WordPress 5.4 Release Expected Tuesday

WordPress 5.4 is scheduled for release on Tuesday, March 31, 2020.

With the final release candidate behind us, we recommend clients review the changelog and the WordPress 5.4 Field Guide and set aside some time for last-minute testing.

Fullscreen Mode Enabled by Default in the Editor

In our last post, we provided an overview of the many upcoming changes in WordPress 5.4.

Beginning with WordPress 5.4 RC 4, Gutenberg opens in fullscreen mode by default the first time the editor is opened in a new installation or on a new device.

Individual users can disable this setting by switching modes in the editor menu.

How to disable fullscreen mode in the editor in WordPress 5.4

This editor preference is stored locally for now, which means it will reset to fullscreen mode any time the editor is used on a new device or in incognito mode or if user preferences are reset.

We understand some users may want to disable this option, preferring to default to the traditional editor view. The following code snippet can be adjusted and added to any site’s theme files to disable the fullscreen mode default. Please note, this only applies to sites using the Gutenberg editor; the classic editor will be unaffected.

function disable_editor_fullscreen_by_default() {
  $script = "jQuery( window ).load(function() { const isFullscreenMode = wp.data.select( 'core/edit-post' ).isFeatureActive( 'fullscreenMode' ); if ( isFullscreenMode ) { wp.data.dispatch( 'core/edit-post' ).toggleFeature( 'fullscreenMode' ); } });";
  wp_add_inline_script( 'wp-blocks', $script );
}
add_action( 'enqueue_block_editor_assets', 'disable_editor_fullscreen_by_default' );

When Will WordPress 5.4 Be Deployed?

VIP Go: WordPress 5.4 will be rolled out to all WordPress.com VIP and VIP Go sites on Tuesday, March 31, 2020.

WordPress.com VIP: As with all Core upgrades, we’ll be pushing incremental updates leading up to the public release.

Please note that the deployment dates are subject to change if critical issues are discovered during testing or the public release is delayed. We’ll post updates to the Lobby if the dates do change.

What Should I Do?

We highly recommend updating your local development environments to the beta release using the Beta Tester plugin or updating it to track 5.4 (i.e. trunk) via either the Subversion or GitHub repos.

For sites on VIP Go, you can have your non-production sites switched to WordPress 5.4 now. If this is something you’re interested in, please open a ticket and we can set it up for you.

And, as always, if you have any questions related to this release, please open a support ticket and we will be happy to assist.