Tech With Tim·21wIs PHP the best back end language for you to use?
PHP remains a practical choice for backend development despite its reputation. It powers a significant portion of the web, particularly small business websites and platforms like WordPress. The language offers strong job opportunities, especially for maintaining legacy systems and e-commerce sites, with relatively few new developers entering the field creating demand for PHP skills.
WP Mayor·21wBetter Block Editor Review: A Lightweight Block Editor Companion for Next-Level Responsive Design
Better Block Editor is a free WordPress plugin that extends the native Block Editor with responsive controls, animations, and hover effects without requiring custom CSS. It adds breakpoint-specific settings for layouts, visibility controls for different screen sizes, and customizable navigation collapse points. The plugin maintains content portability by building on core WordPress blocks rather than proprietary components, making it suitable for developers who want enhanced responsive design capabilities while staying within the WordPress ecosystem. It includes site templates and works with any Block theme.
WordPress Developer·22wIntroducing the WordPress Abilities API
WordPress 6.9 introduces the Abilities API, a unified functional interface that enables plugins, themes, and external tools to discover and execute WordPress capabilities programmatically. The API provides a central registry with machine-readable schemas, built-in validation, and permission controls. Developers can register abilities using wp_register_ability() with input/output schemas, making functionality accessible across REST endpoints, blocks, and AI agents. The implementation demonstrates converting a plugin's core function into a reusable ability that works seamlessly in admin pages, REST APIs, and the Block Editor without duplicating code.
Make WordPress Core·22wDataViews, DataForm, et al. in WordPress 6.9
WordPress 6.9 introduces major updates to the DataViews framework, including expanded field types with 16 bundled edit controls (up from 5), a rule-based validation system supporting async operations, and enhanced data handling through getValue/setValue methods for nested and derived data. Filtering capabilities expanded from 6 to 22 operators with type-specific filters, while all layouts now support grouping and infinite scroll. New additions include DataViewsPicker for selection interfaces, the @wordpress/views package for state persistence, and DataForm improvements with controlled validation and the useFormValidity hook.
Make WordPress Core·20wWordPress 6.9 Field Guide
WordPress 6.9 introduces block-level collaboration notes, enhanced drag-and-drop editing, and a new WP_Block_Processor for parsing block structures. The release adds new blocks (Math, Accordion, Terms Query), expands the Field API with 10+ field types, and improves DataViews with infinite scroll and custom layouts. Performance optimizations target LCP metrics through on-demand block styles and minified CSS. The Abilities API provides standardized AI integration, while the Interactivity API gains unique ID assignment and improved router support. PHP 8.5 receives beta support, UTF-8 handling becomes environment-independent, and the HTML API gets enhanced serialization. Email handling now supports inline images with cid: references, and apiVersion 3 becomes mandatory for blocks as the editor transitions to iframe architecture in WordPress 7.0.
ACF·22wACF PRO 6.7 Beta 1
ACF PRO 6.7 Beta 1 introduces Inline Editing for ACF Blocks version 3, allowing content editors to modify block field data directly within the block preview area without additional code. The feature offers two editing modes: Text Editable for direct typing into text fields, and Toolbar Editable for other field types via popup toolbars. Developers can enable it automatically via autoInlineEditing in block.json or manually control specific elements using helper functions. The beta supports most ACF field types except Repeater and Flexible Content subfields, with customization options for toolbar icons and labels.