So in my last post I mentioned about the forthcoming changes of the latest version of WordPress and why I was proceeding with caution when upgrading my clients websites.
I have now started to filter some updating of the easiest websites to see how that proceeds and so far so good. However, you should be aware that after the upgrade, all the pages will look very different when you login! Something like this below….
So whats different about this editing system?
So the big change is that this editing experience is based on using “blocks” for each page/post. So you can use a block to layout a page or post a bit better using rows and columns and being able to add different features eg images, buttons, lists and tables onto a page. And being able to sit things next to each other which the old editor didn’t offer very well. However, it can take a bit of getting used to and I suggest some practising on a test page first of all! I am using the new editing system to write this blog post as a test for myself!
But you do have more options and can change background colours of section, drag and drop images into place. And the use of columns is something that wouldn’t have been at all possible with the old editor.
But what if I want to stick with the old page editor that I am familiar with?
You can for a little while longer. If you don’t like the new Gutenberg experince, the old editor can be installed as a plugin for a temporary solution. However, they will discontinue this in the future so Gutenberg will be the only option at some point.
But I use a third party page editor with my theme – how will that change?
The short answer is that it won’t. For the time being the plugin will overwrite Gutenberg. And/or you can choose to have Gutenberg in place for some pages/posts but not all.
How can I try it out?
If things look different next time you login to WordPress then chances are that you will have been updated and Gutenberg will be in place. Ask your developer to install the old page editor if you’d like to stick with that. But also give Gutenberg a try here https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/ – this allows you to have a play and see how it works.