WordPress 5.9 with Full Site editing will empower builders in a way we have never seen before. To help developers make a successful transition to the new way of building with WordPress, WP Engine formed a Developer Relations team as part of our core value, “Committed to Give Back". This team will serve as a conduit between the WordPress project, its users, and those who build with it. Learn how to power-up your next WordPress project with the help of WP Engine's new DevRel team. Press ahead!

2. Be the Change
PRINCIPAL DEVELOPER ADVOCATE
WP Engine
Brian Gardner
The Future of WordPress with WP Engine's
Developer Relations Team

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• Principal Developer Advocate, WP Engine
• Founder of StudioPress
• Co-creator of the Genesis Framework
• WordPress Theme “Revolution”
I have been using (and building with) WordPress since 2006. That makes me old.
Brian Gardner

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WordPress was released on May 27, 2003, by its
founders, American developer Matt Mullenweg and
English developer Mike Little, as a fork of b2/cafelog.
WordPress powers 43% of all the websites on the
Internet.
How did we get here?
History

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In 2007, I launched the Revolution, one of—if not
the—first premium WordPress themes.
(Gold Rush v1)
Blog platform → full blown CMS.
The WordPress Revolution

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Trends — Built With (CMS)
WordPress 30,462,105 live websites
Joomla! 1,461,686 live websites
Blogger 604,872 live websites
Drupal 588,619 live websites
TYPO3 289,070 live websites

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WordPress is released under the GPLv2 (or later)
license:
The GNU General Public License is intended to
guarantee your freedom to share and change free
software—to make sure the software is free for all its
users.
Open source software is software with source code
that anyone can inspect, modify, enhance, and
redistribute.
The Power of Open
Source

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• OSS is only as good as the commitment of the
community.
• OSS opens the doors to creativity and new ideas.
• OSS provides a sense of ownership.
• OSS allows anyone, from anywhere, to contribute.
• OSS is created by major companies (Google, Facebook,
and more).
The Facts of
Open Source

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WordPress 1.0 WordPress 5.9
(43 major releases)

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On June 27, 2018… I made an
important announcement about the
future of StudioPress:
WP Engine acquisition.
(The end of an era? Yes and no.)

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This past fall…
I emailed Heather Brunner, our CEO, to say hi.
She offered me a job. I said “Yes!”
A few weeks later…
I was on a team call. We discussed “innovation” and
Open Source Strategy. I went for a run. An epiphany
was had. Ideas were formed.
The end.
(Or is it the beginning?)
Let me tell you a brief story:

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Full Site Editing (Setting)
• WordPress powers 43% of the Internet
• Gutenberg / Full Site Editing is almost fully in Core
• Plugin rating = 2.1 (65% gave 1 star review)
• 6.0 scheduled for 5/24/2022
Five Elements of a
Good Story
Characters, setting, plot, conflict,
resolution

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• Blocks, patterns, templates
• Block themes, global styles, site editor
• Site-wide changes, WP admin
WordPress users (and builders) need help.
What is Full Site
Editing?
“The vision of Full Site Editing is to
provide a collection of features that
bring the familiar experience and
extendability of blocks to all parts of
your site—not just post and pages.”

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Gutenberg
Plugin Reviews
(Conflict)
“Not friendly at
all, bad user
experience.”
“Bye-bye,
WordPress! Bye-bye,
Gutenberg!”
“It’s as if a blog hell
had Gutenberg to
induce mental
torments.”
“Burn the WordPress
& community—
historic mistake ever!”
“An absolute crock
of sh*t that has
ruined WordPress.”

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But…
there is hope
“Don’t listen to the
the moaners, you
are on the right
way.”
“I’ve
adapted—
It Rules!”
“Gutenberg won me
over, and my site
looks great.”
“A work in progress,
and progress there
is!”

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Release details:
• Twenty Twenty-One default theme
• Built-in block patterns
• Expanding auto-updates
• Accessibility statement
WordPress 5.6 “Simone”
December 8, 2020

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• Twenty Twenty-One default WordPress theme was a blank canvas with
a highly opinionated color palette and unique package of patterns.
• Block patterns are groups of blocks that allow users to streamline their
workflow, enable builders to create sites faster, and can be shared
from site to site.
• Expanding auto-updates moves the capability of enabling auto-
updates from developers only to everyone—all within the WordPress
dashboard.
• The accessibility statement feature provides users a boilerplate
template to edit and publish, and it’s written to support different
contexts and jurisdictions.
WordPress 5.6 “Simone”
December 8, 2020

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Release details:
• Simpler default color palette
• HTTP to HTTPS one click
• Minor block enhancements
• Inserter drag and drop (blocks/patterns)
WordPress 5.7 “Esperanza”
March 9, 2021

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• The simple default color palette collapses all the colors that used to be
in the WordPress source code down to seven core colors and a range
of 56 shades that meet the WCAG 2.0 AA recommended contrast
ratios.
• Starting now, switching a site from HTTP to HTTPS is a one-click move.
• Enhancements were made to existing blocks, with a few new ones
introduced.
• Drag-and-drop capability was added via the inserter, which allows
users to drag blocks and block patterns from right into your post.
WordPress 5.7 “Esperanza”
March 9, 2021

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Release details:
• Block-based widgets
• Theme.json introduction
• Additional block supports
• Duotone filters
WordPress 5.8 “Tatum”
July 20, 2021

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• Block-based widgets open up new ways to create
content: from no-code layouts to the vast library of core
/ third-party blocks.
• Theme.json introduced the Global Styles / Settings APIs:
control the editor settings, customization tools, and help
style blocks.
• New block support flags were added, giving options to
customize registered blocks. Examples: Margin, Border,
Colors.
• Duotone filter, an image process that creates a two-tone
color palette from a single image. This can be used this
effect to present striking visuals with high contrast and
bold colors.
WordPress 5.8 “Tatum”
July 20, 2021

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Release details:
• Twenty Twenty-Two default theme
• Theme.json additional support
• Full Site Editing and site editor
• Global styles interface
WordPress 5.9 “Josephine”
January 25, 2022

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• Twenty Twenty-Two is the first default block theme in WordPress
history. This is more than just a new default theme. It’s a brand-new
way to work with themes.
• Theme.json now has additional support, including child themes. That
means users can build a child theme in the dashboard, without writing
a single line of code.
• Full Site Editing provides a collection of features that bring the familiar
experience and extendability of blocks to all parts of your site rather
than just posts and pages.
• The global styles interface was added, which provides the foundation
of customizing the look and feel throughout your entire website.
WordPress 5.9 “Josephine”
January 25, 2022

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Release details:
• Block editor
• Blocks and patterns
• Design tools
• Gradual adoption
WordPress 6.0
“INSERT JAZZ MUSICIAN HERE”
May 24, 2022 (Tentative)

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Block Editor:
• Refine information architecture and template
browsing experience
• Improve template creation
• Embrace style alternates driven by json variations
• Remove coupling of templates to specific themes
WordPress 6.0
May 24, 2022 (Tentative)

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Blocks and Patterns:
• Finalize scope of navigation block and its overlay
rendering
• Introduce new blocks, improve other blocks
• Introduce page patterns for page creation
• Simplify registration of patterns for themes
May 24, 2022 (Tentative)
WordPress 6.0

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Design Tools:
• Tightening consistency
• Introduce more responsive capabilities
• Expand the Supports & Elements API
• Make it easier for third-party blocks to adopt tools
May 24, 2022 (Tentative)
WordPress 6.0

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Gradual Adoption:
• Continue to adopt theme.json configuration for non-
block themes
• Establish new opportunities for non-block themes
• Transition navigation and replace navigation screen
• Explore the flows for creating some dynamic templates
WordPress 6.0
May 24, 2022 (Tentative)

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Questions:
• How can we reimagine the way we build with
WordPress?
• What are the limitations? What are the opportunities?
• Who is responsible for this effort?
• Why does any of this even matter?
Back to My Run
Innovation + Imagination

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There’s really no secret
about our approach. We
keep moving forward,
opening up new doors,
doing new things. We’re
always exploring and
experimenting. We call it
Imagineering.
-Walt Disney

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(Characters)
Developer Relations
Brian Gardner Nick Diego Future Imagineer Future Imagineer

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What and How?
We should leverage our resources
and produce content that teaches
and demonstrates the capabilities of
the block editor. We should embrace
open-source, become a treasure
chest of knowledge, and operate as a
conduit between the project and its
users.
Our Mission (Plot)
To accelerate innovation in
WordPress and help the community
transition to the block editor and Full
Site Editing (né Gutenberg).
Community = Builders: Designers,
Developers, Creators

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Our Values
Generosity
Who can we help, and
how can we help
them?
Innovation
What is our expertise,
and how can we
leverage it to further
technology?
Curiosity
Is there a better way,
and if so, what’s
preventing us from
trying it?

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Cultivate an interactive and immersive WordPress
community that values innovation and curiosity—where
generosity is encouraged, ideas are celebrated, and new
pathways are formed.
It will be a destination for discovery and a comprehensive
resource for designers, developers, and creators who wish
to learn the fundamentals of building with WordPress and
for WordPress.
Builders Resource
(Resolution)

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• Twenty Twenty-Two Theme
• Gutenberg Plugin
• WordPress 6.0 issues
• Create (and open source) Full Site Editing Themes (Frost)
• Genesis, Local, WPGraphQL, Faust.js
• Build plugins as proof-of-concepts
• Be thought leaders on social media and online publications
How WP Engine
Developer Relations
will help:
Additionally… we will have open dialogue with WordPress
users, WP Engine customers, and our agency partners to
understand pain points with the block editor and full site editing.

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WPE Developer
Relations
Contributions
(Q1 2022)
14
PRs merged into
Gutenberg/
WP Core
10
Meetups, Social Learning
Spaces, FSE Fridays hosted
4
Patterns published on the
WordPress.org
Pattern Directory
1
Theme published on
the WordPress.org
Theme Directory

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By open-sourcing Frost and focusing on Full Site
Editing, we hope to encourage a community of
builders to experiment with the expanding capabilities
of the block editor. Given this is the future of
WordPress, we believe in its potential and look
forward to helping it grow.
WP Engine Adds Frost to
Open Source WordPress
Project

38. Frost: An experimental
block WordPress theme
for designers, developers,
and creators.
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Frost embraces Full Site Editing. It extends the
incredible power of the editor, enables builders
to create amazing sites with little effort, and
elevates the potential for freelancers and
entrepreneurs.

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Add beautifully designed, ready to go layouts to any
WordPress site with a simple copy/paste.
• Footer
• General
• Header
• Page
• Query
Frost: Block Patterns

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Frost extends the incredible power of the
WordPress editor.
Designers
Frost enables builders to create amazing
sites with little effort.
Developers
Frost elevates the potential for freelancers
and entrepreneurs.
Creators

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Rapid
Prototyping
Use block patterns (Frost +
Local) to create client mockups,
expedite build process, and
increase overall productivity.
How Builders Can Leverage WordPress 6.0+
Full Site
Editing
Deliver websites that clients
can update within WordPress
dashboard.
Global Styles/
Variations
Build a base theme that is
block-based and supports FSE.

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• Brian on Twitter - @bgardner
• Nick on Twitter - @nmdiego
• Email - devrel@wpengine.com
• WordPress Slack
• TorqueMag.io - Pit Stop, Builder Basics
• FrostWP.com
Connect with the WPE
Developer Relations:
Brian Gardner Nick Diego

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The Developer Relations team at WP
Engine is our village, where we accept
today’s challenges and embrace the
promises of tomorrow.
Be the Change: We Are Leading
Technology.
And by we, I mean we, the people.
It Takes a Village
Where there’s focus,
there’s progress.
-Heather Brunner
“

44. brian.gardner@wpengine.com
See you real soon.
Brian Gardner