WordPress 6.4 Release to Disable Attachment Pages for New Installations
The upcoming release of WordPress 6.4, expected on November 7, will bring a significant change to attachment pages. Attachment pages, which are automatically created when users upload files through the media upload system, will be disabled for new installations. This change aims to address the issue of attachment pages lacking meaningful information and potentially causing negative outcomes for users and site owners.
Attachment pages have long been considered unnecessary by SEO plugins, which often redirect them due to their lack of purpose. However, until now, WordPress created attachment pages by default for every uploaded attachment. These pages would be indexed by search engines and sometimes even rank in search results, leading to a less-than-ideal user experience.
Joost de Valk, a WordPress contributor, explained in the dev note for this change that attachment pages don’t typically add any valuable information to the vast majority of sites. To mitigate the negative impact of these pages, new sites will have their attachment pages redirected to the attachment URL. Existing sites will not be affected and will continue to function as they always have.
For site administrators who wish to enable or disable attachment pages, WordPress introduces the wp_attachment_pages_enabled database option. This option allows control over the behavior of attachment pages. However, it’s worth noting that there is no interface for changing this setting, which sparked some controversy among users in the comments on the Trac ticket and dev note.
In line with the WordPress mantra of “decisions, not options,” the decision was made not to provide a setting for enabling or disabling attachment pages. While some users argued for an interface that would allow them to toggle this feature on or off, others pointed out the potential complications that arise when multiple plugins offer conflicting options.
Sybre Waaijer, a WordPress plugin developer, highlighted the paradox of “decisions, not options” when it comes to filtering options. He argued that if plugins were to provide the option toggle, it would go against user expectations. Additionally, the addition of an option to filter an option could lead to bugs and logical complications.
Although an interface for enabling or disabling attachment pages is not planned for WordPress 6.4, contributors are discussing the possibility of creating a core plugin specifically for this purpose. The idea is to have a plugin that adds a setting to the Options -> Media page, making it more accessible to users who may not be familiar with modifying code.
Justin Tadlock, an Automattic-sponsored contributor, suggested the idea of a core plugin for re-enabling attachment pages on new sites. This plugin would provide a straightforward solution for users who want to enable attachment pages for specific niche use cases. Joost de Valk agreed that such a plugin would be beneficial, as it would cater to users who are unable to modify code to change attachment pages’ behavior.
In conclusion, the upcoming WordPress 6.4 release will disable attachment pages for new installations. This change aims to improve the user experience by eliminating unnecessary pages that often lack valuable information. While there won’t be an interface for enabling or disabling attachment pages in WordPress 6.4, the possibility of a core plugin dedicated to this functionality is being discussed. This plugin would provide a simple solution for users who wish to enable attachment pages without the need for coding knowledge.
