ACF 6.2.3

Advanced Custom Fields version 6.2.3 is now available.

This release includes a number of bug fixes and improvements, along with ACF PRO activation improvements and a JSON schema for ACF Blocks.

👨‍💻 Please find the release notes below. For the latest ACF news, follow us on Twitter @wp_acf.

ACF Blocks JSON Schema

Users have long requested we provide a JSON schema for ACF Blocks so you can configure your IDE or code editor to automatically validate your ACF Blocks configuration JSON files. We’ve now published one over on GitHub.

By adding the $schema property to your block.json set to our URL, editors like VS Code or PHPStorm will automatically validate your values for WordPress Core and ACF specific keys in block.json.

Instructions for using the schema can be found here. If you spot anything missing or incomplete, please feel free to open a PR on that repo with suggested changes.

ACF PRO Activation Improvements

Purchasing an ACF PRO license has always been required to receive plugin updates and access to PRO field types and features, but this wasn’t enforced in the plugin, leading to potential for piracy and abuse. The vast majority of customers won’t be affected by this change, as you’ve always needed a license to download ACF PRO. However, you will now need to make sure to enter your license key in the plugin to use all of the features enabled by your license.

As of ACF 6.2.3, sites without an active license will display a warning in the ACF screens, and will have the following restrictions in place in a future version.

Once these restrictions are live, unless a valid license key has been activated for the site, it won’t be possible to create new or edit existing PRO fields, or use the premium features such as Options Pages and ACF Blocks in ACF’s admin screens.

The use of ACF on a site is in 3 different areas, and to clarify how these changes affect those areas take a look at the following table:

	ACF Admin	Editing Posts	Displaying Data
	Where you create and edit field groups, fields, and Options Pages in the ACF admin screen using PRO field types	Where content editors enter field values and ACF Blocks when editing posts, pages & custom post types	How the field values are rendered on the front end of the site by the theme or a page builder
Valid license activated	🟢 No impact	🟢 No impact	🟢 No impact
Expired license activated	🟢 Can edit existing ACF PRO fields, ACF Blocks, and Options Pages 🟠 Cannot create new ACF PRO fields, ACF Blocks, and Options Pages	🟢 No impact	🟢 No impact
No license activated	🟠 Cannot edit existing ACF PRO fields, ACF Blocks, and Options Pages 🟠 Cannot create new ACF PRO fields, ACF Blocks, and Options Pages	🟢 No impact	🟢 No impact

There are no changes to legacy lifetime licenses. Any valid ACF PRO license key will be valid to activate and use PRO features on any site, subject to your license site limits.

If you previously activated a license and the subscription has expired, you will not be able to create new PRO fields, but you will be able to edit existing PRO field definitions.

The editor experience for ACF fields, blocks and options pages will not change, and your site editors will be able to use all features as they do now. It will not affect field values. The restrictions will only apply to ACF’s admin screens for editing field groups.

Improvements like this are important to the continued success and sustainability of the plugin. Learn more about the license activations restrictions.

Changelog

• New – An ACF Blocks specific JSON schema for block.json is now available on GitHub
• New – Flexible Content fields now show the layout name in the layout’s header bar and supports click-to-copy
• New – Duplicating Flexible Content layouts now appends “Copy” to their name and label, matching the behavior of field group duplication
• Enhancement – ACF PRO will now automatically attempt license reactivation when the site URL changes, e.g. after a site migration. This resolves issues where updates may fail
• Enhancement – Presentation setting for ‘High’ placement of the Field Group made clear that it’s not supported in the block editor
• Fix – acf_format_date now ensures the date parameter is valid to prevent fatal errors if other data types are passed in
• Fix – CPTs with a custom icon URL now display the posts icon in the location column of the field groups screen
• Fix – The ACF JSON import form will now disable on first submit resolving an issue where you could submit the form twice
• Fix – The “Add Row” button in the Flexible Content field now displays correctly when using nested layouts
• Fix – Warning and Error notices no longer flicker on ACF admin pages load
• i18n – ACF PRO license activation success and error messages are now translatable

About the Author

For plugin support, please contact our support team directly, as comments aren't actively monitored.

• Florian Prache says:

  November 16, 2023 at 6:54 am

  Really bad update, i disaprove this, paid for paid for paid ….

  Log in to Reply
• Aaron Gregg says:

  November 22, 2023 at 8:07 am

  I’ve a lifetime licence, but this is disgraceful.

  Log in to Reply
• mike lewis says:

  January 20, 2024 at 12:48 pm

  Your messaging at the time many bought the LTD:

  https://web.archive.org/web/20210126020551/https://www.advancedcustomfields.com/resources/including-acf-within-a-plugin-or-theme/

  Changing the goalposts. Anti-consumer at best.

  It’s not too late to turn around and do the right thing. Communities talk, and talk and talk and talk. Especially communities focussed on the internet. Not too late to un-tarnish your rep. It might sting, but if you start going back on your word, then who’s to say what you’ll u-turn on next?

  Can’t be trusted if you’re not trustworthy.

  Log in to Reply