Make plugin name bold in update notice on Plugins page

[yasirkhalifa]

On the Plugins admin screen (wp-admin/plugins.php), when a plugin update is available, WordPress displays an update notice below the plugin row.

Currently, the plugin name inside the update message is not visually emphasized. Making the plugin name bold would improve readability and help users quickly identify which plugin the update notice refers to.

Example current notice:
There is a new version of MailerPress available. View version 1.5.1 details or update now.

Suggested improvement:
There is a new version of MailerPress available. View version 1.5.1 details or update now.

This small UI improvement would make the plugin name stand out and improve clarity when multiple plugins have updates available.

Steps to Reproduce

• Install a plugin from the WordPress Plugin Directory.
• Wait until an update is available.
• Go to Dashboard → Plugins.
• Observe the update notice displayed under the plugin row.

Expected Behavior

The plugin name in the update notice should be displayed in bold text for better visibility.

Actual Behavior

The plugin name appears as normal text, making it less distinguishable within the sentence.

Proposed Solution

Wrap the plugin name in a <strong> tag in the update notice markup.

Example:
There is a new version of <strong>Plugin Name</strong> available.

[yasirkhalifa]

patch file

[yasirkhalifa]

Hello,

I have attached a patch to improve the readability of the plugin update notice displayed on the Plugins admin page (wp-admin/plugins.php).

Currently, when an update is available, the notice appears like this:

There is a new version of MailerPress available. View version 1.5.1 details or update now.

In this message, the plugin name is not visually emphasized, which can make it slightly harder to quickly identify the plugin when multiple updates are listed.

Proposed Improvement

This patch wraps the plugin name in a <strong> tag so it appears bold, improving visibility and consistency with other admin UI emphasis patterns.

Example after change:

There is a new version of MailerPress available. View version 1.5.1 details or update now.

Benefits

Improves readability in the Plugins list.

Makes the plugin name easier to identify.

Small UI enhancement with no functional impact.

Testing

Install a plugin with an available update.

Go to Dashboard → Plugins.

Observe the update notice below the plugin row.

After applying the patch, the plugin name appears in bold.

Patch

Patch attached with this comment.

Thank you for reviewing this enhancement.

[yasirkhalifa]

After Screenshot:: ​https://prnt.sc/28FIKLDhP8tN

[westonruter]

Thanks for the ticket. However, I don't think this is necessary. The notice is already inline with the plugin row it is related to.

[siliconforks]

Replying to westonruter:

Thanks for the ticket. However, I don't think this is necessary. The notice is already inline with the plugin row it is related to.

I think the main benefit here is to make the sentence more readable rather than to emphasize the plugin name. Some plugins have really long, ugly names that make it difficult to tell where the plugin name actually ends.

[siliconforks]

Is that sentence easy to read? No.

[siliconforks]

Is that sentence easy to read? Also no. But it is a bit easier to tell where the plugin name ends.

[yasirkhalifa]

Thanks for the feedback.

I understand that the notice is already visible in the plugin row when the row is relaxed. My intention with this patch was mainly to improve readability and consistency with other admin notices where important information is emphasized.

In cases where multiple plugins have update notices, the plugin name can sometimes blend into the sentence, making it slightly harder to quickly identify which plugin the message refers to. Wrapping the plugin name in a <strong> tag was intended as a small UI enhancement without changing functionality.

Thank you for taking the time to review the ticket.

[sabernhardt]

Unless translators should decide whether the new (<strong>) tags are appropriate in their language, I would not add the HTML within the translatable strings.

I also noticed:

1. The plugin name allows some HTML, which would be escaped in the ARIA label. The HTML could be removed before adding the name to an attribute.
2. The visible version number uses the wrong escaping function.

• Adds strong tags in a new $plugin_display_name variable.
• Strips HTML from the $plugin_name variable before using it in the aria-label.
• Switches esc_attr() to esc_html() for the visible new_version text.

Trac 64843

Use of AI Tools: none

[westonruter]

In this case, I wonder if the plugin name is even needed in the first place? Couldn't it just say:

There is a new version of this plugin available.