The latest WordPress ‘Cecil’ update is here, bringing a wave of refinements, security enhancements, and performance boosts to make building and managing your site even smoother. This release focuses on polishing existing tools and introducing subtle yet powerful changes that enhance usability and speed.

Editor Enhancements:

• Improved Data Views: More intuitive and flexible data views in the Site Editor, with new properties like Preview, Slug, Parent, Discussion, Template, and Password.
• Show Template Toggle in Preview: A new toggle in the Post Editor’s top toolbar makes it easier to view your content in the context of its template.
• Write and Design Modes: Distinct editing modes allow you to focus on content creation (Write mode) or layout design (Design mode) by hiding or showing design tools accordingly.
• Zoom Out Editing Experience: Enhanced zoom-out functionality for a broader view of your page within the site, making complex page management easier.

New and Improved Blocks & Design Tools:

• Query Blocks: New Query Total block for displaying query results.
• Featured Image Shortcut: Easily set any image block as the featured image directly from the toolbar.
• Style Book for Classic Themes: Access the Style Book in classic themes for a centralised overview of design elements.
• Global Styles Panel: Improved accessibility to Global Styles for easier site-wide typography, color, and layout management.
• Colour Picker Reset: Quickly reset colours to default with a new minus icon.

Performance and Security:

• Faster Loading: Uses “speculative loading” to predict and pre-load pages you might visit next, making your site feel much faster.
• Stronger Passwords: Updates to how passwords and security keys are stored make them much harder to hack, boosting your site’s security.
• Smarter Caching: Improves how your site stores temporary data (caching).

Accessibility Enhancements:

• Easier Keyboard Use: Smoother and more predictable navigation for users who only use a keyboard to move around WordPress.
• Better for Screen Readers: Improved support for screen readers, providing clearer information and easier interaction with site elements.
• Clearer Colours & Focus: Default colours, contrasts, and highlighted areas are now more visible, making the interface easier to see.
• Simplified Headings: Headings in the editor are now structured more logically, helping screen readers and search engines understand your content better.
• Improved Alt Text: Better reminders to add descriptive text for images, and this text stays consistent when you switch templates.
• Accessible Tooltips: All pop-up tips (tooltips) are now designed to be easily read by assistive technologies.

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