What’s New in WordPress Version 5.7 – Block Editor

Video Transcript

In the previous class, we went over the non block editor updates included within version 5.7 of WordPress.

Now in this class, we’re going to move on over to the updates to the block editor. And these updates will be found in both the page and post editors. We’re going to begin with the drag and drop feature. Come on down here and drag our cover block onto the page. And whenever we see that blue line that is where the block is going to end up at, let’s go ahead and add an image here so that I can demonstrate one of the cool additions to the cover block.

Let’s come on down here to the status bar and get out of the paragraph. Because what I want to show you deals with the cover itself, not only can we go with the full width, that’s not new, what is new, is we can now go with full height. So drag and dropping of the blocks full height though some of the blocks like with cover block. And some of the blocks now have more control over the font size, like the list and code blocks. Let me show you what I’m talking about. Let’s grab the list block and drag that up here and open up our block setting sidebar. And with the list block selected, you see now we can select from the various sizes that are preset. Or we can define the size specifically ourselves just by typing in the number or using the up and down arrow keys.

The button blocks have also had an update added. Let’s come on in here and grab our button block. Go ahead and add a couple of buttons in here. And what the button blocks selected, not the individual button because right now if we look down here at our status bar, I’m working in a button within the buttons block. What I want is the buttons block. And I can either click here, or click outside of that individual button.

So I got the blue box around the entire block and open up our block setting sidebar. And with that buttons block selected, we have the ability here to go from the default horizontal to vertical. So now we can stack our buttons just makes things a lot easier. And we could have stacked them before the required multiple button blocks. This is just a lot easier. Next, the social icons have been updated as well drag it on in here. So here’s our social icons. And if we open up our block setting sidebar, and with the social icons block selected, in addition to all the other items that we’ve been able to do, we can now adjust the size from the default normal to large or even huge. And those are the major changes related to the block editor. And I want to point out to you that these updates should be a reminder that WordPress is constantly evolving, and you should be on the lookout for more changes. Anytime that you use the block editor in either the post editor or the page editor. poke around on the block setting sidebar for whatever block you’re working on to see any changes that you can put to work in your designs.

And as I mentioned in the previous class, you just some of the bigger changes and for an in depth look at all the features added to version 5.7. scroll on down here to the bottom of the about dot php page and check out the WordPress 5.7 Field Guide. And that’s going to bring us to the end of this class on what’s new in the block editor in version 5.7 of WordPress. Thanks for checking it out and you have a great day.