bbioonThemes

Tag: Core Development

  • Taming WordPress 6.9 Accordions: The Right Way to Style Them

    Just last week, I had a client reach out. They were revamping their FAQ page, and naturally, they wanted a sleek, branded accordion look. Easy enough, right? Except when we dropped in the new Accordion block in WordPress 6.9, it was… well, let’s just say it was bare bones. A functional accordion, absolutely, but miles away from the custom styling they envisioned. Total mess. This is a problem many of you are probably facing or will face soon. The new Accordion block is a fantastic addition, but out of the box, it’s a blank canvas. If you want it to truly blend with your theme and provide a polished user experience, you need to know how to approach styling WordPress Accordion blocks systematically. My first thought, and I’ll admit it, was to just start throwing custom CSS at it. A `border-radius` here, a `background-color` there, maybe an `!important` to override something stubborn. It worked, for a minute. But then the client wanted a different style for another section, and suddenly, I had a spaghetti of CSS that was a total nightmare to manage. This isn’t scalable, and it certainly isn’t the “right” way to leverage modern WordPress development. Trust me on this, you’ll regret it later. The real fix, the maintainable solution, lies in embracing `theme.json` first, and then using targeted custom CSS for the fine-tuning. WordPress 6.9’s Accordion block isn’t just one block; it’s a nested structure: `core/accordion`, `core/accordion-item`, `core/accordion-heading`, and `core/accordion-panel`. Each offers a hook for proper styling.

    Styling WordPress Accordion Blocks with theme.json

    You want to start by defining your base styles in your `theme.json` file. This is where you set the global or block-specific styles that become your foundation. Let’s look at a simplified example for the `core/accordion-item`, which acts as the wrapper for each question and answer pair. 
    {
	"styles": {
		"blocks": {
			"core/accordion-item": {
				"border": {
					"color": "#d5dae2",
					"style": "solid",
					"width": "1px",
					"radius": "12px"
				},
				"color": {
					"background": "#f6f7f9",
					"text": "#343b46"
				},
				"shadow": "0 10px 15px -3px #80000080, 0 4px 6px -4px #80000080",
				"spacing": {
					"blockGap": "0"
				}
			}
		}
	}
}
    See how clean that is? We’re defining borders, background, text color, and even a shadow right within the JSON. You should, of course, be referencing presets here in a real-world scenario, but this snippet illustrates the power. Next, we address the `core/accordion-heading` and `core/accordion-panel`. The heading is actually an `<h3>` element, so any existing heading styles will apply. You might need to reset or refine them. 
    {
	"styles": {
		"blocks": {
			"core/accordion-heading": {
				"css": "&__toggle { padding: var(--wp--preset--spacing--40) var(--wp--style--block-gap); }",
				"typography": {
					"fontFamily": "inherit",
					"fontSize": "inherit",
					"fontStyle": "inherit",
					"fontWeight": "500",
					"lineHeight": "inherit",
					"textTransform": "inherit"
				}
			},
			"core/accordion-panel": {
				"spacing": {
					"padding": {
						"top": "var(--wp--style--block-gap)",
						"bottom": "var(--wp--style--block-gap)",
						"left": "var(--wp--style--block-gap)",
						"right": "var(--wp--style--block-gap)"
					}
				}
			}
		}
	}
}
    The `css` property within `theme.json` is a lifesaver for those tricky nested elements you can’t target directly, like the `__toggle` button within the heading. This keeps your styles localized. For a deeper dive into these techniques and more comprehensive examples, the original article on developer.wordpress.org is a fantastic resource.

    Fine-Tuning with Custom Block Stylesheets

    While `theme.json` gets you most of the way, some dynamic styling—like hover states or specific open/closed appearances—are best handled with a dedicated block stylesheet. We’re talking about creating `block-accordion.css` in your theme’s assets and enqueueing it properly with `wp_enqueue_block_style()`. This gives you precise control without bloating your `theme.json`. 
    /* Add toggle button background on open/hover/focus. */
.wp-block-accordion-item.is-open .wp-block-accordion-heading__toggle,
.wp-block-accordion-heading__toggle:hover,
.wp-block-accordion-heading__toggle:focus {
	background: #eceff2; /* Use a preset here. */
}
    This snippet, placed in your custom `block-accordion.css` file, applies a subtle background change when the accordion is open or hovered. It’s a clean way to handle these dynamic visual cues. You can also define block style variations, like a “Minimal” style, through separate JSON files and additional CSS, offering your users more design choices directly in the editor. This modular approach is key for extensibility and maintainability.

    So, What’s the Point?

    The WordPress Accordion block is a powerful tool, but like any new feature, knowing how to properly integrate and style it makes all the difference. Don’t fall into the trap of quick-fix CSS. Embrace `theme.json` for your foundational styles and leverage block stylesheets for the more nuanced, interactive elements. This approach ensures your accordion styling is robust, maintainable, and scalable, whether you’re building a simple FAQ or a complex interactive content section. It’s about working *with* WordPress, not against it. Look, this stuff gets complicated fast. If you’re tired of debugging someone else’s mess and just want your site to work, drop my team a line. We’ve probably seen it before.

  • Finally, a Real Pipeline for WordPress Contribution Talent

    I had a client recently, a mid-sized agency, tearing their hair out. They’d just hired a couple of junior devs, sharp kids with decent PHP and JS skills. But when it came to tackling anything beyond basic theme tweaks—say, proposing a patch for a core bug or understanding the release cycle for a new Gutenberg block—they were completely lost. It wasn’t about raw coding ability; it was about knowing *how* WordPress actually gets built, and more importantly, how to contribute to it effectively. This problem, man, it’s a constant.

    For years, finding reliable junior talent with a solid grasp of the WordPress contribution ecosystem has been a crapshoot. You get coders, sure, but true contributors? That’s different. This is why I’m actually pretty hyped about what I read recently on the official WordPress news site about “WordPress Credits,” a new contribution internship program.

    The struggle is real. We’ve all seen it. A client wants a custom solution that aligns with WordPress best practices, but their newly hired dev, despite being technically proficient, just isn’t speaking the same language as the wider open-source community. They might implement something that works, but it’s a standalone hack, not a proper integration that respects the platform’s architecture or future-proofs the project. My first thought? Just tell them to hire experienced senior devs, but junior roles are essential for growth. The vulnerability here, the mistake I made for a while, was assuming raw technical skill alone would naturally lead to effective open-source contribution. It just doesn’t. You need mentorship; you need a pathway. Period.

    Building Real WordPress Contribution Pathways

    That’s where the WordPress Credits program aims to step in. It’s a structured internship designed to bring university students, from all fields, into the WordPress open-source project with real guidance. Think of it: structured onboarding, personalized contribution projects, and direct mentorship from experienced contributors. This isn’t just teaching them to code; it’s teaching them *how to contribute* to a massive, global project. The foundational training covers everything from open-source principles to getting familiar with community tools like Slack and the Make blogs. This builds muscle memory for proper contribution.

    Students pick an area—could be translating documentation, contributing code, testing, design, or even developing training materials for Learn WordPress. They get a dedicated mentor and a contact person from the WordPress Foundation. Their contributions? They’re integrated directly into official projects. This means they’re not just doing busy work; they’re making real, tangible impacts. This kind of hands-on, mentored experience is what produces the next generation of developers who understand not just *how* to build, but *why* we build things a certain way in an open-source context. It’s about cultivating that core developer mindset, which is critical for scalable, maintainable projects.

    Imagine a junior dev tasked with adding a new custom field to a post type. Without understanding core contribution, they might just add it directly to a theme template with a custom query. With the WordPress Credits approach, they learn the proper way to extend functionality:

    <?php
/* Initial, less optimal approach (hypothetical, simplified) */
function bad_custom_field_display() {
    global $post;
    if ( get_post_type( $post->ID ) == 'product' ) {
        $data = get_post_meta( $post->ID, '_my_custom_field', true );
        echo '<p>My Field: ' . esc_html( $data ) . '</p>';
    }
}
add_action( 'the_content', 'bad_custom_field_display' );

/* More 'contribution-aware' approach using proper hooks and APIs */
function register_my_custom_meta() {
    register_post_meta( 'post', '_my_custom_field', [
        'show_in_rest' => true,
        'single' => true,
        'type' => 'string',
        'auth_callback' => function() {
            return current_user_can( 'edit_posts' );
        }
    ]);
}
add_action( 'init', 'register_my_custom_meta' );

function my_custom_field_display( $content ) {
    if ( is_single() && get_post_type() === 'post' ) {
        $my_field = get_post_meta( get_the_ID(), '_my_custom_field', true );
        if ( ! empty( $my_field ) ) {
            $content .= '<!-- wp:paragraph --><p><strong>Custom Insight:</strong> ' . esc_html( $my_field ) . '</p><!-- /wp:paragraph -->';
        }
    }
    return $content;
}
add_filter( 'the_content', 'my_custom_field_display' );
?>

    The code block illustrates a foundational lesson: don’t just hack it; understand the API and proper extension points. This kind of thinking is what this program cultivates. It’s about contributing *to* WordPress, not just building *on* it. You can find more details about the pilot program and how to get involved for universities and companies at wordpress.org/news. They even have a company guide for those interested in sponsoring mentors, which, trust me, is a solid investment in the future talent pool.

    Why This Matters for Your Project

    Look, the takeaway is simple: we need more developers who understand the nuances of open-source contribution, especially within WordPress. This program is a direct answer to that. It’s creating a generation of developers who are not only technically skilled but also deeply integrated into the community and its best practices. For clients, this means more robust, maintainable, and forward-thinking solutions. For agencies, it means a more reliable talent pipeline for junior roles. It’s a win-win, cultivating developers who truly “get” WordPress.

    Look, this stuff gets complicated fast. If you’re tired of debugging someone else’s mess and just want your site to work, drop my team a line. We’ve probably seen it before.

  • WordCamp US Scholarship: Fueling WordPress Developer Growth

    A client asked me recently why our agency’s WordPress developers always seem to bring fresh, innovative solutions to the table. They’d worked with other outfits, seen the same old approaches, and wanted to know our secret sauce. My answer? It always comes back to community engagement, and initiatives like the Kim Parsell Memorial Scholarship are critical for fostering that.

    Honestly, when I started out, my approach was heads down, just code, code, code. I thought raw coding chops were the only thing that mattered. For years, I was buried in tickets, optimizing queries, and wrestling with themes, thinking that was the peak of professional development. But man, I missed out. I saw other developers, sometimes younger, bringing a depth of insight and understanding that I just wasn’t getting from my silo. It was a total nightmare, really, realizing how much valuable perspective and potential I’d been missing by not engaging with the broader WordPress community. That kind of isolated development? It leaves you behind, fast. You end up building the same old solutions instead of pushing boundaries.

    This isn’t just about feeling good; it’s about tangible returns. Developers who are connected, who attend events like WordCamp US, who contribute to core, they bring that knowledge directly back to your projects. They know the upcoming changes, the best practices, the patterns that are actually gaining traction. The problem is, attending these events isn’t cheap. Travel, accommodation, time off – it adds up. And that’s where the Kim Parsell Memorial Scholarship for WordCamp US 2025 comes into play, addressing a very real barrier for dedicated contributors.

    Bridging the Gap with WordPress Community Scholarships

    The WordPress Foundation is stepping up again with the Kim Parsell Memorial Scholarship. This isn’t just some feel-good gesture; it’s a strategic investment in the future of WordPress and, by extension, in the talent pool available to clients like yours. This scholarship makes it possible for deserving community members to attend WordCamp US, folks who are actively contributing but might not have the means otherwise. It keeps the community vibrant, diverse, and, frankly, keeps developers sharp. The core mission, as detailed on the WordPress.org news page, is to honor Kim Parsell’s legacy by supporting those who embody her spirit of open source and inclusivity.

    The scholarship is specifically aimed at women who are active contributors, haven’t attended WordCamp US before, and demonstrate a financial need. This focus is intentional. It ensures we’re supporting new voices and diverse perspectives, which are vital for a healthy open-source project. If you meet these qualifications, get your application in before July 25, 2025. It’s a chance to immerse yourself in the highest level of WordPress discourse, learn from the best, and bring that knowledge back to your own work.

    So, What’s the Point?

    • Fresh Perspectives: Scholarship recipients bring diverse ideas and experiences back into the development ecosystem.
    • Skill Elevation: Direct exposure to core contributors and advanced sessions at WordCamp US sharpens skills beyond what online tutorials can offer.
    • Stronger WordPress: A more inclusive and well-represented community means a more robust and adaptable WordPress platform for everyone.
    • Direct Client Benefit: When your developers are plugged into the community, they’re better equipped to leverage the latest and greatest for your projects.

    Look, this stuff gets complicated fast. If you’re tired of debugging someone else’s mess and just want your site to work, drop my team a line. We’ve probably seen it before, and we know that a well-connected, continuously learning developer makes all the difference.

  • WordPress 6.8.2: Don’t Skip These Essential Security Updates

    Just last week, I had a client call me, completely stressed. Their WordPress site, a fairly old setup running on a 4.x branch, was suddenly spewing spam everywhere. Total nightmare. They swore they hadn’t touched a thing in ages, always operating under the “if it ain’t broke” mentality. Here’s the kicker: it was definitely broke, and had been vulnerable for a long time. The timing was especially poignant with the recent WordPress 6.8.2 maintenance release announcement, and a critical detail buried within it.

    This isn’t just about the shiny new features you might get in a major WordPress update. This is about staying ahead of the bad actors. WordPress 6.8.2 just rolled out, bringing a stack of important fixes – 20 Core tickets and 15 Block Editor issues, to be exact. You can dig into the specifics over at wordpress.org/news if you’re into the nitty-gritty.

    The Critical Line: No More WordPress Security Updates for 4.x

    But the real headline for my client, and for anyone still clinging to an older WordPress version, was the stark reminder that security updates for branches 4.1 through 4.6 have officially ceased. Let that sink in. No more security patches. If you’re on one of those versions, your site is an open invitation for exploits. My client’s mistake? Thinking these maintenance releases were optional. “Ahmad, it’s just minor stuff, right? My site runs fine.” Man, that was the vulnerability. Ignoring these releases means you’re leaving your digital front door unlocked.

    I’ve seen it countless times. Developers and site owners delay updates, especially minor ones, because they fear breaking something or simply don’t see the immediate value. The ‘fix’ they apply is often procrastination, which is no fix at all. My first thought for the client was, “Did you even check your PHP version?” Usually, old WordPress means old PHP, and that’s another huge hole. But even with a decent PHP version, an unpatched WordPress core is a ticking time bomb.

    Verifying Your WordPress Version: A Quick Check

    If you’re unsure about your current WordPress version, it’s easy to check. You can find it in your dashboard under “At a Glance” or by inspecting the `version.php` file in your `wp-includes` directory. Or, if you have SSH access, a quick command will do the trick:

    <?php
define( 'ABSPATH', dirname(__FILE__) . '/' );
require_once( ABSPATH . 'wp-includes/version.php' );
echo 'WordPress Version: ' . $wp_version . '\n';
?>

    Seriously, make it a habit. Knowing your version is the first step to staying secure. If you’re on 4.x, or even something significantly older than 6.8.2, it’s time for an upgrade plan. Not later. Now.

    So, What’s the Point?

    • Updates are Non-Negotiable: Especially security and maintenance releases. They plug holes that hackers actively look for.
    • Stay Informed: Keep an eye on the official WordPress news. They don’t release these updates for fun.
    • Staging Environments are Your Friend: Always test major updates (and even minor ones if you’re running a complex setup) in a staging environment first. It minimizes downtime and headaches.
    • Outdated = Vulnerable: If your site is on a version no longer receiving security updates, you’re playing Russian roulette. Upgrade or migrate to a supported branch immediately.

    Look, this stuff gets complicated fast. If you’re tired of debugging someone else’s mess and just want your site to work, drop my team a line. We’ve probably seen it before.

  • Don’t Ignore Old WordPress: Critical Security Updates You Need to Know

    Just last week, a client called me in a panic. Their WooCommerce store, running on an older WordPress 5.9 branch, suddenly couldn’t process payments or fetch shipping rates. Intermittent API timeouts, strange SSL errors in the logs. They were convinced it was Stripe or FedEx acting up, but I knew better. This smelled like a classic case of neglected WordPress security updates.

    See, WordPress just rolled out a series of maintenance releases, backporting a crucial security certificate bundle all the way back to version 4.7. This isn’t just some minor bug fix; this is about ensuring your site can actually talk securely to the rest of the internet. If your WordPress install tries to hit a payment gateway, an email service, or even its own update servers, it needs to trust the connection. That trust comes from these root security certificates.

    The Silent Killer: Outdated WordPress Security Certificates

    My client’s issue? Their old 5.9 installation had an outdated certificate bundle. When WordPress tried to make a server-side HTTP request—say, to Stripe’s API—the handshake failed because it couldn’t properly verify the third-party’s security certificate. The site thought it was talking to a stranger, so it just shut down the connection. Total nightmare for an e-commerce operation.

    Initially, I dove into their server configs, checking php.ini settings, cURL versions, even looking for misconfigured SSL directives. I spent hours chasing down what I thought was a server-level issue. The thought was, “Let’s patch this at the infrastructure layer.” And yeah, you can often band-aid things with server-side workarounds. Period. But that’s usually a temporary fix for a core WordPress problem.

    The real fix, the robust one, involved understanding this specific WordPress update. The core team literally went back through years of WordPress branches to ensure the root certificate bundle was current. This is huge. It means those older sites that, for whatever reason, can’t jump to the latest 6.8.2 yet, still get a vital piece of security infrastructure. Without it, you’re essentially trying to navigate the modern web with an outdated passport.

    If you’ve got sites stuck on older branches (4.7 through 6.7), and you’re seeing odd external API connection issues, don’t just blame the third-party. Check your WordPress core. These maintenance releases update the requests library within WordPress, which handles these server-side HTTP requests. It’s the engine under the hood.

    <?php
/**
 * Example of how WordPress handles HTTP requests internally.
 * This relies on the updated root certificates.
 */
$response = wp_remote_get( 'https://api.example.com/status', array(
    'sslverify' => true, // Default to true, relies on updated certs
) );

if ( is_wp_error( $response ) ) {
    echo '<p>Error: ' . esc_html( $response->get_error_message() ) . '</p>';
} else {
    echo '<p>API Status: ' . esc_html( wp_remote_retrieve_body( $response ) ) . '</p>';
}
?>

    The sslverify argument being true by default in wp_remote_get means WordPress trusts its own certificate store. If that store is old, it fails. The point is, the WordPress core team did the heavy lifting for you on this one. You don’t need to tweak cURL options manually or install external packages just to get your older site talking securely. You just need to update those branches, if they haven’t auto-updated already.

    For more technical details, the Core Trac ticket (ticket #62811) has all the specifics on this backporting effort. It’s a prime example of the community stepping up for the wider ecosystem.

    So, What’s the Point?

    • Stay Updated: Always the golden rule. The latest WordPress 6.8.2 is where you want to be.
    • Understand the “Why”: Security isn’t just about plugins. It’s deep in the core.
    • Trust, but Verify: These root certificate updates ensure your WordPress site can securely communicate with other services. Don’t underestimate this.
    • Don’t Ignore Older Sites: If you manage legacy installs, make sure these specific maintenance releases are applied.

    Look, this stuff gets complicated fast. If you’re tired of debugging someone else’s mess and just want your site to work, drop my team a line. We’ve probably seen it before.