WordPress is a Free and Open Source Software (FOSS), which means that it is constantly being updated and revised. The newest version of WordPress, version 3.8, was released in December 2013 and includes a number of significant upgrades. This blog series will discuss some of the more technical aspects of WordPress and how we at Blue Zenith utilize the features that WordPress provides us.
Changes To The Admin Panel
With the newest version of WordPress, there have been major changes made to the WordPress administrative interface, simply known as “Admin”. If you are unfamiliar with the general definition of a website admin panel, this is the interface that allows website administrators and blog editors to control every aspect of the website or blog and the content published within it. The Admin is a vital component of every WordPress website and blog, and the 3.8 update adds some important and distinctive updates and changes.
A New Design
WordPress 3.8 has introduced a new design to the standard WordPress Admin. Previous versions of Admin used a design that included an abundance of gray and white, which resulted in a design that many felt was muddled and “washed out”. According to the official WordPress blog, the new “fresh, uncluttered design” emphasizes “clarity and simplicity”. Also included are a new Open Sans typeface, vector icons and a new emphasis on legibility in the design. If an administrator or editor is still unhappy with the default design, 3.8 includes eight new dashboard color schemes that can be implemented as well, including bold shades of red, blue and purple.
Mobile Interface
Another important feature of 3.8 is that this new interface is mobile. This means that anyone can edit their WordPress website or blog on the go with their phones and tablets. Anyone on a mobile device can now tap-to-add and manage their widgets, which makes for much faster and easier editing. By making the admin panel responsive to all devices, WordPress has made itself much more user-friendly.
A New Dashboard
The WordPress admin dashboard, or the default “homepage” of the admin interface, has received an update as well. This page has historically contains a number of widgets that provide a quick overview and choice of options for administrators and editors, including a news widget with information from the WordPress developers, widgets for reviewing new posts, and a widget for composing a simple post. With 3.8, the dashboard has been streamlined and simplified, removing widgets that were less popular and updating the underlying code.
To read up more on WordPress 3.8, check out the WordPress.org blog, or look for our upcoming blog post about WordPress themes and theme management.