WordPress 3.3 gets a healthy facelift!
Here at Think Around Corners, we’re big users of WordPress to develop not only blogs, but full-blown websites. It’s our favorite tool.
So, when WP makes a (relatively) big upgrade to their interface, we’re reporting!
Big Things.
1. Easier Uploading
File Type Detection & Drag and Drop
Now, there is only one type of file type image to click on. A few more file types have been added, too – it can handle rar and 7z file formats, now!
Drag-and-Drop Media Uploader
As the image displays, you can drag your media – whether video, image, or otherwise – right into the Add Media window. That means in images and all types of media are easier to import than ever before
Drag and Drop - SCHWEET.
2. Dashboard Design
Responsive Design
Responsive Design means a design that fits any window – whether desktop, laptop, tablet, or smartphone. WP is now IPad optimized – that means you can work from anywhere, now, with any device. BTW, we do responsive design.
The new "responsive design" of WP 3.3 means you can edit and admin from smart phone, tablet, or desktop.
Flyout Menus
The toolbar now works way better with menu fly outs, that keeps everything compact, and out of your way. Easier to select things, too.
Header + Admin Bar = Toolbar
A new top menu has been streamlined to give you more space to write and build content.
Help Tabs and Feature Pointers
The Help Tabs has a bit of a facelift and better organization. Feature pointers and contextual help Feature pointers give you support for help, which is great, you don’t have to go to another place to find out what a certain thing does. Similarly contextual help is more useful to people learning on the fly.
Little Things.
3. Content Tools
Better Co-Editing: Co-editing is always been a little clunky. Now, it actually works. If you get an alert that somebody is working on the page that you’re looking out, it means they really are.- Tumblr Importer: Now, you can import your tumbler information and blog directly into WordPress. This importer is being added to a growing list of importers from other blogging platforms.
- Widget Improvements: Ever test a few themes and then your widgets change position? Got, we hate that. Now, the specific sequence of widgets are held in place for each theme.
4. Under the Hood
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Thank you WP for an Editor API overhaul!
Flexible Permalinks: You have more freedom when choosing a post permalink structure. Skip the date information or add a category slug without a performance penalty.
- Post Slugs: Sometimes things like “&” can result in strange URL slugs. WP cleaned up the ruleset and it’s more intuitive on what it includes.
- jQuery and jQuery UI: WordPress now has jQuery libraries ‘baked right in’ – so no need to insert code for them anymore (we hope, we’re testing). Basically, this means WordPress is gearing up for more adaptability to modern scripting.
- Editor API Overhaul: For us, this is a major point. We kinda tweak our WP setup, so the streamlining of the Editor API is a big plus for us. We’ll see how it goes, but considering how much the WP community bitched about this, it’s probably fixed nicely.
Isn’t it nice to know that WP gets better and better?
