A new WordPress update, but not just any update!
Version 5.9 of WordPress, initially scheduled for December 13, 2021, was a little late. Named Josephine, it finally arrived on January 25, 2022. It includes, as you’d expect, quite a few new features, including a small revolution with the addition of Full Site Editing, a better user experience, optimized loading of web pages, a new theme soberly entitled Twenty Twenty Two, and so on.
In fact, this is a major release. To mark the occasion, we’ve detailed just a few of the new features in this new version.
The big news in WordPress 5.9: Full Site Editing
Full Site Editing, or FSE as it’s known, is a set of new WordPress features that focus on block styling and how it can be used to control all aspects of a website, not just the content area: Édition Complète du Site.
From now on, you’ll be able to manipulate virtually every part of the interface (header, footer, menus, widget, logo…) directly via the block editor, rather than through the theme options (customizer) as was previously the case. The aim of ESF is to give users back full power to create the site of their dreams more easily.
From now on, everything can be managed from the back office. Are you writing an article and want to change your site’s header? No problem, you can do it directly without leaving your page and going to your theme’s customizer. And the same goes for all your registered page templates. Magic, isn’t it?
Let’s take a look at the main new features of this new version:
Blocks and the theme editor
WordPress Full Site Editing lets you build your entire site with blocks, a bit like the famous page-builders Divi and Elementor, so you can directly modify every part of your site using Gutenberg blocks.
The theme editor is one of the highlights of this new version of WordPress. Gone is the Customizer found in the “Appearance” section of the WordPress admin dashboard, where you’ll find Editor instead of Customizer.
The “menu” tab has also been replaced by the “navigation” block within the editor, making it easier to create your menus and have everything at your fingertips.
The theme editor also features a focus mode for the header and footer. This function can be accessed from the top panel of the editor and displays only the part you wish to modify, which is very useful for concentrating on the essentials.
Drag-and-drop design and UX enhancements
WordPress 5.9 brings new interface and user experience enhancements. These include new features for the block editor that let you rearrange items in a list with a simple drag-and-drop.
The list view that you find by clicking on the 3 horizontal lines, and which already allowed you to see the structure of your page, now gives you greater control over your content, with the ability to drag-and-drop your blocks.
For long, complex pages with nested structures, you can expand and collapse nested block sections to keep only the section you’re working on open.
Global styles
Globals Styles” allow you to modify the typography (fonts and their sizes) and background color of the site, while giving you the option of creating a customized color palette and defining a default color for blocks, directly in the editor. Some themes already offered this possibility, but you had to go through the “customization” tab to act on this function, whereas today you’ll have access to all this natively as soon as you install WordPress.
The styles interface can be accessed by clicking on the black and white circle in the top right-hand corner of the editor. A panel will open, allowing you to modify the font style and color palette for your entire site.
You can also define a style for specific blocks, for example, you can choose a different typography and color only for your title blocks, and this will be reflected throughout the site.
A new theme and the birth of Blocks Themes
The next version of WordPress includes a brand-new default theme: Twenty Twenty-Two, compatible with the ESF. As you’ve already guessed, the advent of Full Site Editing will bring with it the birth of a new kind of theme: Blocks Themes, i.e. a new generation of themes based on Gutenberg blocks.
Twenty-Twenty Two offers a wide choice of page templates, article pages, archive pages, 404 pages, search pages…. All these pages are editable, so you can customize them as you wish and create new templates to suit your needs. You’ll also find customizable headers and footers to create a theme that’s just right for you.
You can also find some themes that already support FSE at this address or on the WordPress repository with the search “full site editing”.
What if your theme doesn’t support ESF?
Many themes don’t yet support Full Site Editing, so it’s legitimate to ask yourself: will my site be all broken with this version upgrade?
But don’t panic! Classic themes or themes built with your favorite page builder will continue to function without a hitch. You can (and should) update your WordPress without breaking a sweat for fear of destroying everything!
If you’re using a classic theme, you might not even notice anything unusual. Under the “Appearance” section of your back-office, the Editor tab simply won’t appear; you’ll keep your menu and widget tabs. As a result, you won’t have access to styles and template editing either.
Is WordPress 5.9 faster?
The loading speed of a web page is important. Not only is it important for search engine optimization (SEO), it’s also important for user loyalty. Users are becoming increasingly impatient when it comes to surfing the web.
There are many improvements in this new version, and it would be pointless to summarize them all here. The most important thing to remember is that this update optimizes and takes into account loading speed.
One notable improvement is the lazy-loading feature, in place since version 5.5. By not lazy-loading the first image, Largest Contentful is improved by around 7%.
Commenting on performance tests carried out on some fifty popular WordPress themes, Felix Arntz stated in the December 30, 2021 development note:
…an analysis taking into account 50 popular themes showed that the enhancement brought LCP improvements at all levels, up to 30% faster page loading. WordPress 5.9 now comes with this enhancement, leading to corresponding improvements in LCP performance…
WordPress 5.9 enhancements and more!
There wouldn’t be enough room in a single article to summarize all the new features, but we’ll do a quick recap:
- New design tools (border support, block dimensions, etc.)
- Each image in the gallery block will be treated as an image block.
- The ability to select the language on the WordPress login page.
- A Pinterest integration block (Embed).
- Hundreds of bugs identified and fixed.
- If a theme is not FSE compatible, the new features are disabled.
- New compatibility with PHP 8.1, jQuery 3.
- The new “theme.json” file for theme developers.
So that you can see what the new WordPress has introduced in its 5.9 update, we’re sharing a short video with you:
We hope this article will help you get to grips with version 5.9 of our WordPress. As you can see, there are a lot of useful new features on the program.
We’re talking about a minor revolution, and rightly so, as many things will be approached differently. This is bound to take some getting used to. But don’t panic, despite what’s in store, you’ll have plenty of time to get comfortable, and don’t forget that Full Site Editing will improve over time, adding and improving new elements.
