Eastern Oregon University > EOU Marketing Resources > Webmaster Notes > Fall 2021 WordPress update

Fall 2021 WordPress update

Our Fall 2021 update includes pushing the latest version of WordPress (5.8.1) live to the eou.edu Web Server. This is a big leap, as we were 2 major generations behind, at version 5.6.1  Along with this update come numerous security updates, as well as updated UI elements and added functionality for content managers.  While the Gutenberg interface remains consistent in its workflow, there are some added features that content managers should be aware of.

1) Parent blocks can be selected in the block toolbar

Screenshot of the WordPress Block Toolbar with a yellow arrow pointing to the new 'select columns' button on the left-hand side
The yellow arrow points to the ‘select parent’ button on the Block Toolbar

WordPress 5.8.1 resolves an ongoing annoyance when it comes to navigating elements. A ‘parent block’ button has been added to the far left-hand side of the block toolbar.  When a block is selected, hovering over the parent block button displays a popup text saying ‘Select [x]’, with x being the block’s parent element.  When the button is pushed, the parent element becomes selected.  This makes choosing the element that you wish to work with much easier, and should speed up workflows significantly.

2)  List view is now a toolbar

Screenshot of the WordPress List View layout, with a yellow highlighted box drawn around the new list layout pane
The yellow-highlighted area shows the new list view layout, with indentation indicating block nesting

The list view block is no longer only a drop-down menu, and can be left open on the page as you work.  This helps immensely with navigation throughout the page, as you can see how elements are nested within one another and easily switch between them.  Open the list view toolbar by clicking the 3 stacked lines to the upper left of the editor window. From this point you will be able to select block elements as-needed, and editing can be done with the toolbar remaining open.

While these two updates are particularly valuable to content managers on the eou.edu site, they represent a very small portion of what has changed in WordPress 5.8.1.   More detailed information can be found in the wordpress.org support pages for the two versions (5.7, 5.8), that EOU is catching up to.  In general, you can expect that there will be minor tweaks to the main interface, as well as other quality of life improvements that may or may not be immediately apparent while editing.  

As always, if you have any troubles working with the WordPress CMS, please reach out to the Office of University Advancement for guidance and assistance.  Our contact form is located at:  https://eou.edu/marketing-resources/website-update-request.