By ToddThe new version of WordPress is finally here! Released on February 23, 2011, it’s named “Reinhardt,” in honor of the late great jazz guitarist. While the newest version has a number of minor tweaks and upgrades, we’ve highlighted the most important features below. Take a look:
Post Formats
One of the most exciting improvements in the new version is the addition of “post formats,” which, much like Tumblr, allow users to “customize the presentation of a post.” These include: an aside (styled without a title, and similar to a Facebook post); a gallery (gallery of images); link (a link to another site); image (a single image); quote (a quotation, with a blockquote); status (a short status update — much like Twitter); a video (single video); audio (a single audio file–could be used for a podcast); and chat (chat transcript.) The formats are standardized across all themes; users can select them individually from a radio-button list.
Internal Linking
This new feature allows WordPress users to link back to previous posts more easily than before. Simply click a button for an internal link, and it’ll let you browse a list of existing content and add it to your current post. You’ll have to use the Visual Editor (it’s not available in the HTML one). The only potential problem with this feature is that you’ll have to remember the keyword for your older post in order to search for it.
Admin Bar
The new admin bar has more of a WordPress.org look to it, making the blogging process faster, and is displayed when a user is logged in and visiting the site. (It also appears during multisite installs in the WP administration panel.) It contains five menu items and a search bar, and a number of useful administrative links.
Streamlined Writing Interface
The WP writing screen is less cluttered than in previous versions. Many of the writing options are hidden by default, making it less confusing for newer bloggers (but you can activate them in Screen Options if you so choose.)
Network Admin
For multisite users, the new setup moves the Super Admin menus out of the regular admin section and into a new Network Admin screen. This gives the multisite administrator slightly more control; the new network admin dashboard won’t have a cluttered look anymore.
Other Updates
Some “under the hood” changes for Reinhardt include the following:
- You can now set a “default post format” according to whichever one you use the most (asides, video, etc.)
- “Password reset” got a modification — it now just takes a simple e-mail verification, rather than multiple clicks, to reset your key.
- Posts are filterable by certain queries, and “custom taxonomies” have been added.
- Some import and export issues have been solved — duplicating categories, non-categorized posts that disappear, and improved support for navigation menus.
