Gutenberg Times: WordPress 6.8.1, Tabs and CSS Slider Blocks, Sticky Header, ThemeSwitcherPro and more — Weekend Edition 327

Hi there,

With WordPress 6.8 out the door, I start getting deeper into Block themes. What are you working on in the upcoming two months?

Below you find quite a few videos and podcast episodes for your Weekend entertainment. It’s hopefully a great mix, and you find something you are interested in.

Have a fantastic weekend!

Yours,
Birgit

Table of Contents

Developing Gutenberg and WordPress

The schedule for WordPress 6.8.1 is out. RC1 is to be ready for testing on April 28, 2025, and the final release two days later on April 30th, 2025. Here are the main issues that will be resolved with this release:

In his post Defining Minor Releases for WordPress 6.8.x, Aaron Jorbin, WordPress core committer, outlines recommendations for handling minor releases in WordPress 6.8.x, given the move to a yearly major release schedule. He argues that minor releases should be more risk-averse than majors, especially since everyone gets minor updates automatically and WordPress does not maintain multiple older versions.

Key Points:

No new files in minor releases: Adding new files can break auto-updates for some users and is considered too risky.
Risk aversion: Keep changes minimal and package sizes small to reduce update failures.
New features are allowed if they are well-tested and not too large, but major changes (like big redesigns) should be avoided.
Refactors: Either avoid coding standard refactors or only backport them selectively alongside other necessary changes to avoid unnecessary package bloat.
Default themes: Focus on improving existing default themes (e.g., adding new patterns) rather than introducing new ones in minor releases.

Overall, the emphasis is on stability, minimal risk, and maintaining reliable automatic updates for security and maintenance.

Latest episode: Gutenberg Changelog 116 – WordPress 6.8, Source of Truth, Field Guide, Gutenberg 20.5 and 20.6 with special guest JC Palmes, WebDev Studios

In this episode of The WordPress Way, Exciting Highlights of WordPress 6.8 Release and Community Impact, I’m thrilled to be joined by my
fellow core contributors, Joe McGill and Abha Thakor, as we celebrate
the arrival of WordPress 6.8. As part of this special release show, we
dive into the latest and greatest features that make this version truly
stand out. From a polished user experience to updates that will benefit
content creators, developers, and extenders alike, I’m excited to share
my thoughts on what’s new and exciting in this latest release.

Plugins, Themes, and Tools for #nocode site builders and owners

Wes Theron posted a video explaining How to enhance Navigation with a Sticky Header. In this 4-minute video, he walks you through how to create a sticky header and an optional sticky banner using the WordPress Site Editor with a block theme.

The Easy Tabs Block plugin arrived from Bangladesh in the WordPress plugin repository. You can use it to build responsive tabbed content in WordPress. “Designed for both beginners and developers, it integrates seamlessly with the Gutenberg editor while keeping your site fast and clutter-free.” says the description.

The Multidots team has recently released a plugin designed to enable site owners and administrators to thoroughly analyze the usage of blocks. This plugin, titled MD Governance, empowers WordPress administrators to adjust the access and settings of Gutenberg blocks according to various user roles. This functionality is particularly beneficial for teams, agencies, or site managers seeking to maintain comprehensive control over the editing process within the block editor.

Jamie Marsland wanted to know: Is the WordPress AI Website Builder Any Good? My Daughter Lily Checks It Out!. You gotta see it! She whipped up the first version of her production company’s website in just 7 1/2 minutes, mostly using what the AI suggested. If you’re curious to give it a shot too, check out the AI builder link again. Just a heads-up, though—you’re not really the target audience; this builder’s really meant for folks who aren’t too familiar with WordPress.

Currently, there are 1,229 Block Themes in the WordPress Theme Repository. Here are the latest six:

Electronics Store eCommerce by Superb Themes with six Style Variations and 33 Patterns
Gutentools Charity by Themegrove with four Style Variations and 13 Patterns
Divine Yoga FSE by Grace Themes with seven Patterns
Lumivista by Real Time Themes with eleven Patterns
Emerge Business by Kantipur Themes with two Style Variations and ten Patterns
Blockskit Accounting by Block Kit with seven Style Variations and ten Patterns

Theme Development for Full Site Editing and Blocks

Pascal Birchler explored on how to build a CSS Carousel Block for WordPress
TL;DR: “it allows for pure CSS-based carousels — no JavaScript required!” Birchler explains that this project aimed to simplify the process of building carousels on the web by introducing a reusable and modular component. The block allows developers to easily create responsive and interactive
carousels with minimal code.

By using a declarative syntax, users can simply define the content and layout they want to display, eliminating the need for complex JavaScript logic. This approach enables faster development and easier maintenance of carousel components across various websites. The code is available on GitHub: /swissspidy/css-carousel-block.

As mentioned by JC Palmes on our 116th Gutenberg Changelog episode, the team at WebDevStudios was working a process and a plugin that allows agencies to iteratively convert client’s old WordPress Classic website into a powerful WordPress Block Editor website over time, stretching out your time and budget investment. Within a short amount of time, clients can start producing Block-based content, while your old Classic setup powers the rest of your website. Over time, the old Classic theme would be retired in favor of the Block-based theme.

The plugin, ThemeSwitcherPro, has just been released and introduced on the new website for this product. Considering the amount of time it will save you and the fantastic additional service you can offer to our clients, $299 a year is well worth it. They offer a 20% discount for the first 100 customers, and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Brad Williams, co-founder of WebDevStudios, also recorded a demo video for you.

“Keeping up with Gutenberg – Index 2025”
A chronological list of the WordPress Make Blog posts from various teams involved in Gutenberg development: Design, Theme Review Team, Core Editor, Core JS, Core CSS, Test, and Meta team from Jan. 2024 on. Updated by yours truly. The previous years are also available: 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024

Building Blocks and Tools for the Block editor

In his video Custom Domains and HTTPS Support in WordPress Studio, Nick Diego teaches you how to set up a custom domain and enable HTTPS (SSL) support in WordPress Studio for a more realistic, secure development experience.

In episode 166, Nathan Wrigley discussed with Ryan Welcher on What’s New for Developers. They talked about some of the biggest recent updates to WordPress Core, including the Block Bindings API, Plugin Template Registration API, Preview Options API, and the new Data Views. Welcher breaks down what these new tools are, why they matter, and how they’re making WordPress block development both more powerful and more accessible. “If you’re interested in what’s new in WordPress development, want to understand where the project is heading, or are curious about the real impact of recent changes and features, this episode is for you.” wrote Wrigley.

In his livestream, More theme updates for the Block Developer Cookbook site, Ryan Welcher focused on completing the user profile system he has been building over the last few sessions. He dove into some important design changes, tested key functionalities, and troubleshoot live on stream.

JuanMa Garrido explored on how to Unit Tests for WordPress blocks. He wrote some unit tests for the copyright block from the “Tutorial: Build your first block”

Need a plugin .zip from Gutenberg’s master branch?
Gutenberg Times provides daily build for testing and review.

Now also available via WordPress Playground. There is no need for a test site locally or on a server. Have you been using it? Email me with your experience