Tag Archives: WordPress 5.4

New Release: WordPress 5.4.2

This notice relates to the following platforms: WordPress.com and VIP Go

WordPress 5.4.2 has been deployed to the WordPress.com platform, as well as all sites on VIP Go running WordPress 5.4. For those sites on VIP Go that were running WordPress 5.3.3, they are upgraded to the patch version WordPress 5.3.4.

What is being added or changed?

WordPress 5.4.2 is a security and maintenance release that features 23 fixes and enhancements.

For more details about this release (including specific changes), please see the announcement post.

Questions?

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

New Release: WordPress 5.4.1

This notice relates to the following platforms: WordPress.com and VIP Go

WordPress 5.4.1 has been deployed to the WordPress.com platform, as well as all sites on VIP Go running WordPress 5.4. For those sites on VIP Go that were running WordPress 5.3.2, they are upgraded to the patch version WordPress 5.3.3.

What is being added or changed?

WordPress 5.4.1 is a security and maintenance release that features 17 bug fixes in addition to 7 security fixes.

For more details about this release (including specific changes), please see the announcement post.

Questions?

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

New Release: WordPress 5.4

WordPress 5.4 has been released to the VIP Platform. Named “Adderley” in honor of jazz trumpeter Nat Adderley, this latest release includes many new features for Gutenberg alongside accessibility improvements and various developer-focused changes.

The Highlights

WordPress 5.4 merges ten releases of the Gutenberg plugin, including the most recent, Gutenberg 7.5. This means there’s a long list of exciting features including two new blocks—social links and buttons. The former lets you add social media links anywhere within a post. The latter makes it easy to add buttons side by side within a post.

The new release also adds new color customization options including gradients in the Buttons and Cover blocks, toolbar access to color options in Rich Text blocks, and for the first time, color options in the Group and Columns blocks.

For accessibility, WordPress 5.4 introduces clearer block navigation with block breadcrumbs plus better tabbing and focus when using keyboard navigation.

Developers can look forward to many features and improvements including two new actions related to custom menus:

On the Menus admin screen, wp_nav_menu_item_custom_fields fires just before the move buttons of a nav menu item in the menu editor.
In the Customizer, wp_nav_menu_item_custom_fields_customize_template fires at the end of the menu-items form-fields template.

Block styling is also simplified. Negative margins and default padding are gone! Now you can style blocks the way you need them.

Fullscreen Mode Enabled by Default in the Editor

Beginning with WordPress 5.4, 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.

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' );

Learn More

For more details about the 5.4 release (including specific changes), please see the announcement post and Field Guide.

Questions?

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

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.

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.

Call for Testing: WordPress 5.4 (Beta)

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

What Is Being Added or Changed?

Block Editor: features and improvements

WordPress 5.4 Core will merge ten releases of the Gutenberg plugin, including the most recent, Gutenberg 7.5. This means there’s a long list of exciting new features. These features include new functionality, as well as accessibility and performance improvements. Some of the new features include:

Two new blocks: social links and buttons.
A Welcome Guide modal.
Tools for adding featured images in the Latest Posts block.
Easier navigation in the block breadcrumbs.
Several new APIs related to block scaffolding
Friendlier offline error messages on REST API request failures.
Table block captions.
Improved color options.

Site Health

WordPress 5.4 adds a widget on the dashboard that warns administrators of potential issues that could affect their site’s performance or security. A call-to-action button directs them to the Site Health screen for details and suggested fixes.

WordPress accessibility improvements

Improvements include changes to focus management in Menu, Customizer, and Site Health screens, easier keyboard navigation for better semantics in the Media modal, and an easier-to-read Privacy Policy Guide.

Developer-facing Changes

Instead of using do_shortcode(), apply_shortcodes() should be utilized instead. While do_shortcode() is not being deprecated, the new function delivers better semantics.
Clearer information about errors in wp_login_failed.
Site ID has been added to the newblog_notify_siteadmin filter for multisite installs.

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.

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.