Nerd Alert…
If you couldn’t tell, I drink the WordPress koolaid. It’s missing some advanced features, but nothing that a couple of trusty plugins and 30 lines of CSS can’t handle.
- The project that started my obsession turned 17 — happy birthday, AnimeChicago.com!
- I officially took the helm for Chicago’s WordPress Meetup last week (dormant since Lockdown). Ask me for details, and WordPress swag!
- I’ve converted over 10 Classic Themes to the block-powered Site Editor. Mostly for fun, but recently for a big client with equally big tech debt.
- And when WP 6.4 dropped last Tuesday, I spent a romantic evening fiddling with all of my personal projects.
What’s new in 6.4? Why care?
The Editor’s gotten some polish with photo lightboxes, group background images, and enhanced List View to better organize your content. Jamie M’s tour summarizes it well.
For content managers: unless you’re building a directory, we no longer need “custom fields” to achieve marketing-style layouts. Your reusable layouts can be stored straight in the Pattern Manager. Classic themes are dead. Long live the Block Editor!
For mid-code devs like myself: my previous hotfix scripts are no longer necessary!
For those feeling behind: LearnWP and WordPress.tv have caught up on documentation. I’m also considering a WP coaching program in 2024 – ping me if you’re interested.
What’s lacking these days?
- Media-specific controls to make mobile shine. CSS fills that gap, but we devs are still seething over it.
- Native SEO tooling, but I doubt this will happen. SlimSEO or RankMath plugins work.
- Any animation whatsoever. I rely on Animations for Blocks for basic entrance motion and Motion.page as a Webflow alternative.
- If AJAX capabilities actually land in 2024, I’ll eat my hat. I use a two-plugin combo to power directories and calendars: Advanced Custom Fields for post metadata and Search & Filter 2.5 for frontend filtering.
- I still loathe build processes (why I use a CMS), so I instantiate custom blocks with Lazy Blocks or ACF (the real MVP).
It sounds like a lot, but the Editor covers 90% of your content scenarios without spending a dime. Most clients I’ve helped offboard their Classic Theme or 3rd-party Page Builder are pleased with cleaner interfaces, faster workflows, and more consistent styling across their site.
If anyone in your network struggles with WordPress, wants to trade notes, or needs a solid foot into the greater WP community – let’s chat!
Converting your Classic WP Theme?
Good news! I can help you. The process is straightforward for enough for a 2-week turnaround but complex enough to outsource and have it done right.