WordPress News and Links
We're here to help you stay up-to-date on the latest WordPress news and resources. We write our thoughts on the news in WordPress a few times a week, so check back here often for a curated and thoughtful WordPress news feed.
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Latest WordPress News and Resources
Secret Mechanisms of CSS

As a very non-expert CSS author, I really appreciated this talk from Josh Comeau where he covers a few of the more confusing and surprising parts of the language. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xt1Cw4qM3Ec I learned a lot about z-index, Flexbox, and more. Whether… [Keep reading]
The Disadvantages of WordPress

This little article from Kim Coleman is a great little summary of some of the biggest reasons NOT to use WordPress for a project. I think a lot of WordPressers---myself very much included---can sometimes forget about the things that aren't… [Keep reading]
Styles In Modern WordPress

I really appreciated this article from Brian Coords over at MasterWP. He does a great job of situating some recent core-team discussions about styling thinking within a context that me (as an average WordPress developer not really paying attention) can… [Keep reading]
WordSesh 2022 Signups Open

The free and great WordSesh conference has released the schedule and opened signups. Which means---as you probably guessed---that you register with a simple form and then can watch all the sessions live. WordSesh has been around for years and is… [Keep reading]
Some Fun Modern PHP Features

A lot of WordPress PHP is still written in a PHP 5(.6) style for compatibility reasons. This is the best/worst thing about WordPress. But increasingly hosts are pushing even the most laggardly PHP versions into the 7-series and some are… [Keep reading]
How to Write and Run Shell Scripts

I really appreciated this little summary about how to make BASH scripts from Lara Schenck. People will be all over the map in terms of where they come to the concept of "shell scripting" or "run a command on the… [Keep reading]
Understanding Query Loop Blocks

I really appreciated this little video from Wes Theron over at Learn.WordPress.org about the Query Loop block. Mostly because while I'd fiddled with it a bit, I hadn't really explored its richness in the new Site Editor. If you and… [Keep reading]
CUPID not SOLID

This is a little esoteric relative to the world of quick-changes that most of our code in WordPress is. But if you're writing PHP or JavaScript in much depth, you've probably heard of the SOLID principles. These are rules of… [Keep reading]
Deep Introduction to Block Themes

Over at CSS-Tricks, Ganesh Dahal offers this great summary of the state of block theming. As one of the large majority who hasn't had the time to follow all the developments in this area of WordPress closely, I found his… [Keep reading]
A Quick Study of the Kubrick2 Block Theme

I really appreciated this article from Misha Rudrastyh where he breaks down the basics of a block theme by studying Kubrick2. Kubrick2 is a playful block theme made by longtime Gutenberg contributor Riad Benguella. For those who've not been around… [Keep reading]
Is WordPress Pushing Freelancers Away?

Over at The WP Minute Eric Karkovack asks a question that's started to drift across my mind as I think (and study) more about the coming of Full-Site Editing themes and what they mean for the future of WordPress. I… [Keep reading]
A Story of the Too-Slow High-Five on Wikipedia

This isn't really about WordPress at all. But I enjoyed this little article about a particular corner of the public internet, so you might too. Over at Input, Annie Rauwerda published a fun little love story from a place you… [Keep reading]
Implications of WordPress & Block Protocol

There was a splash around the web a few weeks back when fabled software opiner and creator Joel Spolsky (Trello, Stack Overflow) announced the Block Protocol effort. I have to admit I noticed it but didn't really dig into what… [Keep reading]
Accordions in Pure HTML

This post by Salma Alam-Naylor is pretty short, but it does teach something that I certainly didn't know. That these days you can really count on HTML to some cool things. I, for one, had no idea that an expanding/collapsible… [Keep reading]
Who is Full Site Editing for?

I really enjoyed this essay/podcast from Joe Casabona about the kind of awkward question of what the 5.9-included full-site editing feature of WordPress is for. On one level, he argues this is very clearly a tool that'll be really useful… [Keep reading]
Block Theme Primer

I'm still very much in learning-more mode when it comes to Block Themes in WordPress. While I've been comfortable with "classic" themes for almost my whole time in WordPress I was waiting for WordPress 5.9 to understand block themes and… [Keep reading]
WordPress as a Commons

Especially or those with a more political or philosophical bent, this article from Lesley Sim on the idea of a "commons" over at Post Status is sure to be interesting. WordPress, she correctly names, has a complicated and complex story… [Keep reading]
Modern Fluid Typography

Smashing Magazine is always a good place to stumble across links from. And as someone who last did CSS in earnest almost seven years ago, I really appreciated this complete rundown of how to use the CSS clamp function to… [Keep reading]
The Knotted-Up WordPress Community

I really enjoyed this little essay over at Post Status about the WordPress community. As someone whose been involved with WordPress for over 15 years (perhaps I say that in a bid to merit Chris's "elder" label 😉), I've felt… [Keep reading]
You Might Miss the Customizer in WP 5.9

Perhaps the first surprise when I started fiddling with WordPress 5.9 and a block theme on an old site was that I didn't see the Customizer at all. For those who've not done that, under "Appearance" you might end up… [Keep reading]
WP State of the Word 2021

For those who've never heard of it, the State of the Word is the annual talk from WordPress's BDFL Matt Mullenweg. I'm just finally finding myself with enough time and energy to really appreciate all the polish in the talk,… [Keep reading]
Charts of WP Core in 2021

I'm a sucker for a pretty chart. And this post over on the Make.WordPress.org for WordPress Core really offers lots of pretty circles. I think there's a lot of interesting things the charts highlight, most of all the diversity of… [Keep reading]
Building Block Themes

I really appreciated this column from Justin Tadlock over at the Tavern about how to make a block-compatible theme. I've not been following super closely the 5.9 release process, so this paragraph was the first that really stuck out to… [Keep reading]
Jeremy Keith Resigns from AMP Advisory Committee

As an AMP hater, I was gratified to see this headline from Sarah Gooding over on the Tavern. Here's the core his very frank and pretty interesting resignation post: I can’t in good faith continue to advise on the AMP… [Keep reading]
Wirecutter’s Website Builder for 2021: Wix

This is an interesting little tidbit for "the web industry" generally, and where it interfaces with real people with non-internet-focused lives and careers. The Wirecutter---the de facto site for time-starved yuppies to quickly find an acceptable-to-great version of a product… [Keep reading]