WordPress 5.9 has an official release date, and it will bring with it the Twenty Twenty Two; and with it, the introduction of the “Block Themes” or “Full Site Editing”, changing the theming game almost entirely.
Question: How do you like playing with CSS and that gorgeous Twenty Twenty Theme that makes it so easy to learn! “Like a lot” Right? Well, say “bye-bye”
Since the Twenty Twenty Theme was released, I grew to appreciate so much that I didn’t even take a proper look at the Twenty Tweny One Theme. There’s so much we can do with CSS, that I stopped posting so I could develop courses to show you how you can truly make it your own.
But, the Twenty Twenty Two is set to be released as the first full “Block Theme”, and it will be truly game changing. The question is, “for good or bad?”
From Flex to Grid, to Forget About It
As I was developing the first course, “How to Customize the Twenty Twenty Theme With CSS,” I paid more attention to its structure and I found out that its authors are now using the “Grid” property more than the “Flex” property.
Honestly, I didn’t like it; with the flex property it feels we display the elements as if we were doing it with clay; with the grid property, there is “a grid” we are to imagine…, it’s more structured but better without a doubt. Here are a couple of greatest tutorials to check them out:
- A Complete Guide to Flexbox, by CSSTricks
- A Complete Guide to Grid, by CSSTricks
Anyways…, with that change in mind, I thought about learning about the Twenty Twenty One Theme, hoping it would get me ready for what’s to come with the Twenty Twenty Two theme; but, as it turns out, this new theme falls under a new category, the “Block Themes” or “Full Site Editing” which will change the way we code.
Classic Themes Vs Block Themes
Up until the Twenty Twenty One Theme, WordPress Themes are “Classic Themes;” these are built with PHP files following the WordPress Hierarchy (for instance header.php, single.php, footer.php)
Now, with the “Block Themes”, we won’t need to create those PHP files anymore; we’ll have a dashboard were we’ll have blocks to do so, sort of speak.
We’ll have, just to get the whole picture of it, a dashboard were we’ll select to create a “single post template” (the old way, a single.php file), and right there from that dashboard, we’ll be able to add the header, menus, content area, footer, you name it, “with blocks”
What’s Been Said About the New “Full Site Editing”
The Twenty Twenty Two theme is going to be released with WordPress 5.9 on December 14. I’m not gonna reproduced everything that’s been already said (why do bloggers do that?); but I am going to leave you the links at the bottom so you can dig further into what I’m saying.
Creating a theme with “blocks” is cool, for “people” … but for coders, and for those of us who enjoy learning to code with CSS and need to have more control over our PHP files, it set us on a new path in our learning process.
Kjell, when he introduced the Twenty Twenty Two Theme, wrote,
“To take advantage of these new customization features, Twenty Twenty-Two will be built for Full Site Editing first. The theme aims to use as little CSS as possible: our goal is for all theme styles to be configured through theme.json and editable through Global Styles.”
Kjell Reigstad, Oct 6, 2021
The theme is looking great in his intro and there also a demo you can check out plus a GitHub page if you’d like to contribute; but, once again, for those of use who are used to play with CSS and WordPress template tags (PHP) and else, we’ll need to start learning about what’s coming.
So, Is It for Better or for Worst?
I guess time will tell. However, I don’t see that change taking over the way we code to the fullest, for a few years at least. Themes like the Twenty Twenty, Twenty Seven Teen are still among the most download themes.
As for me, I’m going to take it one step at a time; I am going to finish those courses for “Classic Themes” and, for once, start learning what the Twenty Twenty One has brought to the table.
And… that’s a wrap!
Happy coding!
PS: I missed you guys!
Resources
WordPress 5.9 Development Cycle. https://make.wordpress.org/core/5-9/
Reigstad K (2021) Introducing Twenty Twenty-Two
Twenty Twenty Two Demo, in the making. https://2022.wordpress.net
