Earlier this week, WordPress 4.5 was released. Although many of the upgrades in the latest version of WordPress are aimed at developers, there are a handful of enhancements that will be of interest to OIT Design clients and all of the WordPress content creators at NC State.
OIT Design clients should begin to see these new features on their websites within the next few days.
Inline Linking
Long-time WordPress users are likely so familiar with the modal pop-up for creating links that this change may be a little surprising at first. But the end result should be faster, cleaner linking in your posts and pages.
The new interface gives users a slimmed-down pop-up alongside the soon-to-be link. Enter a URL, or enter a search term and choose from suggested results from content in your website. The gear icon at the right-hand side opens the classic modal interface as well.
Formatting Shortcuts
Since Version 4.3, WordPress has been adding formatting shortcuts, allowing power users to format their content via keyboard shortcuts without breaking their creative flow and selecting options from the editor toolbar. This continues in Version 4.5, including the new code shortcut, which you can use by adding a ` character before and after your code snippet to highlight code you want to share.
For example:
NC State's official Wolfpack Red color is `#cc0000`.
…generates the output:
NC State’s official Wolfpack Red color is #cc0000.
Responsive Theme Previews
When you’re trying to decide which theme to use, particularly in the free WordPress environment we provide to campus, you want to know what your options look like—on all devices. With Version 4.5, you now have the option to preview your site in three sizes: smartphone, tablet, and desktop. With more and more users browsing the web on their mobile devices—especially users on a college campus—this is an important enhancement to ensure that your site looks exactly the way you want it to look for your users.