WordPress 6.1 has been released and is packed with block- and editor-specific design updates. It’s a lot to take in, so here at Newspack, we’ve organized and highlighted a few that you may find most helpful.
New Block Editor Features
Padding
Padding control has had a design overhaul, moving from text input to slider. Text input can still be accessed by selecting the slider icon found beside the link icon.
Before
After
Typography
Similar to the Padding feature, the Typography panel has moved from the pixel values to presets with their names. If the preference is to assign a specific pixel value, this can be done by selecting the slider icon in the Typography settings area.
Borders
The Border panel has now been updated to show a more visual preview of a block’s border settings. It also allows you to set different colors and widths on each side.
Borders Before
Borders After
Block-Locking
Block-locking has been updated with the ability to lock blocks in a container of blocks with a single option. This includes Group, Column, and Cover Blocks. We’ve seen inconsistencies here, so feel free to reach out if you have further questions or concerns regarding the “Apply to all blocks inside” feature.
Block Specific Changes
Featured Images in the Cover Block
You can now select the Featured Image for use in a Cover block. When applied to a post or page’s body, it’ll pick up the current post/page’s featured image as long as a featured image has been assigned.
List Block
It’s now possible to reorder list items within the List block, making it easier to sort and edit list items.
Quote Block
The Quote block now allows you to nest other blocks inside of it. This allows you to add different blocks to a quote’s content, as well as style the Quote and citation separately.
New Editor-Wide Changes
Settings Sidebar
The settings interface has been slightly redesigned to offer easier readability. The fields for post format, slug, template, and authors are aligned and have the same width.
Settings Before
Settings After
Info Panel
The Info Panel now includes “time to read” information along with Words, Characters, Headings, Paragraphs, and Blocks.
Publish Popover
The publish popup has also been redesigned providing a simplified and more organized display.
Post Scheduler Before
Post Scheduler After
As always, if you have questions about this or anything else, please open a request in the #newspack-help Slack channel.
