Our VIP-CLI NPM package has been updated to version 2.7.1, we strongly recommend that all customers ensure they update to this version.
This version of VIP-CLI fixes an issue that caused an infinite loop when running certain commands due to changes in a 3rd-party dependency.
If you already have VIP-CLI installed you can update with: npm i -g @automattic/vip
If you have any questions, related to this release, please open a support ticket and we will be happy to assist.
WordPress version 5.8 “Tatum” has been released to the WordPress VIP platform.
Named in honor of Art Tatum, the legendary Jazz pianist. His formidable technique and willingness to push boundaries inspired musicians and changed what people thought could be done.
Please note that this is the first major version of WordPress since we announced our Supported Versions Policy. VIP now supports the current version of WordPress, and one major version behind.
WordPress 5.8 has a number of new features and changes, you can find the full change list here and we’ve highlighted the changes that are most likely to impact you as VIP Customers below.
Click the links below to learn more about these changes and features.
WordPress support for Internet Explorer 11 is ending this year, which means new features will no longer be tested with IE 11. This may require that you modify your editing workflows if they rely on IE 11.
This is a potentially breaking change.
To see a full list of changes, you can browse the list on Trac, or visit the documentation page.
For more details about this release (including specific changes), please see the announcement post on WordPress.org and release notes.
The next generation of image files has arrived in WordPress core with the release of WordPress 5.8 The VIP Filesystem already converts images such as .jpeg and .png and serves them as needed as .webp files instead where possible. No action is required on your part.
As a result of this conversion while 5.8 will introduce WebP support into Core WordPress, we recommend that you continue to upload files in traditional image formats to maintain compatibility with older devices that cannot display .webp files. Our Filesystem will continue to convert all media to .webp as needed. Webp files cannot be imported to VIP’s File System.
You can learn more about how the VIP Filesystem works with WebP here: https://docs.wpvip.com/how-tos/migrate-content-media/#h-webps
If you have any questions related to this release, please open a support ticket and we will be happy to assist.
The WordPress 5.8 Release Candidate 1 is now available on VIP for sites running 5.8 branch with a final release planned for July 20, 2021.
“Release Candidate” means that the new version is ready for release, but with millions of users and thousands of plugins and themes, it is possible something was missed. WordPress 5.8 is slated for release on July 20, 2021, but your help is needed to get there—if you haven’t tried 5.8 yet, now is the time!
So far, contributors have fixed 254 tickets in WordPress 5.8, including 91 new features and enhancements, and more bug fixes are on the way.
The WordPress 5.8 RC 1 Release Article provides a full list of changes; below you’ll find some of the changes that are most likely to impact the Enterprise WordPress space. As with any release, testing your application prior to release will ensure compatibility with the latest features and security.
theme.jsonWordPress Support for Internet Explorer 11 is ending this year, which means new features will no longer be tested with IE 11. Most of the changes are being added to this release, giving you the Beta and RC periods to test.
This change focuses primarily on the WordPress dashboard, the block editor, and default themes going forward. The front end of your sites should not be impacted if they support IE 11 currently; however, we do recommend testing your application leading up to the release. If your editorial workflow involves editing content with IE 11, we recommend revising your workflows to use a different browser.
The Dropping support for Internet Explorer 11 article on WordPress.org has more information
Introducing the Global Styles and Global Settings APIs: control the editor settings, available customization tools, and style blocks using a theme.json file in the active theme. At the highest level, theme.json is a configuration file used to enable or disable features and set default styles for both a website and blocks. Rather than dealing with a ton of theme support flags or alternative methods, theme.json provides a consolidated and canonical way to manage it all.
Keep in mind that theme.json support will be more robust in the future but, for now, a number of options included in 5.8 should prove to be useful to explore.
This feature is Opt-in You can opt in by including a theme.json file in your theme’s root directory.
This is a potentially breaking change. In addition to testing this with the 5.8 Beta, you can also test the new widget functionality in the latest version of Gutenberg with WordPress 5.7.2.
With the inclusion of blocks in the widget areas, the WordPress Core team is looking for help to test the new widget area as part of 5.8 RC 1. While existing widgets should continue to work, you will want to check your existing widgets for compatibility. Learn more in the call for testing.
Testing is a vital part of polishing the release during the beta stage and a great way to contribute. ✨
WordPress 5.8 Beta is now available on VIP for sites running trunk with a final release planned for July 20, 2021.
Over 200 tickets have been closed by the Core community, with another 85 enhancements for the 5.8 milestone.
This is a rather extensive beta and is a first look at a lot of the changes coming with the release of WordPress 5.8. The beta is available on VIP for sites running trunk. To test this release, we recommend updating your VIP development environment to run WordPress trunk. Please open a support ticket to request this update.
The WordPress 5.8 Beta 2 news article provides a full list of changes; below you’ll find some of the changes that are most likely to impact the Enterprise WordPress space. As with any release, testing your application prior to release will ensure compatibility with the latest features and security.
As part of the ongoing efforts to keep the bundled version of jQuery updated, the bundled jQuery version 3.5.1 has been bumped to 3.6.0. If you are using the version of jQuery bundled with core you will want to test this upgrade. The full change log can be found on the jQuery blog. The removal of jQuery Migrate has been pushed to WordPress 5.9.
WordPress Support for Internet Explorer 11 is ending this year, which means new features will no longer be tested with IE 11. Most of the changes are being added to this release, giving you the Beta and RC periods to test.
This change focuses primarily on the WordPress dashboard, the block editor, and default themes going forward. The front end of your sites should not be impacted if they support IE 11 currently; however, we do recommend testing your application leading up to the release. If your editorial workflow involves editing content with IE 11, we recommend revising your workflows to use a different browser.
The Dropping support for Internet Explorer 11 article on WordPress.org has more information
WordPress 5.8 lays the ground work for Full-Site Editing. As part of this effort a new template editor that allows creating new custom templates for a page using blocks has been added.
Themes now have the option to control and configure styling with a theme.json file, including layout configuration, block supports, color palettes, and more.
In addition, the improvements to the block editor brings improvements to how the editor is rendered to more accurately resemble the front end.
This is a potentially breaking change. In addition to testing this with the 5.8 Beta, you can also test the new widget functionality in the latest version of Gutenberg with WordPress 5.7.2.
With the inclusion of blocks in the widget areas, the WordPress Core team is looking for help to test the new widget area as part of 5.8 Beta. While existing widgets should continue to work, you will want to check your existing widgets for compatibility. Learn more in the call for testing.
We recommend updating your local development environments to the beta release using the Beta Tester plugin or updating it to WordPress trunk via either the Subversion or GitHub repositories.
You can have your non-production VIP sites switched to WordPress trunk now; please open a ticket and we can set it up for you.
Testing is a vital part of polishing the release during the beta stage and a great way to contribute. ✨
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