Gutenberg 15.5: New Features and Refinements for WordPress Full-Site Editing
WordPress’ full-site editing capabilities have been given a boost with the release of Gutenberg 15.5. This latest update introduces a range of new features and refinements to the Site Editor and core blocks, with real-time collaboration on the roadmap for Phase 3.
One of the most exciting new features is experimental support for grid layouts in the Group block. This new variation has been added to the Group block to enable more real-world testing before deciding on a final implementation. The first iteration comes with one setting for configuring the minimum column width, but more options may be added in the future.
The Grid layout type is a natural addition to other Group variations and is far easier to manipulate than the Columns block for basic grids. It may be easier for users to discover and understand if it were implemented as a new block, with the grouping implicit instead of having to add a Group block first and then select a layout.
Grid layouts are a common feature of page builder plugins, and this new capability is necessary to make Gutenberg’s page building capabilities more robust. If you want to give it a try, the Grid variation for the Group block can be enabled under Gutenberg > Experiments.
Another new feature is the ability for theme authors to identify a custom pattern to be displayed when users load a specific template, such as a 404 page, author page, or single post. This makes it possible to have custom patterns as template starters, a friendlier jumping off point for users who are editing their sites.
Users can now also style their Captions in the Styles interface. Captions’ color, typography, and size can now be easily edited with changes applied globally.
Other important updates in this release include:
– New Post Modified Date variation for the Post Date block lets users display the post’s most recent date updated
– Sticky Position: New “Make sticky” action added to the Template Part block
– Buttons: Disabled support for “edit as HTML” in block options
– Time to Read block adds spacing and typography support
– Columns block adds support for template locking
– “Image size” replaced with “Resolution” in image size controls
Check out the changelog in the release post for a full list of all the bug fixes, enhancements, and performance, documentation, and code quality improvements.
Overall, Gutenberg 15.5 is an exciting update for WordPress users, with new features and refinements that make full-site editing easier and more robust. With real-time collaboration on the roadmap for Phase 3, we can expect even more improvements in the near future.
