As we enter the new year, the WordPress ecosystem is as busy as ever. With new releases and important tool updates side by side, it’s easy to see why the community is vibrant.
WordPress January News Roundup
In January, we expected WordPress to reveal its future game plan and overall direction. In addition to Gutenberg and WooCommerce updates, we also know the timeline for upcoming major releases.
WordPress 6.2 release timeline
The WordPress 6.2 release team Final schedule for WordPress 6.2 updatesThe first beta version will be released on February 7th, 2023 and the final version will be released on March 28th, 2023. With four Beta releases and three Release Candidates over the course of the release, there’s plenty of time to fine-tune. and test everything.
If you want a sneak peek at what’s new in an upcoming release, you can try out the beta in a test environment after the release. This way, you can get a feel for WordPress 6.2 and know how to adjust your site for the update once it goes live.
Gutenberg update
January 2023 saw two new releases of the Gutenberg plugin – Gutenberg 14.9released on January 4, 2023, and Gutenberg 15.0released on January 18, 2023.
Here are some highlights of what’s new in Gutenberg.
Apply globally button
Introduced in Gutenberg 14.9, this feature allows users to apply block style customizations to global styles. It can save you a lot of time when doing bulk site updates, such as a new web design or seasonal sales.
![in the post title block settings panel[グローバルに適用]button.](https://www.hostinger.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/02/Apply-global-styles.png)
Paste style options
Gutenberg 15.0 introduced a new paste style option in the block toolbar dropdown menu. This feature allows users to copy a block and paste its style into another block. This is especially useful if you don’t want to touch the contents of a particular block, but want to update its style.
![Paste style options in the dropdown menu of the post title block toolbar.](https://www.hostinger.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/02/Paste-Styles.png)
Fixed position support for blocks
The new position block support has a sticky option that sticks the block to the top of the page when the visitor scrolls down. This is a great way to ensure that the right content takes up the majority of your web page space.
![Fixed position option in group block settings panel.](https://www.hostinger.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/02/Block-Sticky-Position.png)
Typography support in page list block
The Page List Block now has typography support that allows users to change the font size, family, and line height. No more sacrificing your branding or page design with inappropriate fonts.
Many Gutenberg features are already available in WordPress core, but we recommend checking the latest Gutenberg version. Get a glimpse of what the next major WordPress core update will bring.
WooCommerce 7.3 and the newly introduced product block
January 12, 2023 WooCommerce released Version 7.3Contains 162 commits for WooCommerce Core and 115 commits for WooCommerce Blocks.
The highlight of this update is the new product block that replaces many product display blocks. It is based on Gutenberg’s query loop block and allows the user to define the criteria for the product listing. It’s a great way to highlight best-selling or sale items and clear out old inventory before a new product line launches.
![WooCommerce Products block on editor with block settings panel.](https://www.hostinger.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/02/Product-Block.png)
This new product block is still in beta testing. The WooCommerce team welcomes your feedback to improve our blocks.
A letter from the WordPress Executive Director and big goals for 2023
Want to read the big picture?
Josepha Haden Chomposy, executive director of the WordPress project, said: A letter from the WordPress Executive Director and big picture goals Post following Matt Mulenweg’s 2022 State of the Word presentation.
In our opinion, the main highlight of these posts is the Gutenberg project roadmap. The WordPress project plans to finish Phase 2 of Gutenberg in 2023 and begin Phase 3 research. This means that collaboration features could be coming this year.
In addition to the goal of a content management system, the WordPress project also has a community goal of revitalizing the dormant WordPress community and providing overall contributor onboarding.
WordPress Vulnerability News
Not all WordPress news in January is about updates. This month he had two major WordPress vulnerability issues.
- SQL injection vulnerability Paid Memberships Pro, Easy Digital Downloads, Survey Maker plugins. When discovered in December 2022, the vulnerability may have affected more than 150,000 of his sites.
- Multiple Critical Vulnerabilities LearnPress plugin, including SQL injection and local file includes. These vulnerabilities were fixed on December 20, 2022. However, only 31.5% of LearnPress installations are already using the latest version, leaving thousands of sites still vulnerable to attack.
If you are using any of these affected plugins, please update them to the latest version to keep your site safe.
wrap up
It’s no exaggeration to say that 2023 is off to a great start for the WordPress community. In addition to the new updates, we are looking forward to testing the beta of our next major release, WordPress 6.2, in the coming weeks.
One important reminder is to keep your site up to date to avoid vulnerabilities. Check your WordPress or hPanel dashboard regularly for updates as they become available. Keep your website safe and cyber-attacks at bay.