A week after releasing the problematic version 6.6, WordPress has launched another update addressing seven major issues. These include two fatal errors (causing website crashes), a problem with security plugins issuing false warnings, and several other issues that resulted in unwanted UI changes.
Fatal Errors in WordPress 6.6
One issue that gained significant attention on social media affected users of certain page builders and themes like Divi. Although relatively minor, this issue dramatically altered the appearance of websites by adding underlines beneath all links. While underlining links is typically good practice, it is not always necessary, particularly for top-level navigation.
“Updating to 6.6 caused all links to be immediately underlined on a staging Divi-themed site.”
Although a workaround was suggested to address the issue, the root cause remained unclear. Divi released an emergency fix for their users, even though the problem originated from WordPress. Later, WordPress acknowledged the bug and announced that a fix would be included in version 6.6.1.
Other Issues Fixed in 6.6.1
Fatal Error
An undefined function, is_utf8_charset(), when called by code in compat.php, caused a fatal error, particularly noticed by users of WP Super Cache. The temporary workaround involved completely disabling website caching. As noted on GitHub:
“Disabling the cache removes the error but is far from ideal.”
PHP Fatal Error
“PHP Fatal error: Uncaught Error: Object of class WP_Comment could not be converted to string.”
This error arose when a part of the WordPress code attempted to retrieve the name of the commenter on a post. The code was supposed to receive a comment ID but sometimes received a WP_Comment object instead, causing a fatal error. This issue was discovered by a Divi user.
Additional Bug Fixes in 6.6.1
The following bugs, while not causing websites to crash, were significant enough to be fixed in the 6.6.1 update:
- False security warnings – Fixed a bug that caused security plugins to issue false positives about possible hacker files.
- Admin toolbar display – Fixed a bug affecting the display of the admin toolbar.
- Invalid CSS – Resolved an issue with invalid CSS that caused unwanted horizontal scrolling on web pages.
- Post Editor – Fixed a bug in the Post Editor that caused the category chooser box to become extra long instead of showing a scroll UI within a set size.
Conclusion
Updating to WordPress 6.6.1 is essential for maintaining the smooth and secure operation of your website. This update addresses critical issues from the previous version, making it vital for all users to upgrade to avoid potential disruptions and security vulnerabilities.
Ensure your WordPress site is up to date by installing version 6.6.1.
If you need help with the update process, MeisterIT Systems web development team is available for assistance.
