The WordPress community is constantly working to provide a better experience for content management system users. This month we cover updates, patches and feature development for various WordPress plugins.
Additionally, sticking to AI trends has seen more AI adoption in the WordPress ecosystem. Most notably, one of his big names, Elementor, has announced plans to bring more AI-powered features to its site builder. But more on that later. Let’s see what April brought us.
wordpress update
It’s been a relatively quiet month for WordPress core, but there are some interesting and important updates. Some experimental features have been rolled out in Gutenberg and Yoast has updated their minimum requirements.
Gutenberg Experimental Features
Gutenberg version released in April 15.5 and 15.6, brought users three new and interesting experimental features. To try them out, you need to install and activate the Gutenberg plugin and activate the experiment from Gutenberg → experiment panel.
grid block
![Page editor grid block example](https://www.hostinger.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/05/grid-block.webp)
Grid blocks were introduced in Gutenberg 15.5. Acting as a new container block, Grid Layout allows users to arrange content in ways not previously possible with Groups, Rows, and Stacks blocks, such as displaying product features.
The grid block currently has one setting for changing the minimum column width which affects the number of columns. This block is also included in the container block conversion option, making it easy to convert different blocks to each other. This way, if you want to change your stack block to a grid block, just click a button and you can continue your day.
detail block
![Post editor details block example](https://www.hostinger.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/05/details-block.webp)
Introduced in Gutenberg 15.6, detail blocks allow users to add collapsible sections to pages to hide content.
For example, you may want to hide transcripts or product details that take up too much space when displayed by default. This block also helps users create accordion menus.
A detail block consists of a detail overview heading and child blocks. You can insert any core blocks you want, such as query loops or images, into this block. This gives you a lot more flexibility when adding content inside the accordion.
command center
![Command center interface](https://www.hostinger.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/05/command-center.webp)
The last experimental feature I want to highlight is the command center. Also introduced as an experiment in Gutenberg 15.6, this feature acts as a shortcut for users to navigate to other posts, pages, templates, and template her parts.
the user simply presses Command/Ctrl + K When you click , a Command Center popup will appear with items you can jump to. Alternatively, use the search bar to find the item of your choice.
Yoast SEO Increases PHP Requirements
Yoast released two updates in April, versions 20.5 and 20.6.But it’s the first update you should do TRUE pay attention.
Version 20.5 raises the PHP requirement to at least PHP 7.2.5. This means that the plugin is no longer compatible with previously supported versions (PHP 5.6, 7.0 and 7.1).
pro tips
Update your PHP version to improve your website’s performance. This can be easily done using hPanel. It has a dedicated PHP admin panel that allows you to change the PHP version with just a few clicks.
Yoast has already posted news Increased minimum PHP requirements for plugins in November 2022. Initially he was scheduled for March 2023, but Yoast finally implemented it in his mid-April 2023 release of version 20.5.
Elementor AI
![Elementor AI text generator interface](https://www.hostinger.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/05/elementor-ai.webp)
Creating websites with AI is still a hot topic online and Elementor is just jumping on the bandwagon.they just Announced AI technology Our products are introduced.
Elementor’s first notable AI tool is a text generator. This tool allows users to generate text for headings and content blocks with simple prompts. You can narrow down your results by shortening or lengthening the suggested text, simplifying the language, or correcting grammatical problems thanks to some handy quick prompts. There is an option to change the tone and translate the text.
The second interesting feature is the coding AI. Created to help you write CSS and custom HTML code, this tool is useful for anyone who wants to create a specific visual customization for him but doesn’t know how to code.
Currently, Elementor AI is 3.13 Betathe final release estimate will be May 8, 2023.
Future updates
We just got the latest major release of WordPress last month, but the WordPress team is already working on future updates.
The WordPress 6.2 release team is working on a minor update for 6.2.1 to fix some bugs. There’s no schedule for the update yet, but the team expects him to deliver in May.
As for the major update, the proposed plan is to ship WordPress 6.3 around August.The WordPress team is still recruiting for the release team. For those interested, Core team blog post for more information.
WordPress security news
A rather unusual security breach occurred this month. An abandoned plugin was exploited to create a backdoor to a compromised website. Not what you want to happen to your site, right? We’ve also put together several plugins that have released patches covering cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities.
PHP rating
A security threat was found related to the abandoned Eval PHP plugin. Given that the last update was over ten years ago, this plugin was used to add PHP code to WordPress posts and pages. This created an opportunity for attackers to use it to create a backdoor to the site where the plugin was installed.
An attacker would first need to install Eval PHP on the compromised website. PHP code can then be injected into posts and pages to create a backdoor.
The vulnerability was identified when an unusual spike in installs occurred over the past few months despite dormant activity on the plugin. As a result, the WordPress plugins team has removed Eval PHP from the repository to prevent additional installations and subsequent security threats.
![Eval PHP plugin page in the directory](https://www.hostinger.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/05/evalphp.webp)
We recommend checking your website to make sure Eval PHP is not installed on your site. We also recommend protecting your WordPress credentials to prevent your site from being compromised in the future.
pro tips
Always use secure credentials to prevent unauthorized access to your WordPress admin. We recommend using hPanel’s malware scanner to find security threats on your site.
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability
Throughout April, some plugins were affected by cross-site scripting vulnerabilities. We scanned the patch stack data and listed some notable plugins that were detected with such vulnerabilities.
- All In One WP Security (1 million+ active downloads). of cross-site scripting vulnerability Affected versions 5.1.4 and below, also affected versions 5.1.0 and below Cross-site request forgery (CSRF). All issues have been fixed in version 5.1.5, but we recommend updating to the latest version, 5.1.8, if you have not already done so.
- MetaSlider (700,000+ active downloads). Before MetaSlider version 3.29, High severity reflected cross-site scripting Vulnerability. Version 3.30 fixes this issue, 22.8% Percentage of active downloads that are currently using the latest version. If you are using this plugin, please check the version and update immediately if necessary.
- Limit login attempts (600,000+ active downloads). 2 cross-site scripting A vulnerability affecting versions 1.7.1 and earlier was discovered in April. The developer has applied a patch in version 1.7.2.
WordPress is driven by creative contributors who develop themes, plugins, and other tools to improve the website creation experience. Here are some interesting and worth mentioning new additions to the WordPress family.
Love Bird’s Theme
![Lovebird theme demo](https://www.hostinger.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/05/lovebird-theme.webp)
One of the stunning new WordPress block themes is lovebird – Multi-purpose blocky theme with bold design and feature-rich premium version. The demo version boasts a clean pink-themed style with a noisy image background that gives off a retro vibe.
The magazine-inspired design makes Lovebird suitable for fashion and online magazine websites. Its bold, catchy style easily grabs the reader’s attention, and strong typographic choices make the text pop and easy to read. The theme is also WooCommerce ready, so you can start a fashion store or charge for magazine subscriptions right from the start.
Flusso AI
![Flusso AI Plugin Panel](https://www.hostinger.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/05/flusso-ai.webp)
AI technology is taking hold, Flusso AI plugin It’s one of the latest examples you can leverage in your content creation.
Flusso AI brings four AI capabilities to your site.
- image generator. Create an AI-generated image using prompts. There are options to set the number of images generated, resolution, image type, and style.
- Chat and text content generatorThis feature is based on the well known ChatGPT. Prompts can be used to generate text content for post or page copy. There is also an option to automatically create new posts based on the generated text.
- Key PointAI available in the post editor generates post summaries and lists the key points of the article. Perfect for social media posts or summarizing the content of an article.
- speech to textNeed a transcript of your podcast or video? You can upload your audio file to the plugin panel and generate a transcription. Similar to a text generator, you can quickly create new posts based on the generated transcription.
The plugin uses OpenAI. This means you need to connect the plugin to his OpenAI account using your private key.
WordPress Plugin Periodic Table
![Periodic table interface for WordPress plugin](https://www.hostinger.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/05/periodic-table.webp)
Want to know the most popular WordPress plugins? Created by Pascal Birchler Periodic Table of 108 WordPress Plugins From official repositories with the most active downloads.
Tables are also interactive. Click on any element to expand it and display detailed information about the plugin, its purpose, etc.
This periodic table was created to celebrate the 20th anniversary of WordPress, but it provides useful information for users, especially if you are looking for the most popular and reputable WordPress plugins for your website.
WordPress turns 20 in May
On May 27th, 2023, we will be celebrating a major milestone for WordPress: the software’s 20th anniversary!
It’s rare for community-supported software to grow and evolve for such a long time, and WordPress fans are certainly happy to celebrate.check out WordPress 20th Anniversary Official Site For community events near you.
Hostinger will also participate! To celebrate his 20th anniversary of WordPress, we are planning some special content.