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Hi there, Good news, dear friends. WordPress 7.0 has a new release date! May 20, 2026. Announced on Friday, the post featured the updated release party schedule: All release parties happen in the Make #core Slack channel. Everyone is welcome to join. This week, I also traveled to Salzburg, Austria to discuss WordPress 7.0 features with the local community. It was a great joy to meet so many fellow community organizers from WordCamps Vienna, Europe and Kampala, as well as the local meetup organizers and participants from Salzburg. Auf dem Weg nach Salzburg zum WordPress Meetup heute abend https://t.co/vQbGHHN8vvWir werden uns über die Änderungen in WordPress 7.0 unterhalten und die neuen Features vorstellen #WordPress Es sind noch Plätze frei! pic.twitter.com/FqgjsaOYjA — Birgit Pauli-Haack (@bph) April 22, 2026 Such a beautiful privilege to be able to work from the train traveling through the Bavarian landscape. #myofficetoday pic.twitter.com/FdV5A6SaaR — Birgit Pauli-Haack (@bph) April 23, 2026 Enjoy the hopefully restful weekend. Yours, Birgit Developing Gutenberg and WordPress Ray Morey, The Repository has the skinny about WordPress 7.0 Gets a New May 20 Release Date Jonathan Desrosiers and Max Schmeling of the WordPress Core team has published Distributed RTC performance testing, a bash/PHP load-testing tool for the real-time collaboration HTTP polling endpoint coming in WordPress 7.0. Hosting providers can run scenarios — baseline, single idle, sustained polling, burst concurrency, and two-client editing — then submit results directly to WordPress.org. Only curl and bash are required, with WP-CLI optional. If you’re a host and need reporting credentials, ping Jonathan Desrosiers (@desrosj) or Amy Kamala (@amykamala) in the #hosting Slack channel. JuanMa Garrido introduces the WordPress Core Dev Environment Toolkit, a desktop app for macOS, Windows, and Linux that eliminates the painful setup that burns through Contributor Days before anyone writes a line of code. Powered by WordPress Playground, it bundles Git, Node, and npm as JS/WASM — so you install the app, click a button, and you’re cloning wordpress-develop, running a dev server, and generating Trac patches without touching a terminal. The latest Dev note arrival brings you Roster of design tools per block (WordPress 7.0 edition). I updated a previous version for WordPress 7.0, summarizing design support changes across the last ten releases. WordPress 7.0 adds seven new blocks — Accordion, Breadcrumbs, Icon, Math, Post Time to Read, and the Term Query family — and renames Verse to Poetry. I also removed the Pattern Overrides/Block Bindings column, since both features are now opt-in per block and attribute, making a single checkbox no longer meaningful. Gutenberg 23.0 ships a revisions panel for templates, template parts, and patterns (experimental), and completes the Site Editor’s Design › Identity panel with Site Title and Tagline fields alongside the existing Logo and Icon. Real-time collaboration gets legacy meta box compatibility via a new opt-in flag, plus reliability fixes for concurrent edits and corrupted sync updates. 174 PRs merged, with 8 first-time contributors. For the Gutenberg Changelog episode 130, Tammie Lister and I chatted about AI in Art and WordPress, WordPress 7.0 and Real-tine collaboration and Gutenberg plugin release 22.9 and 23.0. The episode will drop in your favorite podcast episode over the weekend. I hope you listen in and enjoy our conversation. The latest episode is Gutenberg Changelog #129 Artificial Intelligence, WordPress 7.0 and Gutenberg 22.8 with Beth Soderberg, of BeThink Studio Plugins, Themes, and Tools for #nocode site builders and owners Brian Coords, developer advocate at WooCommerce, walks you through a prototype plugin called WP Content Types, a block-native take on custom post types and fields built directly into the WordPress interface using Data Views and Data Forms. You’ll see AI generate a Recipe content type, configure fields with core components, connect templates through block bindings, and explore a “Fields Only” modern UI. It’s a V1 vision for content modeling that leaves legacy backwards compatibility behind. Coords implementation goes much further than a similar project “Create Content Model” Autumn Fjeld and Candy Tsai demo’d at WordCamp Asia 2025 in Manila, Philippines. Their repo is available on GitHub including links to the talk and demo video. In his latest video, Wes Theron walks you through using block dimensions to control layout in WordPress — without touching any CSS. You’ll learn how to find the dimensions panel in the editor and learn when to reach for padding (space inside a block), margin (space around it), block spacing (gaps between child blocks), and minimum height. Each setting gets a practical demo so you can confidently build cleaner, more polished pages with better visual hierarchy. Alex de Borba makes a pointed case in Why Developers Keep Reaching for Builders Over Block Themes that the “block themes can’t compete” narrative is more habit than fact. With theme.json v3, register_block_style(), synced patterns, and wp_enqueue_block_style(), you can build design systems, reusable components, and performant layouts without proprietary tools — and without locking your clients into someone else’s ecosystem when developer relationships change. At WordCamp Asia, the WordPress Speed Build Challenge returned for a second round: experienced builders had 30 minutes, a surprise brief revealed live on stage, and nothing but the Full Site Editor — no page builders, no custom code. Watch how they tackle layout, content, styling, and real-time problem-solving under pressure while narrating their decisions. A fun, unscripted window into smart site editor workflows for anyone curious about block-based building. The recording is now available on WordPressTV. Upcoming Events The 6th annual Web Agency Summit runs April 27–30, 2026. It’s free, virtual, and built for agency owners ready to stop winging it. Hosted by Vito Peleg, Stephanie Hudson, and Andrew Palmer, four days of live expert sessions cover the full agency arc: Build, Expand, Scale, and Thrive. Speakers include Eugene Levin from Semrush and Karim Marucchi of Crowd Favorite. Think of it as a week-long podcast you keep open while you work. If you’re in New York on April 29, dev/ai/nyc with Hilary Mason is worth your evening. Hilary Mason — CEO of Hidden Door, founder of Fast Forward Labs, and former

If you run a WooCommerce store, then you’ve probably heard that ChatGPT now lets users shop for products directly inside the chat interface. A user asks something like “I need a blue yoga mat under $40” and ChatGPT responds with actual products from registered merchants, complete with prices and stock availability. It is a brand new sales channel but most WooCommerce store owners have no idea how to get listed. In this guide, I’ll show you exactly how to get your WooCommerce products appearing in ChatGPT’s shopping results. I’ll cover everything from registering as an OpenAI merchant to generating your product feed and submitting it for approval. Here is a quick overview of topics covered in this guide: What is ChatGPT Agentic Commerce? Why Sell on ChatGPT with WooCommerce? What You’ll Need Before You Start How to Sell on ChatGPT with WooCommerce (Step by Step) Step 1: Register as a merchant with OpenAI Step 2: Add GTIN or MPN identifiers to your WooCommerce products Step 3: Install a ChatGPT Product Feed Plugin Step 4: Configure and Generate Your Product Feed Step 5: Submit Your Product Feed to OpenAI FAQs About Selling on ChatGPT with WooCommerce Start Getting Your WooCommerce Products Discovered in ChatGPT Today Additional Resources for Growing Your WooCommerce Store What is ChatGPT Agentic Commerce? ChatGPT Agentic Commerce — also called ChatGPT Shopping — is a feature that lets people discover products inside a ChatGPT conversation and click through to buy from the merchant’s store. Here’s what the customer experience looks like: a user asks ChatGPT something like “I need a blue yoga mat under $40” and ChatGPT responds with actual products from registered merchants, complete with prices and stock availability. The user then clicks through to your WooCommerce store to complete the purchase. This works through the Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP), which is a system that connects your WooCommerce store to ChatGPT’s shopping layer. ChatGPT reads your product feed, understands what you sell, and surfaces your products in relevant conversations. OpenAI launched the merchant program in late 2025. It’s currently live for U.S. merchants, with global expansion rolling out. Why Sell on ChatGPT with WooCommerce? High-Intent Product Discovery: Your products appear directly in ChatGPT’s shopping results when users ask relevant, specific questions. This places your brand in front of customers at the exact moment they are seeking expert guidance and recommendations. Direct Store Traffic and Retention: Since users click through to your WooCommerce store to complete their purchase, you keep full ownership of the customer relationship. This allows you to capture email sign-ups, build brand loyalty, and manage your own customer data without a middleman. Increased Revenue via Contextual Upsells: Driving users to your own site means you can present them with relevant upsells, cross-sells, and order bumps at the point of purchase. For most stores, this added revenue per order makes product discovery a more profitable long-term strategy than restricted native checkout options. Seamless Integration with Clean Data: Providing a compliant product feed with identifiers like GTIN or MPN ensures your store is “AI-ready.” This structured data helps ChatGPT understand your catalog perfectly, leading to more accurate and frequent recommendations. Overall, connecting your WooCommerce store to ChatGPT allows you to bridge the gap between AI-driven research and your own high-converting checkout experience. What You’ll Need Before You Start Before going through the steps, make sure you have: A WooCommerce store running on WordPress Products with accurate data — titles, descriptions, prices, and stock status Product identifiers (GTIN or MPN) for each product (I cover how to add these in Step 2) How to Sell on ChatGPT with WooCommerce (Step by Step) Here’s how to get your WooCommerce store set up to appear in ChatGPT’s shopping results, starting with the merchant application. Step 1: Register as a merchant with OpenAI The first thing you need to do is apply to become an OpenAI merchant. You’ll need to fill in your business details, your region, the types of products you sell, and agree to their policies. After you submit, you’ll get a confirmation email. OpenAI reviews your application and contacts you when the next stage opens, which is when you’ll be asked to provide your product feed. There’s no official timeline published. From what merchants have reported, the initial review can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. The key thing: apply now. The earlier you’re in the queue, the sooner you’ll get access as OpenAI expands the program. Step 2: Add GTIN or MPN identifiers to your WooCommerce products This step confuses most WooCommerce store owners, and it’s the step almost no guide online explains properly. OpenAI requires each product in your feed to have a unique identifier. The two types it accepts are: GTIN (Global Trade Item Number): the barcode number on a product. It includes UPCs (12 digits), EANs (13 digits), and ISBNs. If you’re reselling other brands’ products, then their GTIN is usually on the product packaging or the manufacturer’s website. MPN (Manufacturer Part Number) — the reference number a manufacturer uses to identify a specific product. If you make your own products, then your internal part number works here. To add these identifiers in WooCommerce, go to Products » All Products, open a product, scroll down to the ‘Product data’ section, and look for the ‘SKU’ field. You can use the SKU field for your MPN if you don’t have a separate GTIN field available. Below that you will find the option to add GTIN, EAN, UPC, and ISBN. Tip: If you have a large product catalog then updating products one at a time could take some time. However, if you are in a hurry, simply go to WooCommerce » Products, click ‘Export’ to download your product data as a CSV file. You can open this file in a spreadsheet app like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets. Add your GTINs or MPNs and then re-import the CSV back to your WooCommerce store. For details, follow our tutorial on importing and

Akismet WordPress plugin v5.7 is out today. This release focuses on fitting more neatly into where WordPress is heading next. Abilities API support Akismet now supports the Abilities API, giving WordPress a clear, structured way to understand what Akismet can do, like checking content for spam or retrieving stats. It’s a subtle change, but it makes integrations more predictable and easier to build on top of. Connectors (for WordPress 7.0) We’ve also added early support for WordPress Connectors, which is landing in WordPress 7.0. Connectors provide a consistent way to manage API keys and external services across plugins. With Akismet ready for this, your API key setup will slot into a more unified experience as sites upgrade. Plus the usual polish A handful of fixes and improvements round things out to keep things running smoothly. To upgrade, visit the Updates page of your WordPress dashboard and follow the instructions. If you need to download the plugin zip file directly, links to all versions are available in the WordPress plugins directory.

Site speed is crucial for e-commerce success; delays lead to cart abandonment, especially on mobile. Experts discuss caching solutions and user experience improvements to enhance conversion rates.

The “Keep It Open” initiative emphasizes sustainability and independence in the open web community, inviting contributors to support honest conversations without focusing on rewards or exclusivity.

Transcript [00:00:19] Nathan Wrigley: Welcome to the Jukebox Podcast from WP Tavern. My name is Nathan Wrigley. Jukebox is a podcast which is dedicated to all things WordPress. The people, the events, the plugins, the blocks, the themes, and in this case managed WordPress hosting and AI hosting innovation. If you’d like to subscribe to the podcast, you can do that by searching for WP Tavern in your podcast player of choice, or by going to wptavern.com/feed/podcast, and you can copy that URL into most podcast players. If you have a topic that you’d like us to feature on the podcast, I’m keen to hear from you and hopefully get you, or your idea, featured on the show. Head to wptavern.com/contact/jukebox, and use the form there. So on the podcast today, we have Malcolm Peralty. Malcolm has been immersed in the WordPress ecosystem for 20 years, starting out as a full-time blogger and working his way through tech roles in project management, agencies, and even a stint in the Drupal space. These days, Malcolm is bringing his experience back to WordPress, serving as a technical account manager at Pressable, a managed WordPress hosting company. Malcolm shares how he found his way from early forays with WordPress to managing large scale hosting environments. He talks about the lure of the Drupal world, and why he’s ultimately returned to WordPress and Pressable. We discuss what technical account management means at Pressable, how his role differs from sales and support, focusing instead on long-term strategy for clients, performance optimization, and bridging the gap between customer needs and the underlying WP Cloud infrastructure. We hear how Pressable proactively helps clients, sometimes even advising them to downgrade their plan if optimizations mean they need fewer resources. We go behind the scenes in Pressable, getting into how hardware considerations, plugin bloat, WooCommerce or LMS sites, and customer handholding, all come together inside one company. Malcolm gives us a candid look at performance challenges, the way hosts interact with infrastructure teams, and why education around WordPress performance is so tough, even as competing platforms prioritise speed at all costs. We also look into the future. What are the cutting edge trends in hosting? Like database replication, virtual clusters, and especially the rise of AI within the hosting experience. Malcolm explains Pressable’s upcoming MCP, an AI powered control panel that promises to let you deploy, and manage, wordPress sites using natural language. We explore how AI will impact everything from customer support to site deployment, potential pitfalls, and the challenge of balancing automation with human relationships. If you’re curious about the state of managed WordPress hosting today, the interplay of tech, support, and AI, or just want to know what’s happening behind the curtain, this episode is for you. If you’re interested in finding out more, you can find all of the links in the show notes by heading to wptavern.com/podcast, where you’ll find all the other episodes as well. And so without further delay, I bring you Malcolm Peralty. I am joined on the podcast by Malcolm Peralty. Hello, Malcolm. [00:03:55] Malcolm Peralty: Hi there. How you doing today? [00:03:56] Nathan Wrigley: Yeah. Very nice to have you with us on the podcast today. Malcolm’s got a really interesting story. He’s done a lot, a lot of it kind of maps to things that I’ve done in my life. But it’s a tech podcast, generally we talk about WordPress, but I think we’re going to talk about hosting, AI, and possibly other CMSs. But before we do, a moment for you, Malcolm, just to introduce yourself and give us your potted bio, I guess centering around your relationship with technology, WordPress, CMSs, that kind of thing. [00:04:22] Malcolm Peralty: Yeah. So first off, I like to always say that I’m Canadian. I think that actually kind of gives us some insight into a little bit about how I think. And I live just outside of Toronto, Ontario, Canada right now, and I’ve been in the WordPress, around the WordPress space for going on 20 years. I started with WordPress 0.72, so before the 1.0 release. And I was a full-time blogger, talking about WordPress for several years, and kind of stumbled into using some of my tech skills to work in and around technology with WordPress, and then project management. And because of project management, I’ve been able to work with agencies that build like smartphone apps and other CMS systems, and custom CMSs for customers. But I’ve always kind of kept a toe in the WordPress world as much as possible. [00:05:11] Nathan Wrigley: Yeah, and you firmly landed back in the WordPress world working for Pressable, which we’ll talk about in a moment. But you had a bit of a foray in the Drupal, Acquia world, I think. The word Acquia may not mean a great deal to people listening to this podcast, but it’s kind of the equivalent, I suppose the best mapping would be Automattic over on the Drupal side. What was your experience with Drupal? How come you’re not still fully on the Drupal side of things? [00:05:35] Malcolm Peralty: Yeah, so that was kind of a strange one for me. I didn’t expect to have a position in the Drupal world. I had done some like Drupal project management before, a lot of like moving Drupal sites to WordPress or like revising a Drupal site, or adding a smartphone app to a Drupal site. But that was mostly, again, as like a project manager or a site builder, not as like someone who really understood the engineering behind Drupal. But a long time friend of mine reached out and said, hey, would you ever be interested in a job at Acquia working at the Drupal mothership, so to speak? And the position was a technical account manager, which thankfully leans more on my skills as a project manager and someone who understands web hosting than someone who understands Drupal. So

આ નિબંધ ગુજરાતીમાં પણ ઉપલબ્ધ છે वर्डप्रेसने मुझे मेरे ज़िंदगी में कुछ अलग करने का मौक़ा दिया। Hear Shital read her essay in her own voice! From Curiosity to Contribution — How WordPress Helped Me Build a Career, Confidence, and Global Opportunities Introduction Every journey begins with a small step, often driven by curiosity rather than clarity. My journey into technology was not planned. It started with a simple question: What should I learn? Coming from a small village with limited exposure to computers, I never imagined that one day I would be part of a global community and attend an international event like WordCamp Asia . My path was not traditional. I did not come from a technical background, nor did I have a clear roadmap. But what I did have was curiosity, determination, and the willingness to learn . Over time, that curiosity turned into skills, those skills turned into a career, and that career connected me to a global community through WordPress . This is the story of how WordPress became the source of my satisfaction and joy . Early Life and Education I come from a small village, where opportunities in technology were limited. For higher education, I moved to the city of Rajkot . Like many students, I followed a traditional academic path and completed my Bachelor of Science in Chemistry. However, after completing my degree, I felt uncertain about my future . Chemistry was my subject, but it was not my passion. That is when I decided to learn computers . Starting My Computer Journey In 2009, I enrolled in a Computer Engineering course. Everything was new to me—programming, logic, and technical concepts. It was not easy, especially coming from a non-technical background. But I was determined to learn . I joined a 3-month training program but completed only 1.5 months. At that point, I had a choice: Wait… or take a risk. I chose to take a risk . I applied for a job—and I was selected as a PHP Web Developer . That moment changed my life. Building a Career in PHP For the next five years, I worked as a Core PHP Developer. Then one day, everything changed. My boss said:“Add content to the WordPress post sidebar.” I was shocked . I didn’t know WordPress. But I didn’t give up. I searched, learned, and completed the task . That one moment changed my direction forever. Discovering WordPress As I explored WordPress, I realized its true power. With less code, we could build faster, better, and smarter websites . In 2015, I decided to focus fully on WordPress. And that decision changed my life. Choosing Independence In 2018, I took another big step—I left my job. I started working remotely as a WordPress Developer . It was risky… but it gave me freedom . Freedom to work globally.Freedom to grow.Freedom to dream bigger. Becoming a Contributor I developed and published two plugins in the WordPress repository—Contact Information Widget and Shital Quiz Cloner for LearnDash . Seeing people use my work gave me deep satisfaction . I started contributing to Core, Meta, and Polyglots. I became a Core and Meta Contributor in WordPress . I have contributed to multiple WordPress releases, including: 4.9 “Tipton” 4.9.5 Security and Maintenance Release 5.0 “Bebo” 5.1 “Betty” 5.2 “Jaco” 5.3 “Kirk” 5.4 “Adderley” 5.5 “Eckstine” 5.6 “Simone” 5.7 “Esperanza” 5.8 “Tatum” 5.9 “Josephine” 6.0 “Arturo” 6.6 “Dorsey” I was also honored to be part of the Women Squad for WordPress 5.6 Release Planning . Seeing my name “Shital Marakana” in Design, Tech, and Lead was an unforgettable moment . WordCamp Experiences in India My first WordCamp in Mumbai was an amazing experience . I realized something important: WordPress is not just about code…It is about people . I attended WordCamps in Mumbai, Nagpur, and Ahmedabad. Each one helped me grow. The Dream of WordCamp Asia WordCamp Asia was my dream . But financially, it was difficult. So I watched live streams I learned online I stayed inspired And I waited… Dream Became Reality Finally, my dream came true . I was selected as a volunteer at WordCamp Asia . I also received the Zeel Thakkar Scholarship . The most special part? I attended with my family . My husband supported me. My 4-year-old son, Mantra, enjoyed every moment . This was not just my journey—it became our journey. Volunteering at WordCamp Asia Volunteering was one of the most meaningful experiences of my life . I worked with people from around the world . At the end, I received my volunteer certificate . It was not just a certificate. It was a symbol of my journey. What WordCamp Asia Gave Me Did it give me financial freedom?Not immediately. Did it give me community?Yes . Did it give me global exposure?Absolutely . But most importantly— It gave me direction. Conclusion When I look back at my journey, it feels like a story of courage, belief, and growth . WordPress started as curiosity…But it became my identity. From a small village to a global stage —this journey changed me. There were doubts.There were fears.But I kept going . And WordCamp Asia became my turning point. It didn’t just give me results—it gave me direction. It didn’t just give me success—it gave me possibility. It didn’t just change my present—it shaped my future. WordPress gave me confidence.It gave me a voice.It gave me a community . And today, I know— It is not just what I do—it is who I have become, and who I am still becoming. એક નાના ગામથી વર્ડકેમ્પ એશિયા સુધી: મારી વર્ડપ્રેસ સફર શીતલને તેના પોતાના અવાજમાં તેનો નિબંધ વાંચતા સાંભળો! જિજ્ઞાસાથી કોન્ટ્રીબ્યુશન સુધી — વર્ડપ્રેસે કેવી રીતે મને કારકિર્દી, આત્મવિશ્વાસ અને વૈશ્વિક તકો આપી પરિચય દરેક સફર એક નાના પગલાથી શરૂ થાય છે, ઘણીવાર સ્પષ્ટતા કરતાં જિજ્ઞાસાથી પ્રેરિત થાય છે.મારી ટેક્નોલોજીની સફર પણ એવી જ હતી — કોઈ પ્લાન નહોતો, માત્ર એક સવાલ હતો: મારે શું શીખવું જોઈએ? એક નાના ગામમાંથી આવું છું જ્યાં કોમ્પ્યુટરનો

In this episode, co-hosts discuss WooCommerce automation with expert James Collins, emphasizing how tools like Zapier streamline tasks, reduce errors, and enhance efficiency through practical automation examples and AI advancements.