For theme developers, version 6.6 allows you to set styling options for separate sections of multiple blocks, including inner blocks. This allows users to apply styling variations to entire groups of blocks, creating visually distinct sections within their site.
New CSS Features
Regarding CSS, the following new features stand out.
CSS Specificity
To make it easier to override global CSS styles, these styles are now encapsulated in :root, limiting their specificity. This change is intended to simplify the process of customizing styles without the need for complex tweaks.
Native grid layout
WordPress 6.6 introduces the grid variant for the group block, allowing you to arrange blocks in a grid layout natively, without the need for external plugins. This expands the design possibilities directly within the WordPress platform .
Classic themes now also benefit from bank data pattern functionality. You can view all available patterns in a single view and insert them quickly and easily, bringing more versatility to users using these themes.
Negative margins
A notable addition is negative margin values, which allow you to overlap objects in your design. To avoid errors, negative margins can only be set by directly typing the negative value, giving you more control over your layout.
Auto-update with rollback
The new rollback functionality in auto-updates provides an extra layer of security. Now, if something goes wrong during an automatic plugin update, WordPress 6.6 automatically reverts to the previous version, ensuring the stability of your site.
Why is it important to test WordPress 6.6 Beta 1 and how to participate?
Beta testing is essential to ensuring that the final release of WordPress 6.6 is stable and functional. You can contribute in several ways:
WordPress Beta Tester Plugin : Install and activate the plugin on a WordPress installation , selecting the “Bleeding edge” channel and the “Beta/RC Only” stream.
Direct Download : Download Beta 1 (zip) and install in a test environment.
Command line : Use the command wp core update --version=6.6-beta1in WP-CLI .
WordPress Playground : Test directly in the browser , without the need to set up a separate environment.
If you encounter any issues, please report them to the Alpha/Beta support forum or submit a bug report via WordPress Trac . Participating in testing is a great way to start your journey as a WordPress contributor.
Final considerations
WordPress 6.6 Beta 1 brings a series of improvements and new features that aim to make the platform even more powerful and intuitive. With improvements to data visualizations, block insertion, style variations, and new CSS features, this update promises to take the user experience to a new level.