The changes described in this dev note sound like good ideas, but people should be sure to test mail sending and not assume it is going to work.

Etch has come a long way in just a little over a year. It is a code friendly builder that combines a visual building experience with code editors. The team is now moving from development builds working towards a version 1.

A big feature of Etch is the ability to have what you create in Etch be automatically converted to blocks in the Gutenberg editor. In the alpha builds these blocks were core blocks. People who create Gutenberg blocks are aware that core Gutenberg is finicky and the news about moving the Gutenberg editor to load in an iframe is an example of how it is still a moving target. I’ve seen a number of developers give up working in the Gutenberg space until is stabilizes … and many of them are still waiting. So, the Etch team decided that it would be safer, and long term it would be more flexible and reliable, to render what you create in Etch as custom blocks (rather than as core blocks).

I am glad to see that the team has affirmed a future commitment so that Etch blocks won’t require Etch to be installed. This opens some very interesting possibilities for developers and site builders.

Here is an update on the current status and a high level roadmap for phase 3 of Gutenberg. It looks like block notes will be included in the upcoming 6.9. There is also some progress on data views and data forms.

The Breakdance team released beta version 2.6. It includes a number of enhancements and fixes, such as an improved Code Editor, performance optimizations, increased support for some 3rd party plugins, and other quality of life improvements.

For theme developers – People who create bespoke themes for clients will be interested in the release of version 3.1 of WP Rig. The core developer, Rob Ruiz, has updated and modernized Rig over the past few years. WP Rig now supports creating classic, universal, and block-based themes.

Bricks 2.1.3 is a minor bug fix and compatibility release. A number of small enhancements and a lot of fixes.

The latest Divi 5 update has introduced Nested Modules! Now, you can add modules inside other modules. Build custom layouts inside sliders, tabs, accordions, and everything else. Add a button to your menu, insert an opt-in form into your blog’s grid, and much more.

A new free plugin from Joost de Valk for easily creating a brand assets page. It includes some nice touches.

The first beta of WordPress 6.9 is available. This release is not earth shattering, but it has a lot of nice enhancements. Some of the highlights are: notes can be attached to individual blocks for collaboration, there are several new blocks, and the Command Palette has been expanded.