WordPress 2.7 was launched to the entire blogging community this morning.

Codenamed Coltrane, the new version of WordPress features a altered backend layout which is aimed at reducing the number of clicks and reloads around the interface.

As an example you can now ‘quick-moderate’ comments, such as to correct spelling or grammar rather than  the need to reload the comment page.  WordPress also now has an automatic upgrade feature built in.  Previously a plug-in had been created but for those users who used the previous plug-in to get to WordPress 2.6.5 then it doesn’t appear compatible (yet) with an upgrade to 2.7.  You may have thought the days of a manual FTP upload were over, but for some users – not just yet!

Most sections of WordPress now have a ‘Screen Option’ tab.  If there is something on a screen you hardly ever use then you can simply turn this off and it won’t appear again – an example is if you never bother with an excerpt, or never need to change the slug on a post – you can simply remove these from the posting screen.

Another new feature is ‘Quick Post’ – which is on the main dashboard and allows you to quickly create a new post.  Ideal for short updates.

It looks like a long day of upgrading WordPress blogs for me then – at least, they promise, this will be the last time it needs to be done!