WordPress v5 – Freelance Web Development – Glasgow

WordPress version 5.0 will bring with it something big. Codenamed “Gutenberg,” it is perhaps one of the more quietly exciting projects in web technology this year. Gutenberg is a total revamp of the WordPress text writing and editing experience and is easily one of the most significant changes WordPress has ever seen.

As technology advances so have our tools and our user experiences, and as developers and designers we continue to hone in on ways to make experiences faster and more intuitive. WordPress, the world’s most popular content management system, is no exception to this evolution.

This Spring/Summer, WordPress is introducing a new way of managing content in the 5.0 launch. The enhanced content editor, which they have named Gutenberg, will become the foundation for customizing and building websites on WordPress.

Whats Changing?

Gutenberg’s improved user interface aims to make page editing a lot easier –

The first thing you’ll notice about Gutenberg is how visually distinct it is from the old editing tool. WordPress seems to have been heavily inspired by Medium, as is evident from the increased writing space that should come as a relief to laptop users. If you’re still pressed for more screen real estate, you can hide the sidebar through an option in the ‘Post Settings’.

The new concept behind editing and content creation is based on blocks.

Want to copy and paste text? Want to add bullet lists in your post? Forget it, Gutenberg doesn’t do that. Your content will be copied into separate blocks (see fig. 3). If you want to revise your article, you’ll have to move blocks instead of copy-and-paste. We’re not sure how content writers will find this easy to use.

The usual toolbar your used to seeing is also gone. Instead you’ll be presented with a blank white screen without the toolbar (see fig. 1). You’ll need to click on a small circle with a plus sign, choose the block you want, and then add your content (see fig. 2). Apparently, this new work-flow, is what the Gutenberg teams sees as an improvement. While it works, it is rather cumbersome, and will be confusing for beginners.

Gutenberg also pales in comparison to other visual editors, such as Divi, Site Origin or Visual Composer. So many are wondering, why did Automattic even bother?

It is quite likely, Automattic wants to bring the power of all these page builders (and other functions) into the WordPress core.  Unfortunately, the Gutenberg editor doesn’t come close to its competitors.  In its current state  it is neither intuitive, nor easy to use. Time will tell if Gutenberg does become easier to use, or integrated as is.

What You Need to Know!

Before upgrading to WordPress 5.0 do keep the following in mind:

• It’s better to test with the Gutenberg plugin first.
• Upgrading to 5.0 is irreversible. Make backups first!
• 5.0 may break themes and plugins.
• 5.0 will change the way themes and plugins are used.
• 5.0 is not the editor you are used to. It’s going to be a tough change.
• In 5.0 blocks will replace everything (even widgets).
• It may be best to wait a few months after 5.0 is released before upgrading.

Follow more about the WordPress v5 development and roadmap here.