Progressive themes was a hot topic at WordCamp Europe 2018. During the event I had the opportunity to set up a panel with four experts who are working to integrate progressive web development practices more deeply in WordPress core, plugins, and themes. These practices make it possible for a website (or app) to work offline,…
If you’re writing all your posts in the new Gutenberg editor but don’t want to give up convenient access to your fancy gifs and stock images, the new Drop It plugin has you covered. Riad Benguella, one of the engineers who is working on Gutenberg, created the plugin to offer one-click image insertion/upload from Unsplash.com.…
Zac Gordon is hosting a “JavaScript for WordPress Conference” with two tracks on Friday, June 29, from 9:30 AM – 5:30 PM EDT. The free conference, sponsored by 10up and WP Buffs, includes a full day of online talks from JavaScript professionals who work in the WordPress ecosystem. Gordon will be streaming the talks live…
Gutenberg 3.1 added a tips interface that supports and guides new users who are learning to navigate the editor’s blocks and settings. The tips appear when a new user opens Gutenberg, highlighting useful items on the page. Although the tips may seem cluttered and intrusive to users who already know what they are doing, they…
TaxJar, a company that offers automated sales tax software, is hosting a free webinar June 27 at 11:30 AM CDT to answer questions regarding the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on South Dakota v. Wayfair. The court ruled in favor of South Dakota on June 21st, 2018, allowing any state to require online sellers to collect…
At WordCamp Europe I had the opportunity to sit down with Matías Ventura, the technical lead for Gutenberg. Ventura, who has been responsible for building the vision for Gutenberg (in addition to building the actual product), shared a few things the team might have done differently in the earlier days to improve its reception in…
At his WCEU keynote address in Belgrade, Matt Mullenweg laid out a detailed roadmap for Gutenberg to land in WordPress 5.0 within the next few months, garnering mixed reactions from attendees. Gutenberg’s timeline is one of the most pressing questions for those who work in the WordPress ecosystem. The Gutenberg team has sustained a rapid…
WordCamp Europe hosted a successful contributor day in Belgrade despite a wi-fi outage during the first half of the day. The event posted record numbers with 529 attendees registered to contribute across 24 teams. Contributors had the opportunity to make connections and conversations with team members and representatives from other teams while the wi-fi was…
The Gutenberg team took questions from a full room users and developers this morning before diving into the specifics of the editor’s design, block creation, and how to further extend the new interface. The first question they addressed is the one everyone is asking: When will Gutenberg land in core? The team said the editor…
WordCamp Europe debuted its new official mobile app today, providing attendees with a quick way to access the event’s schedule, maps, and announcements. Several unofficial apps have popped up over the years, but this is the first one produced and supported by WCEU organizers. The team opted for creating a PWA (Progressive Web App), which…
WordCamp US is kicking off this morning. If you couldn’t make the journey to Nashville, you can still follow along at home or wherever you are in the world. Livestream Tickets are free on the event’s website. Once you’ve registered for a ticket, head on over to 2017.us.wordcamp.org/live-stream/ and you’ll be able to tune in…
Gutenberg 1.8 was released this week with several notable improvements that will give plugin developers more flexibility in extending the editor. It introduces block templates, which developers can use when registering a new custom post type. The block templates define a set of pre-configured blocks that will initialize when a user creates a new post.…
10up published a preview of its Distributor plugin today, a new solution for syndicating content across WordPress multisite networks and the web. The plugin, which the company plans to release for free, is currently in final closed beta. It enables content managers to either “push” or “pull” content to/from sites where they have permission to…
WordCamp Albuquerque is gearing up for its 5th edition January 19-21, 2018, following events held in 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2016. An all-new organizing team is ready to invigorate the Southwestern WordPress community with an exciting array of world-class speakers and educational opportunities for both new and experienced users. Lead organizer Alonso Indacochea said the…
The Gutenberg Team will have a usability testing station set up at WordCamp US where attendees can participate in a round of pre-set tests that focus on the writing flow. Testers will answer a short survey that includes their prior WordPress experience level, age, and device used. Volunteers will get participants set up with a…