Plugins

  • Are Block-Based Widgets Ready To Land in WordPress 5.6?

    Are Block-Based Widgets Ready To Land in WordPress 5.6?

    Two weeks ago, the Gutenberg team put out an open call for block-based widgets feedback. I had already written a lengthy review of the new system earlier in September but was asked by a member of the team to share my thoughts on the most recent iteration. With the upcoming freeze for WordPress 5.6 Beta…

  • Privacy-Conscious WordPress Plugin Caches and Serves Gravatar Images Locally

    Privacy-Conscious WordPress Plugin Caches and Serves Gravatar Images Locally

    Ari Stathopoulos released his new Local Gravatars plugin last week. The goal of the plugin is to allow site owners to take advantage of the benefits of a global avatar system while mitigating privacy concerns by hosting the images locally. In essence, it is a caching system that stores the images on the site owner’s…

  • EditorPlus 1.9 Adds Animation Builder for the Block Editor

    EditorPlus 1.9 Adds Animation Builder for the Block Editor

    Munir Kamal shows no signs of slowing down. He continues to push forward with new features for his EditorPlus plugin, which allows end-users to customize the look of the blocks in their posts and pages. He calls it the “no-code style editor for WordPress.” The latest addition to his plugin? Animation styles for every core…

  • Exploring Full-Site Editing With the Q WordPress Theme

    Exploring Full-Site Editing With the Q WordPress Theme

    I have been eagerly awaiting the moment when I could install a theme and truly test Gutenberg’s full-site editing feature. By and large, each time I have tested it over the past few months, the experience has felt utterly broken. This is why I have remained skeptical of seeing the feature land in WordPress 5.6…

  • Supercharge the Default WordPress Theme With Twentig, a Toolbox for Twenty Twenty

    Supercharge the Default WordPress Theme With Twentig, a Toolbox for Twenty Twenty

    I am often on the hunt for those hidden gems when it comes to block-related plugins. I like to see the interesting places that plugin authors venture. That is why it came as a surprise when someone recommended I check out the Twentig plugin a few days ago. Somehow, it has flown under my radar…

  • Coming in Jetpack 9.0: Shortcode Embeds Module Updated to Handle Facebook and Instagram oEmbeds

    Coming in Jetpack 9.0: Shortcode Embeds Module Updated to Handle Facebook and Instagram oEmbeds

    Facebook and Instagram are dropping unauthenticated oEmbed support on October 24. WordPress will be removing both Facebook and Instagram as oEmbed providers in an upcoming release. After evaluating third-party solutions, WordPress VIP is recommending its partners enable Jetpack’s Shortcode Embeds module. Jetpack will be shipping the update in its 9.0 release, which is anticipated to land prior to…

  • PhotoPress Plugin Seeks to Revolutionize Photography for WordPress Users

    PhotoPress Plugin Seeks to Revolutionize Photography for WordPress Users

    Peter Adams, the owner of the PhotoPress plugin, announced a couple of weeks ago that now is the time for his project to take center stage. “It’s Time for PhotoPress,” read the title of his post in which he laid out a four-phase plan for the future of his project. Adams is no stranger to…

  • Google Officially Releases Its Web Stories for WordPress Plugin

    Google Officially Releases Its Web Stories for WordPress Plugin

    Two and a half months after the launch of its public beta, Google released its Web Stories for WordPress plugin. So far, the plugin has over 10,000 active installations and has garnered a solid five-star rating from four reviews. Google created the Web Stories format through its AMP Project to allow publishers to create visually-rich…

  • Digging Into Recipe Card Blocks, WPZOOM’s Solution for Recipe Bloggers

    Digging Into Recipe Card Blocks, WPZOOM’s Solution for Recipe Bloggers

    After publishing a post about the new Recipe Block plugin last week, several people were quick to point out that WPZOOM had released a recipe-related block plugin two years ago. Among them, was the plugin author, Pavel Ciorici. I had previously tested the Recipe Card Blocks plugin and thought it fit into that “overly complex”…

  • Plugin Authors Can Opt Into Email Confirmation for WordPress Plugin Updates

    Plugin Authors Can Opt Into Email Confirmation for WordPress Plugin Updates

    Overnight, the Meta Team for WordPress.org flipped the switch for a new plugin author feature in the official directory. It allows plugin authors to opt into confirming plugin updates via email. Release confirmations will strengthen security and make sure any updates sent in are intentional. Dion Hulse opened the original ticket six weeks ago with…

  • AMP Plugin 2.0 Adds Onboarding Wizard and Expanded Reader Mode

    AMP Plugin 2.0 Adds Onboarding Wizard and Expanded Reader Mode

    The official AMP plugin for WordPress recently crossed the 2.0 milestone, a major release that closed 141 issues and merged 174 pull requests. The release was originally planned for v1.6 but due to the number of major changes the team decided to bump it to 2.0. One of the most significant updates in this release…

  • Start a Recipe Blog With the Recipe Block WordPress Plugin

    Start a Recipe Blog With the Recipe Block WordPress Plugin

    “Organize your quarantine-inspired baking blog with a ‘Recipe’ block!” read the opening description of Kelly Choyce-Dwan’s new plugin, Recipe Block. That was enough to pique my interest. I love food. I love baking — mostly pizza and bread. Food-related plugins and themes almost inspire me to spin up a recipe blog of my own. Almost.…