\"https://soundcloud.com/xirclebox\">Homer Gaines</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li>Editor:&nbsp;<a href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandy-reed/\">Sandy Reed</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li>Logo:&nbsp;<a href=\"https://markuraine.com/\">Mark Uraine</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li>Production:&nbsp;<a href=\"https://icodeforapurpose.com\">Birgit Pauli-Haack</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-larger-font-size\" id=\"shownotes\"><strong>Show Notes</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Special Guest: <strong>Sarah Norris</strong></h2>\n\n\n\n<p>JavaScript Developer 6.4 editor tech co-lead</p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/mikachan/\">WordPress Profile @mikachan</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://sekai.co.uk/\">Personal website: sekai.co.uk</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://twitter.com/mikachan_\">Twitter: @mikachan_</a><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/\"></a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Community Contributions and Announcements</strong></h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://github.com/x3p0-dev/x3p0-breadcrumbs\">Justin Tadlock&#8217;s Breadcrumbs Block</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>July 21, 2023 – 17:00 UTC</strong> <a href=\"https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/6216888091967/WN_lqwBBSkSR1Wcdf8BUr5udQ\">Live Q &amp; A: Design Systems and Theme.json</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/6-4/\">WordPress 6.4 Development Cycle</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">WordPress 6.3</h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2023/07/wordpress-6-3-beta-4/\">WordPress 6.3 Beta 4&nbsp;</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/14/registering-scripts-with-async-and-defer-attributes-in-wordpress-6-3/\">Registering scripts with `async` and `defer` attributes in WordPress 6.3</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/13/image-performance-enhancements-in-wordpress-6-3/\">Image performance enhancements in WordPress 6.3</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/test/2023/06/27/help-test-wordpress-6-3/\">Help Test WordPress 6.3</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Gutenberg 16.2 </h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/14/whats-new-in-gutenberg-16-2-12-july/\">What’s new in Gutenberg 16.2? (12 July)</a>&nbsp;</li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/news/2022/11/demystifying-home-and-posts-templates-in-wordpress-theme-development/\">Demystifying Home and Posts Templates in WordPress theme development</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Phase 3: Collaboration</h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/03/real-time-collaboration/\">Real-time Collaboration</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/04/workflows/\">Workflows</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/05/revisions/\">Revisions</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/07/media-library/\">Media Library</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/10/block-library/\">Block Library</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/12/admin-design/\">Admin Design</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/13/real-time-collaboration-architecture/\">Real-time Collaboration: architecture</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://wptavern.com/wordpress-plans-ambitious-admin-ui-revamp-with-design-system-galvanizing-broad-support-from-the-developer-community\">WordPress Plans Ambitious Admin UI Revamp with Design System, Galvanizing Broad Support from the Developer Community</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size\">Stay in Touch</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\">\n<ul>\n<li>Did you like this episode? <a href=\"https://lovethepodcast.com/gutenbergchangelog\"><strong>Please write us a review </strong></a></li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ping us on Twitter or send DMs with questions. <a href=\"https://twitter.com/gutenbergtimes\">@gutenbergtimes </a>and <a href=\"https://twitter.com/bph\">@bph</a>.</li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>If you have questions or suggestions, or news you want us to include, send them to <a href=\"mailto:changelog@gutenbergtimes.com\">changelog@gutenbergtimes.com</a>. </em></li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Please write us a review on iTunes! <a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/itunes/\">(Click here to learn how)</a></em></li>\n</ul>\n</div></div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size\" id=\"transcript\"><strong>Transcript</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Hello and welcome to our 86th episode of the Gutenberg Changelog podcast. And today&#8217;s episode will talk about Beta 4 6.3, Gutenberg 16.2, and the first posts about what to expect for phase three on Gutenberg. And I&#8217;m your host Birgit Pauli-Haack, curator at the Gutenberg Times and WordPress developer advocate, also full-time co-contributor to the WordPress Opensource Project. And I&#8217;m here with my friend and colleague, Sarah Norris, JavaScript developer on the themes team, core contributor and co-tech lead for the release in 6.4. So that&#8217;s in November, but we are starting now. Sarah and I danced a good two hours at the Pride Party in Athens, and we had great fun. I haven&#8217;t danced that long for decades, so thank you so much for joining me on the show today, Sarah. So, how are you?</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: I&#8217;m good, thank you. Thank you so much for having me. That pride party was super fun. It&#8217;s a beautiful setting on a rooftop bar in Athens. Yeah, beautiful weather and I got so many steps in, I tripled my step goal.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah, I did too, but not as much as I did the first day I was in Athens when I went up the Acropolis twice.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Twice, yes. That&#8217;s a big hill to climb twice.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: So, if you do it twice, you get a lot of steps in. I think that was the day I had 17,000 or so.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, you&#8217;re working on the Gutenberg Project. And so, when you think about 6.3, what excites you the most about what&#8217;s coming up next month?</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Yeah. There&#8217;s so many exciting updates, especially around enhancing the UX of the site editor in particular, which is super exciting. So, one of my favorites is the command palette, because it allows people to search for different parts of the site, like navigation, pages, style variations, templates, and it&#8217;s similar to Spotlight on a Mac or using Alfred. So, it&#8217;s a really quick way to access different areas of the site without you having to search through different menus. That&#8217;s a really cool update.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah, that&#8217;s a cool feature. Yeah, I like it too because now I don&#8217;t have to figure out which of the different editors I have to use to do stuff, so I cannot just ask that command palette. Yeah, open my page, or open a post, or edit a template, or something like that. Yeah, it&#8217;s really cool.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Another thing I&#8217;m excited about is the updates to the site editor sidebar. So, currently in 6.2 we&#8217;ve only got a list of templates and template parts, but 6.3, it&#8217;s going to look a lot different. Oh, well, it&#8217;s going to look similar, but there&#8217;s going to be a lot more items. So we&#8217;re introducing&#8230; there&#8217;s navigation styles, pages, patterns as well. So, I guess similar to the command palette, it gives you a lot more options to access those other features quickly. So, if you are already in the site editor context, you&#8217;ve got more options to get to other areas a lot quickly.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah, yeah, I like that too. Especially the part where I can edit my page content together with my page templates, so I can just switch that and say, &#8220;Oh, that&#8217;s a template, I want to do for&#8230;&#8221; Yeah and, &#8220;Oh, and now I need to fix something on one of the pages,&#8221; and I can do it all from the site editor. I wish I could also do posts from there, but I guess maybe that&#8217;s coming, maybe not. Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Yeah, maybe it&#8217;s coming.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Anything else?</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Yes, so I guess specifically on the pattern section, this is now where template parts are going to live. So, sometimes I guess if people are already using the editor and the following along with updates, this can be a little bit maybe confusing or it&#8217;s just like, &#8220;Oh, I&#8217;ve just got used to template parts. Now they&#8217;re patterns.&#8221; But I think it&#8217;s a really good change for new users because it&#8217;s less terms to use templates to template, and then there&#8217;s patterns. And especially with this refocus on patterns, it&#8217;s a single word we can now use. So, maybe we had a few other words before. And so yeah, any reduction in terms is a win.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. Cool. Yeah. Yeah, that&#8217;s in line with also renaming reusable blocks to pattern. They&#8217;re sync patterns now. And then template parts are patterns. They are reused, but they&#8217;re reused in the templates. So, I think what will round it all up later on is when we have partial sync patterns. So, when you use a pattern on a page and you want to change the styling or the color that it kind of changes overall the patterns of all the time that you use that pattern, but with different content. So yeah, that is still a piece that&#8217;s missing, but I think the foundation needed to be there with kind of figuring out it&#8217;s all the same, just a little bit different. Reusable blocks and patterns and template parts, they&#8217;re all the same soup. It&#8217;s just different flavors. Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Yes. Exactly. Yes.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: And I think you&#8217;re right. For a new person coming to WordPress, it&#8217;s much easier to figure out.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Yeah. And anything we can do to speed up that understanding as well, it really helps gives you a boost to understanding how to use the site editor. I think it also&#8230; that this refocus on patterns helps building block themes much easier as well. And it highlights how we can create a variety of different layouts across themes. So, patterns they can be just part of one theme, but other patterns can be part of any number of themes as well. And it really highlights how themes are a collective of different aspects rather than just a single topic asset as they might have been in the past. And yeah, I love that. I&#8217;m really looking forward to different people trying that out.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. And having certain parts of your site being your site, not depending on the theme, I think that&#8217;s the next level that wasn&#8217;t before possible in WordPress. Yeah. So, it&#8217;s an interesting&#8230; that templates can be different from the theme, and that kind of blows my mind right there.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Yes. It&#8217;s a whole new layer.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Whole new layer and whole new complexity. But yeah, I like it because for a user, it doesn&#8217;t really matter if it&#8217;s a theme-related pattern or their own pattern. But they will be surprised when all of a sudden it goes away.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Yes, exactly.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: The theme, yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Yeah, exactly. Yeah. So, now that&#8217;s different. Yeah, it won&#8217;t go away. Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. Anything else that excites you?</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Yes, there is something actually that I really wanted to mention. So, for Beta 4 that&#8217;s just been released, there&#8217;s some major performance boosts. So, they&#8217;re all going to come out with 6.3. So, there&#8217;s some major performance boosts, both classic and block themes. And for both client side and service side, it means a significant boost for the largest content for Paint or the LCP metric, which is basically when the page&#8217;s main content has likely been loaded. So with 6.3, there&#8217;s going to be a reduced LCP of 26% for block themes and 19% classic themes. Yeah, so that&#8217;s massive.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Oh, that&#8217;s pretty big.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Exactly. Yeah. But it matters so much as well, because it&#8217;s so many websites this will roll out to. Yeah, I really wanted to highlight it because it&#8217;s something to really shout about and celebrate.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. So, when you upgrade to 6.3, all of a sudden your sites are faster, almost 20%, even if you&#8217;re on a classic theme. So yeah, that&#8217;s definitely a boost. And you don&#8217;t have to do anything. It&#8217;s all for free.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Yes, exactly. Yeah. Yeah. It&#8217;s automatic, automatically performance boost.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. Depending, of course, what plugins you use and what the theme does, but yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Yeah, yeah, base level, base level performance.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Base level. Base level, yeah. There are always edge cases and we need to be aware of those and that they might happen. Yeah. All right. Yeah. Cool. Yeah, that&#8217;s a lot of things to come. I really like that the footnotes block made it into 6.3. It was a little late on that, but it definitely comes, and there is a certain corner in our community that actually has been waiting for that for many, many years. So, now it&#8217;s here.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Yes. Yeah. That will be major for certain aspects of certain different types of articles that people use WordPress for. Yeah, footnotes, I can imagine people have been waiting for that for such a long time. So yes, it&#8217;s great.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Some of them are still kind of hand-coding all the pieces together.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Right.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Community Contributions</strong></h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: So, in a similar way, and I wanted to highlight a community contribution from Justin Tadlock. He has had a plugin in the repo for a long, long time that deals with breadcrumbs, and he migrated that into that it&#8217;s block-based now. So, you can have a breadcrumb block for your pages and archives, and it automatically will pick up the hierarchy of the nested pages, and you can change text color background, link color, and including the hover state, and also adjust the padding on the margins. And it has been submitted to the plugin repo. But yeah, there appears to be a two-month waiting time for new plugins to get approved. So, we will share it in the show notes the link to the GitHub repo, where you can just download the ZIP file from there. But I tested it, and I really like it. It helps me organize some of my test sites quite a bit.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And Justin Tadlock has been in the community for many, many years, so his code is solid. Yeah. So, I share that with you. I wish there was something similar in core, but this is the next best thing. So, let us know what you think about it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Beta 4 of WordPress 6.3</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, that brings us to our section, What&#8217;s Released, and as you mentioned, Sarah&#8230; Sarah, mentioned it before, the WordPress 6.3 Beta 4 was released this week, and it&#8217;s really coming down to the wire. So, if you haven&#8217;t tested your plugins, themes, and other customizations of your website, you should start testing now, because you have less than a month to fix things if they break. The final release is August 8th, and today we are recording on July 14th. Oh, by the way, happy Bastille Day in France. Yeah, so get on the testing part, and I have been saying this for now for weeks, but the more you test, the more we can find the bugs now and we can release a better product. Yeah. So, have you been testing WordPress 6.3 Beta 4?</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Yes, I have. Yes. Yeah, I&#8217;ve got the Beta plugin installed, and yeah, I make sure I&#8217;m up-to-date default testing.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. I have websites, one website that is actually using nightly, and when it&#8217;s release time, the Beta and release candidates in production. So, I know immediately when something doesn&#8217;t work as I do with the Gutenberg nightly that I use in production on certain sites.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Living on the edge.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. Welcome to the life on the edge. But I actually hear that Matt Mullenweg is using the WordPress nightly on his blog as well, so in production.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Yes.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: So yeah, there&#8217;s a lot of trust coming out of the team, and it&#8217;s well warranted. The team that is releasing 6.3 has been stellar, like all the other ones. And there was a little hiccup for Beta 1, but Beta 4 was smooth. It was done in 58 minutes. That, I think, is a record. Well, it&#8217;s definitely very, very fast. Sometimes it takes about 90 minutes, so it comes really down to the wire. So, if you find something, say something.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Yeah, definitely. Well, I think what&#8217;s really impressive, when you&#8217;re doing the Beta parties and with the testing, usually the bugs are found&#8230; And I&#8217;m touching wood as well, because I don&#8217;t want to tempt fate to any large&#8230; but the bugs that are found, they&#8217;re either hard to replicate or hard to find. So, they&#8217;re small bugs, and I think that&#8217;s a kudos to the team that are involved in that the bugs aren&#8217;t that visible. There&#8217;s rare cases, but generally speaking&#8230; So, I think if you&#8217;re helping to test as well, even if you find a bug that you think maybe it doesn&#8217;t matter too much, just mention it because that&#8217;s what the team is looking for. They&#8217;re usually the bugs that are&#8230; Like I&#8217;m looking at the change hub for Gutenberg, and the bug fixes. They&#8217;re all the little edge cases to make sure it&#8217;s really polished. Yeah, I&#8217;m always impressed with that. There&#8217;s no really major visible bugs. It&#8217;s always the little ones.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah, it&#8217;s always the little one. And then, it&#8217;s also what kind of gets it done. Well, it&#8217;s like everything else in life. It&#8217;s the little things that make you happy and that make you aggravated.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Exactly.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Gutenberg 16.2</strong></h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. And that brings us to Gutenberg 16.2 release that happened this week. There were a hundred, again, 184 PRs committed by 47 contributors. That&#8217;s a lot of change coming in in two weeks period, given that 16.1 had 255 PRs to go through. So Sarah, you&#8217;re in luck; you only got two-thirds of what we did last year.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Yeah, that&#8217;s true. I should be grateful.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Do you want to start, get us in there?</p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Enhancements</strong></h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Yes. Yeah, so the first one we&#8217;re looking at, so this is rename reusable blocks to patterns. Yes. So, this is renaming reusable blocks to sync patterns. So, this is to align with the new editor terminology that I guess we&#8217;ve just touched on. So yeah, so a sync pattern is any change made to one pattern that gets deployed to all instances of that pattern across your site. And then the opposite would be an unsync pattern. And so, they&#8217;re included in the inserter with all your other patterns, but changes to these patterns will not be reflected throughout the site. And then, that means you can customize each instance of that pattern. Yeah, again, it&#8217;s a wording, a terminology update, but I think it really aids the UX of the site editor in general.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah, but what it also brings, and I&#8217;m very delighted to say, is that you now can actually create patterns on your site. Up until now, you were reliant on themes or on the community patterns from the pattern directory to get patterns, or you had to write them in PHP and then upload it to your site. But now you have the same interface or the same workflow with which you created reusable blocks or now sync patterns you can now also use to create unsync patterns. So, you have much more&#8230; the user has much more freedom to create some reusable blocks and some reusable sections of the site that can then be further customized or not. Yeah so, I think there were a lot of people waiting for that part because not everybody touches code or has somebody around that can touch code. So, doing it in the interface is really&#8230; that&#8217;s actually the big win from the name change.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Yeah, yeah, exactly. That&#8217;s exactly it. And yeah, anything that helps the low-code or no-code ability around the site editor is fantastic. It really opens up WordPress to so many new users, and I&#8217;m really looking forward to seeing hopefully just personally more designers using WordPress as well, because there&#8217;s so many beautiful designs out there already. So yeah, I&#8217;m really looking forward to beautiful design patterns increasing as well.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah, me too. And I saw in the theme directory just as a side, quite a few new themes, block themes, that were done by contributors that haven&#8217;t done a theme before or that haven&#8217;t even contributed before. And that is such a great development with that. I really love that to see, even if it&#8217;s simple or to get the feet wet and get through the whole process of getting into the theme directory. I think that&#8217;s another hurdle by itself, but once they made it, it&#8217;s much easier to get the second, third, and fourth theme into the directory. But that was just a side note. So the next feature from 16.2, I&#8217;m doing it again, 16.2 is the rename of command center to command palette. It&#8217;s not a new feature, but it&#8217;s kind of the name change is really following what&#8230;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>There was a big discussion on GitHub, and I think that is where the most consensus came around, that command palette is something that is translatable, is relatable, even for non-native English speakers. And we talked about it, how excited we are about it, both the renaming of the reusable block to patterns and the rename of the command palette. It all will be in 6.3. So, when people ask me what features from Gutenberg will be in 6.3, I would say 15.2 release to 16.1, but I think that&#8217;s a lie. I think it&#8217;s 16.2 beta sections from 16.2 Gutenberg release that all actually made it into 6.3, especially the whole thing around the site editor library, and the sync, and all that. Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Right. Yeah, I think it&#8217;s a good name change as well. I think it&#8217;s a term that should be localized fairly easily. It&#8217;s important. Okay. So, this is the library adding sync status to the pattern details screen, and so this is really cool that can be expanded on in the future to include more details as well. So, this shows the sync status of a pattern on the pattern details screen. So, it&#8217;s either going to say not sync or fully synced currently at the moment. But this can be expanded to include further details about the pattern, things like the author who made the pattern, maybe where the pattern&#8217;s being used across the site, so things like template names or pages or posts. So yeah, I&#8217;m really excited about the potential here, but also the feature that&#8217;s being added in 6.3, it&#8217;s super helpful, just the information being there so easily. It&#8217;s great. Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah, so there was for a while, the last item on the menu in the site editor on the left-hand side was called Library, and had template parts and had patterns. And that has also been changed to patterns, because everything that&#8217;s in there is actually, per se, a pattern and Library was too big. There were thoughts that maybe they put the fonts in there or some styles or something like that, but that didn&#8217;t pan out. It kind of is all&#8230; It&#8217;s the second shoulder for the patterns, and everything else will be in a different heading there. So it&#8217;s the reusable blocks, the sync patterns, the template parts as well as the unsync patterns. Yes.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Yes. Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: And there will be a section in that menu item called My Patterns. So, these are the customized patterns that you did that were created with the UI and on site. They&#8217;re not coming from scenes, they&#8217;re not coming from plugins, they&#8217;re not coming from code. They come from your interaction with the interface, and you build them all yourself. So, it&#8217;s all yours. It says My Patterns, but it&#8217;s yours. It&#8217;s kind of funny.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Yeah. Again, that&#8217;s another really good UX terminology update that I think helps, but I guess primarily new users, because unfortunately if you&#8217;ve been used to the terms, you get reuse to the terms, but that&#8217;s all good. It&#8217;s part of working in an open project with lots of different iterations all the time. And new users, they get the benefit.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah, yeah. I don&#8217;t know. With a 20-year-old project, how long does it take until you are not a new user anymore, or how many new users does it take to take over the majority, but then longer than&#8230; Well anyway, so any user will have an advantage about it. For some of us, we need to relearn things, but we have an active mind, and we can relearn things because these are small changes. It&#8217;s just a little vocabulary kind of thing.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Yes, exactly.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Speaking of which, we are not done with the name changes, are we?</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: No, no. There&#8217;s another one, but another really good one as well. So yes, there&#8217;s been a change, changing the Home template name to Blog Home. So, this one is for templates and touches on something that&#8217;s been around a little bit longer than patterns, I suppose. So, the name Home suggests that the template will display the site homepage. So, this is true when the reading settings of the site are configured to display the latest posts on the front page, but if there&#8217;s a static front page, then the home template will display the post page, not the homepage. So, this is where the confusion lies and has for a long time as well. But for block themes, it&#8217;s more easily surfaced, especially to people who aren&#8217;t deep in the code.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, the renaming of the home template in the site to Blog Home is a lot more descriptive what it&#8217;s actually being used for, whilst the template file name is still home.html. So, that still is a parallel of home.php. And so, it&#8217;s still exactly the same in the template hierarchy. It&#8217;s just the visual name that&#8217;s been changed. But again, I think it&#8217;s particularly useful for low-code or no-code users. It&#8217;s much easier to understand, and it just reemphasizes that it&#8217;s going to be used for the blog and not always the homepage. We&#8217;re not completely fixing anything here, but it&#8217;s certainly the start of hopefully addressing this issue that&#8217;s been resurfaced to no-code is basically&#8230; So yeah, I&#8217;m really excited to see if this does help and see what journey it takes us down into addressing the homepage confusion. It existed for a while.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. And the way you explained it, I actually understood.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Cool.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: And I finally got the trigger that, &#8220;Oh, okay, now I got it.&#8221; But now the question for you, if I use the setting that I want a static page, then it just displays the page, right, from the page template that I designate as the front page, as the homepage.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Yes. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And you just have to be aware that that&#8217;s changing a template. And again, we could probably add some additional helper functionality in the site editor to help people understand that, because currently you have to jump out into the WP Admin, into the settings section, yeah, into the settings. So yes, I think we could maybe surface that in different areas, but then when I start to think about it, it also gets more confusing. But I&#8217;m sure we&#8217;ll figure out a way to make it make sense, because there&#8217;s additional confusion as well with the existence of the frontpage.html template, and that takes precedence over any other template to be the front page.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And so, obviously you can use that to your advantage if you want to be a really opinionated theme and say, &#8220;This is always going to be the front page. This is definitely the prettiest version of the patterns I can put together.&#8221; But then, because it&#8217;s so opinionated, always is the front page, it can be confusing to users who are trying to not make it the front page. So, there&#8217;s just additional legwork or additional click to get around it not being that template.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. Yeah. And then there is a front-page.html.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Yes. Yes. That&#8217;s the one I&#8217;m talking about. But yes, there&#8217;s also index. So, there&#8217;s home.html, which is the one that&#8217;s been visually renamed. There&#8217;s front-page.html, which is the one you just mentioned, and then there&#8217;s also index.html, which to anyone who&#8217;s worked with the web before, it&#8217;s hopefully the most easy to understand because it&#8217;s the index. But again, to non-coders, it&#8217;s just a third thing that could also be your front page, and that&#8217;s always the default. If nothing else exists, it&#8217;s index. But yeah, I understand how it can be really confusing. I mean, if you&#8217;ve ever looked at the WordPress template hierarchy page in the documentation, I think it&#8217;s fantastic because a really good visual map, but then the first time I saw it, I was like, &#8220;Oh, wow, there&#8217;s a lot of mapping going on here. There&#8217;s a lot of different options to choose from.&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah, indeed. Indeed.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: It&#8217;s a good challenge to have, I think, in the site editor. Yeah, I think we can fix it in many different ways. And yeah, we&#8217;ll get there.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah, and you just reminded me, we have on the developer blog, one of the early posts was about the template hierarchy.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Oh yes, I remember. Yes.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yes.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Yeah, it was a really good post.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: &#8230; demystifying home and post templates in WordPress theme development. And I&#8217;m kind of putting that link into the show notes fully knowing that it was before the name change.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Yes. I think that&#8217;s okay.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: We need to review the post, so we can make sure that that&#8217;s the same with a new name change there. Cool. Yeah, that was an excellent article by Daisy Olsen, and had some great examples and screenshots there. Yeah. Excellent. So, what else?</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: I think the next thing was introducing more welcome guides. So again, I think this is a really good UX update. So, this is adding welcome guides to the page content focus and template focus, so the little well-designed models that pop up when you jump into different areas of the site editor. I think it&#8217;s easy for you users to be confused on&#8230; what you mentioned before&#8230; new users to be confused on whether they&#8217;re editing a page, editing a template, how the template influences the page, and vice versa, and which context they&#8217;re used in. So yes, so this is a great way to introduce people to the differences.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah, it&#8217;s also a good way for those of us who are new to this new site editor experience, and that&#8217;s also a new user, but for the first four years we were kind of trained to just click away the welcome guides because it hasn&#8217;t had anything new and it didn&#8217;t remember our choices. So it will come back, but it&#8217;s coming back with new content. So, read it a little bit because it helps you get over that hurdle, &#8220;Where am I and what am I doing,&#8221; quite easily and has some nice animations in there. I really like them, and they are hidden under the acronym NUX, and yeah, that&#8217;s new user experience. I always thought there was something like NPM and NPX and NUX. It&#8217;s all the same JavaScript library kind of thing. No, it isn&#8217;t. It&#8217;s new user experience.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, I read over it quite fast until I saw the words &#8220;welcome guide,&#8221; and I said, &#8220;Oh, there&#8217;s new content there.&#8221; And I checked it out and I really like it. And I learned a bit. If you want to get started quickly and not have to read through all the changelog and all the posts that are coming out, use the welcome guides. But we hopped over off something on themes, like add border and theme support, border theme support and link color theme support. That is a new thing that, actually, it was fixed in WordPress core, but needed to be synced up with the Gutenberg plugin. And you said you worked on it. What exactly had happened?</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Yeah, I&#8217;m not sure what you&#8217;d call it, if it&#8217;s not a back foot. It&#8217;s like a forward foot.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: It&#8217;s a sync. It&#8217;s a sync.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: A sync.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: A kitchen sink. It&#8217;s a sink.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Yes, sink. Yes. So, this is previously the border and link theme support. They were named experimental. So, this update basically takes out the experimental. Yeah, that&#8217;s essentially it. But yeah, it&#8217;s a really good update because I think the word experimental can be scary to anyone who&#8217;s included APIs in new plugins or themes. So yeah, just the fact that it&#8217;s not there anymore is brilliant.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah, and that&#8217;s the support you said in theme.json for link color and that quite a bit. So, you have a UI for link color and border theme, border radios, border size, and border of the sides. So, you could have a left side and a bottom side border, but you don&#8217;t have a border on the left side or a right side and a top side or something like that. Yeah, so it&#8217;s really cool. The next thing is really cool and it&#8217;s not coming to 6.3. You need 16.2 to get it, and that&#8217;s that the typography, you can get some text orientation in a paragraph to go vertical.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Of course, you&#8217;re not going to do this for whole full paragraphs with multiple lines. You probably do this for a header or for a subheader or something like that. It&#8217;s not going to be in the heading block, but it&#8217;s in the paragraph block. But you need to enable it in the theme.json at all. And then it&#8217;s only available for paragraph blocks, so it&#8217;s still the early iteration, but I find it really cool. So, because it&#8217;s not in the heading, you could just change the font size of it to be a little bit bigger. You make it vertical, and then you can place it next to a paragraph in a group block row, and then you have some interesting layouts that you can play with. I find it really fascinating.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Yeah, it is a really cool change. I remember a site I made years ago, probably 20 years ago, where I was playing around with text being vertical instead of horizontal, and it makes for some really interesting design capabilities. Yeah, it&#8217;s a really cool update. It&#8217;s also enabled on post navigation links as well, as well as the paragraph block, so the next and previous post, because we can maybe…</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Oh, cool.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Yeah, lots of design flexibility with those, because I guess they&#8217;re usually on the sides. So yeah, that aids going vertical as well as horizontal.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Oh, nice. Yes. Oh, I didn&#8217;t know that. Yeah. Excellent. Yeah, must have missed it when I read the PR. Yeah, you could also do it next to an image or something like that. And you have full control over background, margins, color, so it really puts it to use in your designs and makes something amazing.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Yes. Next up is the range control, so adding support for large 40-pixel number input size. So, I think this is a really nice visual update to the range control component in the editor, which helps land the UI for all components, because I think quite a lot of other components have been using this size. So yeah, it brings the range control into line and it affects the visual spacing around the number input for the range control. So, it&#8217;s much easier to read and use, and especially if it&#8217;s scanning to lots of components and settings, then yeah, it&#8217;s much more easier to read now.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. And plugin developers can use it in their plugins as well. These are components that are available to any developer who uses the components, and now it&#8217;s an additional attribute for there to have some bigger numbers in there.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>New API</strong></h3>\n\n\n\n<p>So, the next thing is a new API and it makes the new &#8220;register, insert a media&#8221; category API extensible, so other plugin developers can use it to organize the media categories. So, this is probably one of the things that people waited for almost 20 years about, that there is a hook to insert media categories into WordPress. Have you played around with it? Do you know how it works?</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: I haven&#8217;t played around with it, but I&#8217;ve read the updates though. I think it&#8217;s a great update, especially for plugin developers, because it allows them to register their own media categories. Then they&#8217;ll be displayed in the inserter, so it&#8217;s perfect for plugins that are adding custom blocks. Extensibility is at the heart of WordPress as well, so I think this is a really good example of that.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Bus Fixes</strong></h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Excellent. Yeah, so that brings us to one of the major changes, to TinyMCE deprecation. But don&#8217;t get scared; you still can use it. This change sets the path for the TinyMCE deprecation to update the experiments with a strategy to get the TinyMCE and the classic block not loaded automatically, but only when it needs to load. That definitely has a performance improvement. And right now it&#8217;s an experiment and needs to be tested, especially with the extensibility that is around TinyMCE that has been in WordPress for almost 20 years. But it&#8217;s also contained in classic blocks, and so the question is how it&#8217;s going to behave with whatever&#8217;s in the classic blocks and for Gutenberg. So, it&#8217;s not quite clear to me what the end goal is, but I think that is pretty much the end goal, to have TinyMCE not load automatically, but load only when it really needs to be loaded.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Yeah, I think that&#8217;s the end goal to fully deprecated TinyMCE, which would be a massive boost to the performance of the editor, which is really great to hear. I was playing with this before&#8230; Plus, a common use case for the classic editor was to insert HTML using the code editor rather than the visual editor, so how you can switch between the code and the visual editor. So this is still possible, but if you use the code editor to do this with this experiment enabled, you&#8217;ll see a warning that says you&#8217;re trying to use a deprecated classic block.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But what&#8217;s really cool is that it gives you the choice to convert the HTML to a custom HTML block, so using the new editor, or you can refresh the page to use the classic block if you prefer to do that. So, it gives you the option to do both, but converting to the custom HTML block is so quick. You just click the button, and it&#8217;s immediately there, and it just works as it was before. I think that&#8217;s really impressive, and I think it&#8217;ll help aid the transition to using the block editor as well.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Mm-hmm. Yeah, I think we all need a little help once in a while to see how the good things are. To make it totally clear, WordPress is not abandoning TinyMCE. If you&#8217;re using the classic editor, you will still have access to it. It will be backwards compatible, and it&#8217;s just that the classic block in Gutenberg is maybe on the way out with a TinyMCE. But it&#8217;s a start of an experiment. So, it could be another year or two, or maybe only half a year depending on how the experiments go. But yeah, try it out and see what you think about it. In the changelog, there&#8217;s the PR, but if you want to write it down on the podcast, it&#8217;s 50387. That&#8217;s the PR that deals with it. And there was a lot of discussion there as well, but I found it important that we talk about it. I am pretty sure it&#8217;s not the last time that we will talk about it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: It&#8217;s the beginning.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: It&#8217;s the beginning. It&#8217;s the beginning of an experiment. What else was in 16.2 that we wanted to talk about? There&#8217;s a lot of bug fixes. There&#8217;s quite a few. Also, just a polish of copy and icons and all that. Global Stars Revision API. That is all for 6.3. I think we&#8217;re done. Are we?</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Yes, I think so. Yeah, there are a lot of bug fixes though. I noticed there&#8217;s quite a lot of things like spacing updates to get a lot of the editor components in line, which it sounds like really tiny updates, but when you add them all together, I think it really aids the experience of the editor and it really makes a big difference, a good update.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. If you get more clarity and more consistency in the design, that definitely makes a difference.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Documentation</strong></h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Yeah. So, I&#8217;m stopping just for a little bit at the documentation for the developers. There has been a push from Ryan Welcher to update some of the package documentation and add examples to the packages, so you know how they can be used and get started on using them without having to go through the source course and figure it out how you&#8217;re actually going to do the API there. And in this release, there was examples to the rich text package, to the keyboard shortcut package, and to the customized widget package. And I&#8217;m sure he&#8217;s working on more. There is a tracking issue in Gutenberg repo for these kind of updates. Another push on documentation is to add READMEs to some of the components that don&#8217;t have them because the examples and the README are automatically added to the handbook of the block editor. And if it&#8217;s in code, then automatically it will show up in the documentation.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, that&#8217;s definitely a great developer experience update, and it can only do one at a time, but sooner or later we all get through that.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Tools</strong></h3>\n\n\n\n<p>All right, and the last thing I wanted to mention is there will be revisions of your style variations or your global styles. 6.3, the revisions for styles will be in there or are already in there. So, when you change some of your styles and you say, &#8220;Okay, the one that I did yesterday, I would like better,&#8221; you will be able to go back to that particular moment in time in your revisions and make that the current one. The team was also working on giving the same revision treatment to template customization, but that didn&#8217;t work well enough to get into 6.3. So, that is something that will be in 6.4. Template revisions are not yet; they&#8217;re still experimental. You can get them in 16.2 and work with them, but they did not make it into 6.3.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: I think the style revisions are a really neat update, and actually the whole way you can view the style book now as well.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Oh yeah, that&#8217;s a real cool thing. Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Yeah, it&#8217;s very cool, how fast you can preview the styles. But I really love how you can just switch the style book, and I don&#8217;t often hear it talked about that much. I think it&#8217;s a perfect way to test your theme. If you just open the style book, you can test so many aspects of a theme. And I think 6.3 is really highlighting how you can do this.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. And there&#8217;s one other thing, it&#8217;s that you can preview themes. So, if you have downloaded a theme, a block theme, but you haven&#8217;t activated yet, you can actually preview that and also see it in the style book, so you see how your blocks behave with a new theme. I think that&#8217;s really cool. You can also see how your pages behave if you have certain designs on some pages or posts. Yeah, so the preview, that&#8217;s kind of getting feature parity almost with a customizer that was for classic themes where you also could do previews of themes with your own content. I think for many, many years that was really missing here in Gutenberg, and I really love that that&#8217;s coming to 6.3.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Yeah, it&#8217;s very cool.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: And that is the changelog of 16.2.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What’s in Active Development or Discussed</strong></h3>\n\n\n\n<p>We have a big section in the What&#8217;s Active Development and Discussed because Matias Ventura has started thinking very deeply about the Gutenberg phase three. He published in March a more global high-level kind of approach on that, and now he published seven or five or six&#8230; Six. Six posts on certain aspects of it. So, he covers real time collaboration, outlines the concurrent collaboration and shares edits that he envisions or that it&#8217;s not only him, it&#8217;s the whole team, kind of what they&#8217;re going to work on. And then the workflows, he discussed requirements for full publishing workflow that&#8217;s async in comparison to sync where both&#8230; where sync means two people can edit the same thing at the same time and the system is handling all the edits and async workflows means, &#8220;Okay, I go in today. Tomorrow my editor has some comments and I go in back and kind of work through the comments,&#8221; similar like Google Drive, but the whole content team.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So in most of the bigger sites, it&#8217;s not just one person publishing, it&#8217;s not just the writers publishing. It&#8217;s a whole team of media people, of video people, and they all need access to certain things and be part of the workflow and connect with each other. Right now, they do it outside of WordPress and somebody brings it all together, but we all hope so much to do this in WordPress. So, that&#8217;s the section of the workflows.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And then we talked about it already with the styles and templates, the whole system of revisions, which is a little bit archaic right now. It helps you, but it doesn&#8217;t know anything about blocks, and that will get a full overhaul of the current system making blocks aware and having all the data layers available for revision so editors and admins can see things.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And the fourth one was something that a lot of people really want is an overhaul of the media library with media management capabilities and unifying the interface between the block editor, and the media library, and then also of course improve the overall media workflows. So, dive into those. We have links for all of them in the show notes. Then there are two more that came out this week. Those four were last week, and this week came two more. One is about block libraries and then one about the admin design. So, I did not get into reading all of it. I skimmed a lot, but how are you doing with catching up with the new things?</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Yeah, I&#8217;m trying to stay up-to-date. I&#8217;m also skimming a lot. The new admin design really caught my eye though, because again, I think it really helps to bring everything in line into the same design using the same design system. It just really makes everything look polished. I&#8217;m so proud to work on such a good product like this when it&#8217;s all coming together, and I&#8217;m really looking forward to the admin update. I&#8217;m sure so many people are as well looking forward to another redesign.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. Apart from that, it really looks dated like 15 years ago. So, when you look at the designs&#8230; And I will also share an article by Sarah Gooding from the WP Tavern, where she actually captures a part of the conversation that happens on the post. So, each one of those posts, it&#8217;s not only reading through the post that Matias did, each one of them has between 15 and 25 or 40 comments where the whole contributors come together and have an input there. And you can too. And Sarah Gooding did a great job in summarizing the main points of the support that an admin support will get from the developer community, especially the screenshot that&#8230; Well, for me it means I saw a screenshot from a plugin settings page, and you come from something like the site editor where it says plugins or the list of plugins, and then you click on it.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And then the plugin has its own space with menu on the left menu on tabs on top, and so it feels like its own app, but with the same interfaces that Gutenberg is using or the block editor is using, or by that point, when that comes out, WordPress is using. So, it all will be more polished as you said. It will be more modern, but it will also be more contained, keeping the cognitive load that you have when you have too many things that you can click on that kind of overwhelms you. You can focus on that plugin settings and that plugins app, and it will be a similar experience than the block editors now.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Yeah, that&#8217;s exactly it. I think it really helps with the user experience. It&#8217;s perfect. I&#8217;m really looking forward to it.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>WPTavern</strong></h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah, me too. And we had a live Q&amp;A with the developers from Give WP; that&#8217;s a very strong plugin with millions of users that allows nonprofits to collect donations on their website. And they are coming out with a revamp of their plugin using WordPress components and scripts and making it the same interface like the block editor, but you&#8217;re creating your own forms. So they have no additional&#8230; There&#8217;s no additional training necessary to get what each interface items does. You have the dropdowns that you know from the sidebar from the block editor, you have the inserter from the block editor, and you have the design tools that you need from the block editor. And they did a great job.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And Jason Adams and John Waldstein, they did a great demo about the stage of their revamp right now. And we have a great discussion with also Lena Morita who was on the show. She is actually a developer on the components team. It was a great conversation. So, I&#8217;ll leave a link in the show notes for you if you missed it, and you shouldn&#8217;t have missed it, of course, so you can get a record&#8230; We recorded it and the post with all the additional links there in the YouTube description. So, you can follow up along that.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Around the realtime collaboration as well, Riyad posted a really good post on the core blog as well. But yeah, maybe it&#8217;d be good to look to that as well if you&#8217;re more interested in the technical detail around realtime.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. He just posted it yesterday, I think, where he dives really into the architecture of the real time collaboration, because two years ago actually he did some experiments with a site called sblocks.com, where you could have two versions of the same post and then with different browsers, you could kind of edit it, and it was all there. And you could actually share it. I don&#8217;t know what happened with that, but so he has some great insights in how that&#8217;s going to work and we&#8217;ll leave that also in the show notes.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Announcements</strong></h3>\n\n\n\n<p>And then, this is just an announcement. If you are listening to this on the weekend and early next week, there will be another live Q&amp;A on July 21st, and that&#8217;s with David Bowman and Alex Geatches and Joni Halabig. And we are talking about design systems and how they work with the theme.json.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, David and Alex, they are working on the WordPress VIP side of automatic, and they have built a bridge between Figma design system, token system, and the theme.json. And so, as a site manager or designer, you can keep in sync those two systems and don&#8217;t have to recreate things in theme.json, because there&#8217;s a rich plugin that does all the settings and the variables and all that for you for your next WordPress theme. So, spinning up a new site within the design system shouldn&#8217;t be too hard. So, check it in, check in with us on July 21st, 1700 UTC. The link is on the front page of the Gutenberg Times homepage. Of course, we have it also in the show notes. And if you listen to that after July 21st, it will be on YouTube under livestreams, so you can watch the recording there as well.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Well, this was a lot of announcements, so do you have anything that you want to announce? Well, you will be a 6.4 editor co-lead, tech lead for the editor.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Yes.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: But you also work on themes, right?</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Yeah.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: So, there is also a new default theme coming. Do you know anything about that? Do we have some rumors or some secrets we can share?</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Yes. Well, I know it was really exciting. I think we&#8217;re going to be looking at how we handle post formats. There are ways to do it at the moment, but I don&#8217;t think they&#8217;re obvious. They&#8217;re not easy. So, I think maybe a focus of the new default theme will be to focus on post formats to help things&#8230; Podcast websites would be a good example. Yeah, that&#8217;s really exciting, because I imagine a lot of people have probably waited for that functionality as well.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. Yeah. That has been a little bit neglected a bit.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Yes.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: &#8230; over all the Gutenberg excitement. Yes, of course. Yeah. All right, so when people want to get in contact with you, Sarah, where can they connect with you or best connect with you?</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Yes, so mikachan is my username on most formats, or mikachan_ where mikachan&#8217;s already been taken. And I&#8217;m on LinkedIn and all the usual places. So yeah, you can find me easily.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: All right, so mikachan, what is that?</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Oh, it&#8217;s a really old username I&#8217;ve heard since I was a kid, basically. It&#8217;s just an anime reference. I was an anime fan. I used to build fan sites using WordPress actually when I was a kid.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: So, you stopped building fan sites now?</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Yeah. So yeah, it&#8217;s a little disappointing, isn&#8217;t it? Fan sites aren&#8217;t really a thing anymore. Maybe they should be. I think we should bring fan sites back.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: Yeah. Well, thank you so much. It was great fun to have you on the show, and I&#8217;m looking forward to working with you also on the 6.4 release, because we will probably connect quite a bit because Anne and I will be on the editor triage team.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Yes, exactly.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: So, we&#8217;ll give you other things to shovel through.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Yeah, I&#8217;m really looking forward to working with you too. Thank you so much for having me.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Birgit Pauli-Haack</em>: All right, Sarah. All right. Thank you so much. Bye-bye.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Norris</em>: Bye.</p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Sun, 16 Jul 2023 10:16:12 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:19:\"Gutenberg Changelog\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:48;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:117:\"Gutenberg Times: Advanced patterns, collaboration,  underrepresented-gender led   WordPress 6.4—Weekend Edition 261\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:35:\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/?p=24798\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:151:\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/advanced-patterns-collaboration-designed-with-wordpress-video-underrepresented-gender-led-wordpress-6-4-weekend-edition-261/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:21785:\"<p>Howdy, </p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is so much going on in the WordPress space: The next major release is less than four weeks away, Community Summit and WordCamp US will happen next month, the 6.4 release is getting started and while contributors are polishing, fixing and cleaning up the Site Editor, others are already working on Phase 3. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>And next month I will be on vacation starting August 5th, 2023. Yes, for the first time in six years, I will miss WordCamp US, and seeing my WordPress friends. Lots of FOMO will come my way. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thursday, <strong>Josepha Haden Chomphosy</strong>, release lead of WordPress 6.4,  kicked off the first Zoom meeting of the all-underrepresented-gender release squad to work on the next major release. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was lovely to see all the faces of the wonderful people. 6.4 Beta 1 is scheduled for September 26, 2023. It&#8217;s not that long until a ton of great new features will come to WordPress in November. It will bring a bit of Phase 3, a lot of polish for Phase 2, the Interactivity API, the fonts API and the interface to manage fonts for the site.  I&#8217;ll watch the Make Core blog for Chomphosy&#8217;s  &#8216;official&#8217; Roadmap for 6.4. </p>\n\n\n\n<a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/06/05/wordpress-6-4-development-cycle/\"><img /></a>Part of the underrepresented gender-led WordPress 6.4 release squad. <a href=\"https://twitter.com/i/lists/1679898110259081231\">Follow the people on Twitter</a>. \n\n\n\n<p>Alright, that&#8217;s about the future. The <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/dev-notes+6.3/\">first Dev Notes for WordPress 6.3 </a>have already been published.  And I hope to see you all at the Live Q &amp; A next Friday! It&#8217;s going to be mind-blowing! Really. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Have a wonderful weekend and start into the next week! </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yours, 💕<br /><em>Birgit</em></p>\n\n\n\n<p>PS:  If you are new to Gutenberg Times and are interested in how it all began and became what it is now, <a href=\"https://twitter.com/inyongski\"><strong>Nadia Maya Ardiani</strong></a> <a href=\"https://www.hostinger.com/blog/birgit-pauli-haack\">interviewed me for Hostinger&#8217;s WordPress Experts blog.</a></p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-light-background-background-color has-background is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\">\n<p><a href=\"https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/7516879458017/WN_lqwBBSkSR1Wcdf8BUr5udQ\"><strong>Next Live Q &amp; A: Design Systems and Theme.json  on July 21, 2023</strong></a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>David Bowman</strong> and and <strong>Alec Geatches </strong>from WordPress VIP will show off how they keep design systems developed in Figma and themes in WordPress in synch and their workflows streamlined. J<strong>oni Halabi</strong>, senior developer from Georgetown University will join me as co-host. </p>\n\n\n\n<a href=\"https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/7516879458017/WN_lqwBBSkSR1Wcdf8BUr5udQ\"><img /></a>\n</div></div>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-light-background-background-color has-background is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\">\n<p><strong>Table of Contents</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-sortabrilliant-guidepost\"><ul><li><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#0-word-press-release-information\">Developing Gutenberg and WordPress</a><ul><li><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#1-word-press-6-3\">WordPress 6.3 </a></li><li><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#1-gutenberg-16-2\">Gutenberg 16.2</a></li><li><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#4-g\">Phase 3: Collaboration</a></li></ul></li><li><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#0-p\">Plugins, Themes, and Tools for #nocode site builders.</a></li><li><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#2-word-press-6-0-1-and-6-1-scheduled\">Theme Development for Full Site Editing and Blocks</a></li><li><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/#3-building-themes-for-fse-and-word-press\">Building Blocks and Tools for the Block editor. </a></li></ul></div>\n</div></div>\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"0-word-press-release-information\">Developing Gutenberg and WordPress</h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"1-word-press-6-3\">WordPress 6.3 </h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2023/07/wordpress-6-3-beta-4/\">WordPress 6.3 Beta 4 </a></strong>came out this week. It’s really coming down to the wire. If you haven’t tested your plugins, themes and other customization of your website, you should start now. You got less than a month to fix if something breaks.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Next week, the squad will release WordPress 6.3 RC 1, and with it the Fieldguide with the accompanying Dev Notes. </p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Anne McCarthy </strong>published three videos to show off great features coming to  WordPress with the next version. </p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://youtu.be/PhB7uZg8ZtU\">Using the new &amp; improved Site Editor in WordPress 6.3</a>.</li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://youtu.be/EEceh7caPwA\">Aspect Ratio in the Image block</a>.</li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://youtu.be/5rzzBSm7SDQ\">Command Palette and Distraction Free Mode</a>.</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This is also a reminder on the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/news/2023/07/6-3-live-product-demo/\"><strong>WordPress 6.3 Live Product Demo&nbsp;</strong></a>on July 20th, 2023 at 16:00 UTC (12 pm EDT / 18:00 CEST) with Rich Tabor and Anne McCarthy. There will be a Q&amp;A session, and you may submit questions in advance via the #walkthrough channel on WordPress Make&nbsp;<a href=\"https://wordpress.slack.com/archives/C039R2P1ZC1\">Slack</a>.&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Leonardus Nugraha</strong>, co-lead on the docs release team published <a href=\"https://www.hostinger.com/blog/wordpress-6-3-preview\"><strong>WordPress 6.3: What’s Coming In the Next Major Update</strong></a> for Hostinger&#8217;s blog.</p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https://twitter.com/ampersarnie\">Paul Taylor</a></strong> of Big Bite also <a href=\"https://bigbite.net/2023/07/11/whats-new-in-wordpress-6-3/\"><strong>What’s new in WordPress 6.3</strong></a> and sized up the second major release of 2023, which includes key improvements across page speeds, accessibility, and the editing experience.</p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"1-gutenberg-16-2\">Gutenberg 16.2</h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Gutenberg 16.2</strong> was released and release manager <strong>Bernie Reiter</strong> highlighted in the release post <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/14/whats-new-in-gutenberg-16-2-12-july/\"><strong>What’s new in Gutenberg 16.2? (12 July)</strong></a></p>\n\n\n\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/#consolidating-patterns\">Consolidating Patterns</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/#footnotes\">Footnotes</a></li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/#vertical-text-orientation\">Vertical text orientation</a></li>\n</ol>\n\n\n\n<a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/14/whats-new-in-gutenberg-16-2-12-july/\"><img /></a>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https://twitter.com/mikachan_\">Sarah Norris</a>,</strong> JavaScript developer and 6.4 editor tech co-lead joined me on the Gutenberg Changelog for the first time, and we discussed Gutenberg 16.2, WordPress 6.3, also 6.4  and Phase  3. It was a great joy and we had great fun recording and chatting. The episode 86 will arrive at our favorite podcast app over the weekend.</p>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-light-background-background-color has-background is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\">\n<p class=\"is-style-no-vertical-margin\"><strong>🎙️ </strong> Latest episode: <a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/podcast/gutenberg-changelog-87/\">Gutenberg Changelog #87 – Patterns, Gutenberg 16.3 and WordPress 6.3.</a> with Anne McCarthy as special guest, hosted by Birgit Pauli-Haack</p>\n</div></div>\n</div></div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"4-g\">Phase 3: Collaboration</h3>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/phase-3-collaboration-kick-off-add-commands-to-the-palette-server-side-filter-for-theme-json-weekend-edition-260/#2-g\">Last week</a>, <strong>Matias Ventura</strong> published four posts covering various aspects that will be considered for Phase 3 of the Gutenberg Project. This week, the series continued with one article on <strong><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/10/block-library/\">Block Library</a> </strong>and the other one about the <strong><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/12/admin-design/\">Admin Design.</a></strong></p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Riad Benguella </strong>did a deeper dive into the <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/13/real-time-collaboration-architecture/\"><strong>architecture of developing for Real Collaboration</strong></a> in content creation. To accomplish this, Benguella proposes a Data synch engine, so developers on the project and those extending WordPress with plugins don&#8217;t need to know much about where the date is coming from or going. The technical solution for this is a &#8220;conflict-free replicated data type&#8221; (CRDT) and the most promising open-source framework to implement it in a web application is <a href=\"https://yjs.dev/\">YJS.</a> </p>\n\n\n\n<img />\n\n\n\n<p>The six posts about Gutenberg Phase 3 have been out for a few days. The most excitement gathered Matias post on the new <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/12/admin-design/\">Admin Design</a>. <strong>Sarah Gooding </strong>followed the discussion and summarized it in her article: <a href=\"https://wptavern.com/wordpress-plans-ambitious-admin-ui-revamp-with-design-system-galvanizing-broad-support-from-the-developer-community\"><strong>WordPress Plans Ambitious Admin UI Revamp with Design System, Galvanizing Broad Support from the Developer Community</strong></a>. </p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https://twitter.com/nschaeferhoff\">Nick Schäferhoff</a></strong> reported about the Real-time collaboration aspect for Gutenberg Phase 3: <a href=\"https://torquemag.io/2023/07/real-time-collaboration-wordpress/\"><strong>Real-Time Collaboration in WordPress: Here’s What to Expect</strong></a>. He not only gives you an overview from last week&#8217;s posts, he also help us understand why it&#8217;s important to expand WordPress in this way: &#8220;Seeing as many websites and&nbsp;content strategies&nbsp;are run by teams, giving people tools to collaborate directly in the environment they are working in would go a long way in making the creation process more seamless.&#8221; Schäfterhoff wrote. Towards the end of his post, he shared links to project where you can start experiencing a collaborative approach, starting with <a href=\"https://asblocks.com/\">Asblocks</a> by Riad Benguella. </p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"0-p\">Plugins, Themes, and Tools for #nocode site builders.</h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The video <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcTLMTyD2DU\"><strong>Designed with WordPress</strong></a> &#8220;is an ode to the editing and customization phases of our roadmap, and the beauty they can bring to your designs. It celebrates the tools and the possibilities they create. It encapsulates the exciting steps made in the past that propel the vibrant future of WordPress&#8221; It is so beautiful!  Take a few moments and enjoy the sheer beauty. </p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p>We discussed  the Block Editor and WordPress 6.3  on the 260th episode of <a href=\"https://wpbuilds.com/2023/07/11/this-week-in-wordpress-260/\"><strong>This Week in WordPress</strong></a>. It was a great pleasure and joy to talk again to <strong>Nathan Wrigley</strong>, and <strong>Michelle Frechette</strong> and to meet <strong>Katie Keith.</strong> <strong>“How many times can we say patterns?”</strong> Answer: A lot. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8230; and when you read Anne McCarthy&#8217;s post below, you also will know why! </p>\n\n\n\n<a href=\"https://wpbuilds.com/2023/07/11/this-week-in-wordpress-260/\"><img /></a>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p>In their latest post, <strong><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/13/core-editor-improvement-advancing-the-power-of-patterns/\">Core Editor Improvement: Advancing the power of Patterns</a>, Anne McCarthy</strong> covers  new features, big and small, coming to WordPress 6.3 that impact the experience of creating and using patterns. You can explore these features if you’re using&nbsp;Gutenberg 16.2&nbsp;except the ability to&nbsp;rename and duplicate custom patterns coming to 16.3.</p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p>In the latest Learn WordPress workshop, <strong>Bud Kraus</strong> <a href=\"https://wordpress.tv/2023/07/12/demystifying-the-navigation-block-how-to-set-up-your-sites-navigation-now-and-in-the-future/\">Demystified the Navigation Block</a> and showed you how to set up your site’s navigation now and in the&nbsp;future.  How you build menus for your website had changed considerably and this is a great workshop to learn, what you have to relearn and unlearn 🙂 </p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Justin Tadlock</strong> migrated one of his long-time plugins to also work with the site editor as a block: <a href=\"https://github.com/x3p0-dev/x3p0-breadcrumbs\"><strong>Breadcrumbs.</strong> </a>You can now add a breadcrumb block to your pages and posts and archives, and it will automatically pick up the hierarchy and nested pages. You can change text color, background, and link color, including the hover state and adjust the padding and the margins. The plugin, I hear, has been submitted to the plugin repository, but there appears to be a 2-months waiting time to get approved. You can use it now by grabbing it from the <a href=\"https://github.com/x3p0-dev/x3p0-breadcrumbs\">GitHub repository</a>. </p>\n\n\n\n<a href=\"https://github.com/x3p0-dev/x3p0-breadcrumbs\"><img /></a>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"2-word-press-6-0-1-and-6-1-scheduled\">Theme Development for Full Site Editing and Blocks</h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Isabel Brison</strong>, co Editor Tech lead on the 6.3 release, published the first Dev Note from the Gutenberg project:  <strong><a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/14/layout-updates-in-the-editor-for-wordpress-6-3/\">Layout updates in the editor for WordPress 6.3</a>.</strong> You learn more about the changes to layout support, CSS specificity, the new Grid type, to post template and spacer block of the Site editor. </p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&nbsp;<a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/handbook/references/keeping-up-with-gutenberg-index/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&#8220;Keeping up with Gutenberg &#8211; Index 2022&#8221;</a>&nbsp;</strong><br />A chronological list of the WordPress Make Blog posts from various teams involved in Gutenberg development: Design, Theme Review Team, Core Editor, Core JS, Core CSS, Test and Meta team from Jan. 2021 on. Updated by yours truly.  <a href=\"https://make.wordpress.org/core/handbook/references/keeping-up-with-gutenberg-index/keeping-up-with-gutenberg-index-2020/\"><em>The index 2020 is here</em></a></p>\n\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Mary Baum</strong> posted her the first post on the WordPress Developer Blog. <strong><a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/news/2023/07/make-your-sites-typography-make-a-statement/\">Make your site’s typography make a statement</a></strong> is the first post of a series of six tackling the ins and outs of typography in general and specifically for designers using WordPress and its site editor as a design tool. As the new #nocode site editor also attracts new designers and those without a long career in design, this series will help everyone to level up and build attractive, readable and fast websites. </p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"3-building-themes-for-fse-and-word-press\">Building Blocks and Tools for the Block editor. </h2>\n\n\n\n<p>On the WordPress Developer Blog, <strong>Justin Tadlock</strong> published <a href=\"https://developer.wordpress.org/news/2023/07/whats-new-for-developers-july-2023/\"><strong>What’s new for developers? (July 2023)</strong></a>. The sixth edition of a monthly roundup that showcases features that are specific to theme and plugin developers. The latest updates are focused on the upcoming WordPress 6.3 release.</p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://twitter.com/karks88\"><strong>Eric Karkovack</strong> </a> interviewed <strong>Riad Benguella </strong> about the Command Palette coming to WordPress 6.3 next month: <a href=\"https://thewpminute.com/a-closer-look-at-the-wordpress-command-palette/\"><strong>A Closer Look at the WordPress Command Palette</strong></a>. &#8220;It opens up a world of possibilities. Imagine being able to change the price of a WooCommerce product without having to edit its post. Or you might display the latest entries from your contact form. The potential time savings could add up. Suddenly, what used to require dozens of clicks could be reduced to a few keywords.&#8221; Karkowack wrote. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>Asked about the next steps for the feature, Benguella answered: &#8220;Right now, the Command Palette is available in the Site Editor and the post editor. But we need to add it to more pages and more contexts to take advantage of its capabilities. For instance, when a block is selected, we may offer contextual commands to manipulate and interact with that block.&#8221;</p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p>The next <em><strong>WordPress Developer Hours</strong></em> will take place on July 26, 2023, at 11 am EDT / 15:00 UTC and will cover the topic of <a href=\"https://www.meetup.com/learn-wordpress-online-workshops/events/294785070/\"><strong>Styling Blocks.</strong></a> It will have two presentations: Two demos/presentation: </p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Michael Burridge</strong> will how to allow users to have control over the styling of inner elements in blocks which have complex markup. You will learn how you can assign values stored in block attributes to CSS custom properties and use them to apply user-defined styling to sub-elements in both static and dynamic blocks. </li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Justin Tadlock </strong>will show you how to integrate CSS custom properties into your block stylesheets that play nicely with themes. The technique used integrates block plugins and&nbsp;theme.json&nbsp;while still giving preference to user choice.</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n\n<a href=\"https://www.meetup.com/learn-wordpress-online-workshops/events/294785070/\"><img /></a>\n\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/need-a-zip-from-master/\">Need a plugin .zip from Gutenberg&#8217;s master branch?</a></strong><br />Gutenberg Times provides daily build for testing and review. <br />Have you been using it? Hit reply and let me know.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><img alt=\"GitHub all releases\" src=\"https://img.shields.io/github/downloads/bph/gutenberg/total?style=for-the-badge\" /></p>\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right has-small-font-size\"><em>Questions? Suggestions? Ideas? Don&#8217;t hesitate to send <a href=\"mailto:pauli@gutenbergtimes.com\">them via email</a> or send me a message on WordPress Slack or Twitter @bph</em>. </p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right has-small-font-size\">For questions to be answered on the <a href=\"http://gutenbergtimes.com/podcast\">Gutenberg Changelog</a>, send them to <a href=\"mailto:changelog@gutenbergtimes.com\">changelog@gutenbergtimes.com</a></p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n\n<p>Featured Image: Haus der Kunst in Munich, Germany exhibits art by Hamid Zenati. Photo by Birgit Pauli-Haack</p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity is-style-wide\" />\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\"><strong>Don&#8217;t want to miss the next Weekend Edition? </strong></p>\n\n\n\n<form class=\"wp-block-newsletterglue-form ngl-form ngl-portrait\" action=\"https://gutenbergtimes.com/feed/\" method=\"post\"><div class=\"ngl-form-container\"><div class=\"ngl-form-field\"><label class=\"ngl-form-label\" for=\"ngl_email\"><br />Type in your Email address to subscribe.</label><div class=\"ngl-form-input\"><input type=\"email\" class=\"ngl-form-input-text\" name=\"ngl_email\" id=\"ngl_email\" /></div></div><button type=\"submit\" class=\"ngl-form-button\">Subscribe</button><p class=\"ngl-form-text\">We hate spam, too and won&#8217;t give your email address to anyone except Mailchimp to send out our Weekend Edition</p></div><div class=\"ngl-message-overlay\"><div class=\"ngl-message-svg-wrap\"></div><div class=\"ngl-message-overlay-text\">Thanks for subscribing.</div></div><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"ngl_list_id\" id=\"ngl_list_id\" value=\"26f81bd8ae\" /><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"ngl_double_optin\" id=\"ngl_double_optin\" value=\"yes\" /></form>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity is-style-wide\" />\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Sat, 15 Jul 2023 04:39:00 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:18:\"Birgit Pauli-Haack\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}i:49;a:6:{s:4:\"data\";s:13:\"\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n	\n\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"child\";a:2:{s:0:\"\";a:5:{s:5:\"title\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:43:\"WordPress.org blog: Designed with WordPress\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"guid\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:35:\"https://wordpress.org/news/?p=15401\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:4:\"link\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:59:\"https://wordpress.org/news/2023/07/designed-with-wordpress/\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:11:\"description\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:3056:\"<img width=\"1024\" height=\"812\" src=\"https://i0.wp.com/wordpress.org/news/files/2023/07/patterns-alt-b-dark.png?resize=1024%2C812&ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-15421\" />\n\n\n\n<p>The <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/\">Gutenberg</a> project has aimed to revolutionize how we manage web content as much as <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Gutenberg\">Johannes Gutenberg</a> did the printed word. The project&#8217;s <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/about/roadmap/\">roadmap</a> is comprised of four unique phases:</p>\n\n\n\n<ol>\n<li>Easier Editing — Already available in WordPress, with ongoing improvements</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Customization — Full site editing, block patterns, block directory, block themes</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Collaboration — A more intuitive way to co-author content</li>\n\n\n\n<li>Multilingual — Core implementation for Multilingual sites</li>\n</ol>\n\n\n\n<p>With the upcoming release of WordPress 6.3, Phase 2 of the Gutenberg project is coming to a close; a journey worth celebrating.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>This video is an ode to Gutenberg&#8217;s editing and customization phases, celebrating the new design tools and the possibilities they create. The piece encapsulates the exciting steps made in the past that propel the vibrant future of WordPress.</p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n\n</div>\n\n\n\n<p>Everything showcased in the video is built entirely with the WordPress Editor, using currently available blocks, patterns, and themes. This new era has opened the ability for the design community to contribute to the project directly without depending on developers to translate their ideas into designs. Consider this an invitation for designers to join a new generation that embraces the diverse and expressive capabilities of WordPress.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The work that goes into Gutenberg is a powerful testament to the collaboration of coders, developers, and designers in our community. United, we strive to build WordPress into a realm of significance and lasting impact.</p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Video credits</h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Video credits:</strong> <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/tinobarreiro/\">Tino Barreiro</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/beafialho/\">Beatriz Fialho</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/iamtakashi/\">Takashi Irie</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/iamarinoh/\">Henrique Lamarino</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/richtabor/\">Rich Tabor</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/pablohoneyhoney/\">Pablo Honey</a>, <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/matveb/\">Matías Ventura</a>, and Holographik. </p>\n\n\n\n<p><i>Thank you to the post authors </i><a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/tinobarreiro/\">Tino Barreiro</a><i>, </i><a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/eidolonnight/\">Nicholas Garofalo</a><i>, </i><a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/dansoschin/\">Dan Soschin</a><i>, </i><a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/richtabor/\">Rich Tabor</a>, <em>and <a href=\"https://profiles.wordpress.org/cbringmann/\">Chloé Bringmann</a>.</em></p>\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}s:7:\"pubDate\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:31:\"Fri, 14 Jul 2023 22:33:07 +0000\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}s:32:\"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:\"data\";s:15:\"Chloe Bringmann\";s:7:\"attribs\";a:0:{}s:8:\"xml_base\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"xml_base_explicit\";b:0;s:8:\"xml_lang\";s:0:\"\";}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}s:4:\"type\";i:128;s:7:\"headers\";O:48:\"WpOrg\\Requests\\Utility\\CaseInsensitiveDictionary\":1:{s:7:\"\0*\0data\";a:8:{s:6:\"server\";s:5:\"nginx\";s:4:\"date\";s:29:\"Wed, 02 Aug 2023 15:02:30 GMT\";s:12:\"content-type\";s:8:\"text/xml\";s:13:\"last-modified\";s:29:\"Wed, 02 Aug 2023 14:45:30 GMT\";s:4:\"vary\";s:15:\"Accept-Encoding\";s:15:\"x-frame-options\";s:10:\"SAMEORIGIN\";s:16:\"content-encoding\";s:2:\"br\";s:4:\"x-nc\";s:9:\"HIT ord 1\";}}s:5:\"build\";s:14:\"20230718144323\";}','no');
