WordPress 5.9 is finally here.
If your website is set to automatically update, you would have received a notification this morning that your website has been updated. If it’s not set to automatically update, you’ll see the notification when you next log in to WordPress.
Did you know that every major release of WordPress is named after a jazz musician? Well, say hello to Josephine.
What can I do with WordPress 5.9?
It basically gives you more control over the layout of your website. You can create the layout of your pages and posts using the features in Full Site Editing (FSE). If you have been using blocks to create your posts then this is just an extension of that.
What’s new?
If you are already using blocks then there have been a few updates that will make your life easier. Here are 2 of my favourite features.
Pattern explorer and WordPress Pattern Directory
Have you ever looked at a layout and wondered if you could use it on your site. Well, the WordPress Pattern Directory has been officially launched and it contains a range of block patterns so no more trying to figure it out for yourself or looking for someone else to do that for you. Your existing theme will come with some default patterns and you can find them in the Pattern explorer. For more patterns, visit the WordPress Pattern Directory. It’s as easy as copying and pasting it into your site.
List View
Have you been waiting for drag and drop to come to the List view? You can now drag and drop blocks using the List view in WordPress 5.9. I hated doing this in the block editor itself.
What if I want to know more?
If you want to play around with FSE then check out this course on Simple Site Design with FSE.
I hope this version of WordPress inpsires you to be more creative with your website.