The WordPress coreCoreCore is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. development team builds WordPress! Follow this site for general updates, status reports, and the occasional code debate. There’s lots of ways to contribute:
Found a bugbugA bug is an error or unexpected result. Performance improvements, code optimization, and are considered enhancements, not defects. After feature freeze, only bugs are dealt with, with regressions (adverse changes from the previous version) being the highest priority.?Create a ticket in our bug tracker.
GutenbergGutenbergThe Gutenberg project is the new Editor Interface for WordPress. The editor improves the process and experience of creating new content, making writing rich content much simpler. It uses ‘blocks’ to add richness rather than shortcodes, custom HTML etc. https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/ 11.5 RC will be released Wednesday.
Navigation BlockBlockBlock is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience. & Navigation Editor.
Template editor.
Patterns.
Styling.
Mobile Team.
Task Coordination.
Open Floor.
If you are not able to attend the meeting, you are encouraged to share anything relevant for the discussion:
If you have an update for the main site editing projects, please feel free to share as a comment or come prepared for the meeting itself.
If you have anything to share for the Task Coordination section, please leave it as a comment on this post.
If you have anything to propose for the agenda or other specific items related to those listed above, please leave a comment below.
The document includes a facilitator schedule – anybody interested in running a future CSSCSSCascading Style Sheets. Chat or CSS TriagetriageThe act of evaluating and sorting bug reports, in order to decide priority, severity, and other factors. session is very welcome to add their name!
@notlaura let us know that her attendance will be spottier than usual for the next couple of months, but we are lucky to have had some new attendees join the meetings recently
@robertg asked about indicating pull requests in the planning document’s Claimed & Unclaimed Files list. @danfarrow clarified that they should be marked with a link “Pull request” linking to the PR on GitHubGitHubGitHub is a website that offers online implementation of git repositories that can can easily be shared, copied and modified by other developers. Public repositories are free to host, private repositories require a paid subscription. GitHub introduced the concept of the ‘pull request’ where code changes done in branches by contributors can be reviewed and discussed before being merged be the repository owner. https://github.com/. Merged PRs are indicated by striking through the entire line
@Erik raised the subject of polyfilling, as the ticketticketCreated for both bug reports and feature development on the bug tracker. mentions Internet Explorer. @danfarrow pointed out that the ticket was created before WordPress dropped IE support so it’s no longer an issue. It’s always fun to be reminded of this fact, so thanks @Erik!
@ryelle announced that anybody who has claimed a file but not been able to work on it is free to unclaim it, with no strings attached. @danfarrow welcomed this sentiment as he may well fall into this categoryCategoryThe 'category' taxonomy lets you group posts / content together that share a common bond. Categories are pre-defined and broad ranging.
@danfarrow noted that all but 2 coreCoreCore is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. CSS files have been claimed, and 11 PRs have been merged. He asked about the next step to which @ryelle responded that we will want to circle back to the unresolved subject of handling colours with opacity
Welcome back to a new issue of Week in CoreCoreCore is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress.. Let’s take a look at what changed on TracTracAn open source project by Edgewall Software that serves as a bug tracker and project management tool for WordPress. between August 30 and September 6, 2021.
23 commits
61 contributors
41 tickets created
12 tickets reopened
52 tickets closed
The Core team is currently working on the next point (5.8.1) and major (5.9) releases.
TicketticketCreated for both bug reports and feature development on the bug tracker. numbers are based on the Trac timeline for the period above. The following is a summary of commits, organized by component and/or focus.
Clean css/dist as part of the webpack build step – #53719
Add missing @covers tags for Tests_Admin_IncludesComment – #39265
Add missing @covers tags for Tests_Admin_wpCommunityEvents – #39265
Add missing @covers tags for actions’ tests – #39265
Code Modernization
Code Modernization: Fix parameter name mismatches for parent/child classes in WP_List_Table::column_default() – #51553
Apply coding standards on CSSCSSCascading Style Sheets. – #53866
Customize
Add wp-embed-responsive class to body if using widgets blockBlockBlock is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience. editor – #53609
Documentation
Correct the post_submitbox_minor_actions hook description – #54045
Fix typo in a comment in WP_Customize_Manager::get_return_url() – #53399
Move @since notes from the safe_style_cssfilterFilterFilters are one of the two types of Hooks https://codex.wordpress.org/Plugin_API/Hooks. They provide a way for functions to modify data of other functions. They are the counterpart to Actions. Unlike Actions, filters are meant to work in an isolated manner, and should never have side effects such as affecting global variables and output. to the safecss_filter_attr() function – #53731
Provide a more accurate description for a few script and style functions – #54044
Сlarify that term_id is a valid value for the $field parameter of get_term_by() – #54065
Editor
Update block editor packages for WordPress 5.8.1 – #54052, #52818
Media
Remove documentation detailing specific edge cases in the image_editor_output_format filter – #53955
Apply the wp_editor_set_quality filter not only when loading an image in the editor but also when saving an converted image, after the mime-type of the output image has changed – #53667
Media: fix showing of the “Filter Media” filds when replacing an image from the media modal – #53833
Site Health
Remove MySQLMySQLMySQL is a relational database management system. A database is a structured collection of data where content, configuration and other options are stored. https://www.mysql.com/. query cache size from the Site Health Info screen – #53845
Widgets
Pass correct context to get_block_categories() calls – #53757
Rename and soft deprecate retrieve_widgets() – #53811
Show title and media select fields in AccessibilityAccessibilityAccessibility (commonly shortened to a11y) refers to the design of products, devices, services, or environments for people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design ensures both “direct access” (i.e. unassisted) and “indirect access” meaning compatibility with a person’s assistive technology (for example, computer screen readers). (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accessibility) Mode – #53641
Happy September no matter where you are in the world! Since we’re halfway through the alpha period for the next big release of WordPress, it’s time to gather all the pieces of planning into one place. This post will include all the best guesses and targets for dates, features, and squads.
This release will follow the same general cadence as the other releases this year, with a long alpha period (132 days) and a short betaBetaA pre-release of software that is given out to a large group of users to trial under real conditions. Beta versions have gone through alpha testing in-house and are generally fairly close in look, feel and function to the final product; however, design changes often occur as part of the process. period (14 days) before the release candidaterelease candidateOne of the final stages in the version release cycle, this version signals the potential to be a final release to the public. Also see alpha (beta). phase.
Proposed WordPress 5.9 Schedule
These are my best guesses at the milestones:
Milestone
Date
Days from
Alpha (trunktrunkA directory in Subversion containing the latest development code in preparation for the next major release cycle. If you are running "trunk", then you are on the latest revision. open for 5.9 release)
June 30, 2021
Go/no go Date
October 12, 2021
104 days after Alpha
Feature freeze/Bug Fixes
November 9, 2021
42 days after go/no go
Beta 1
November 16, 2021
7 days after Feature Freeze
Release Candidate 1
November 30, 2021
14 days after Beta 1
General release
December 14, 2021
14 days after RC1
WP5.9 Schedule
This schedule puts Beta 1 the week of a major US holiday and a few major commerce dates worldwide. It does avoid putting RC1 during that week.
Proposed WordPress 5.9 Scope
The main goal for 2021 is getting full site editing to all WordPress users. For WP5.9 the following features are in the suggested roadmap:
Blocks + intrinsic web design
Navigation menus
Interface for theme.jsonJSONJSON, or JavaScript Object Notation, is a minimal, readable format for structuring data. It is used primarily to transmit data between a server and web application, as an alternative to XML.
Refining editing flows for blockBlockBlock is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience. themes
New default theme
Additional design tools
There are also a few roadmap hopefuls out there.
Pattern insertion + creation
Unzip/Rollback Failsafes
PHPUnit Tests
Improved compatibility with PHPPHPThe web scripting language in which WordPress is primarily architected. WordPress requires PHP 5.6.20 or higher 8.0 and 8.1
Proposed WordPress 5.9 Leads
Release LeadRelease LeadThe community member ultimately responsible for the Release.: Matt Mullenweg
Release Coordinators:
TriagetriageThe act of evaluating and sorting bug reports, in order to decide priority, severity, and other factors. Lead:
Editor Tech:
Editor Design:
CoreCoreCore is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. Tech:
Theme Lead:
Technical Writer: Jonathan Bossenger
Docs Lead:
Marketing & Comms: Josepha Haden
AccessibilityAccessibilityAccessibility (commonly shortened to a11y) refers to the design of products, devices, services, or environments for people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design ensures both “direct access” (i.e. unassisted) and “indirect access” meaning compatibility with a person’s assistive technology (for example, computer screen readers). (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accessibility) Lead:
Test Lead:
How to help!
I think we will need a slightly larger release squad for this final release of the year, so I’m opening calls for volunteers. As we approach the go/no go date and get a better idea of what features will really land in the release, we’ll get more squad leads assigned.
However, there are a couple of roles we really could use some volunteers for right now:
Triage Lead
Release Coordinators
If you’re interested in lending a hand, please share your interest in the comments!
Props to @francina for early versions of this post, and @jeffpaul + @desrosj for wrestling calendars with me.
The next weekly CSSCSSCascading Style Sheets. meeting is today, Thursday September 02, at 21:00pm UTC in the #core-css channel in Making WordPress SlackSlackSlack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/..
There will also be a CoreCoreCore is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. CSS TriagetriageThe act of evaluating and sorting bug reports, in order to decide priority, severity, and other factors. starting at 20:00pm UTC, an hour before the meeting.
This post summarizes the weekly editor chat meeting (agenda here) held in Slack. Moderated by @annezazu.
Announcements
GutenbergGutenbergThe Gutenberg project is the new Editor Interface for WordPress. The editor improves the process and experience of creating new content, making writing rich content much simpler. It uses ‘blocks’ to add richness rather than shortcodes, custom HTML etc. https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/ 11.4 launched
The Gallery BlockBlockBlock is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience. now acts as a wrapper for coreCoreCore is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. Image Blocks thanks to the Gallery Block Refactor. PluginPluginA plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https://wordpress.org/plugins/ or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party and theme authors, please do check out out this dev note to get up to speed on backwards compatibility
The Featured ImageFeatured imageA featured image is the main image used on your blog archive page and is pulled when the post or page is shared on social media. The image can be used to display in widget areas on your site or in a summary list of posts. block now has the option to add duotone filters so you now have even more ways to add your own style to your content.
Padding support was added to the Buttons Block making it easier to get the spacing just right.
Reminder: monthly block theme meeting in #themereview
A reminder was shared that there is a block theme meeting in for anyone keen to chat about what’s happening with block themes. This is a recurring monthly meeting so if you missed today’s, don’t worry!
Monthly Priorities & Key Project Updates
The overarching plan for September has not yet been shipped yet so we based today’s conversation on the July & August Plan. As a reminder to those working on these projects, async updates are both welcomed if you can’t make the meeting and needed.
Navigation Editor
For the Navigation Editor portion, @talldanwp shared a lovely update. Here are some highlights:
A plan has been formed for migrating from the customize APIAPIAn API or Application Programming Interface is a software intermediary that allows programs to interact with each other and share data in limited, clearly defined ways. to the REST APIREST APIThe REST API is an acronym for the RESTful Application Program Interface (API) that uses HTTP requests to GET, PUT, POST and DELETE data. It is how the front end of an application (think “phone app” or “website”) can communicate with the data store (think “database” or “file system”) https://developer.wordpress.org/rest-api/. in the navigation editor.
The nav editor headerHeaderThe header of your site is typically the first thing people will experience. The masthead or header art located across the top of your page is part of the look and feel of your website. It can influence a visitor’s opinion about your content and you/ your organization’s brand. It may also look different on different screen sizes.’s design has been refreshed.
Fixed an npm install breakage on Gutenberg’s trunkbranchbranchA directory in Subversion. WordPress uses branches to store the latest development code for each major release (3.9, 4.0, etc.). Branches are then updated with code for any minor releases of that branch. Sometimes, a major version of WordPress and its minor versions are collectively referred to as a "branch", such as "the 4.0 branch". due to third-party dependency we were building that had an unpinned typescript dependency.
In Progress:
Embed block (hoping to release some inline previews in our next release)
GSS Font size, line height, colors
Patterns
For patterns, some context was shared amongst the core editor wranglers from @paaljoachim that the design tool overview enhancements will ultimately also trickle down to make pattern creation easier, more responsive, etc.
Styling
I’m going to reuse part of the async update from André since he’s done a ton of work there. Lots of work is underway with adding duotone support in theme.json along with a PR around enabling global styles to all themes. Expect work to continue on this path for the week ahead.
No update for the Template Editor or the Navigation Block
If anyone has any context to add around the Template Editor or the Navigation Block, feel free to chime in below in the comments.
Task Coordination
Feel free to add items to this post if you weren’t able to make the meeting.
Created a few PRs in this area of work: the main one is perhaps enabling global styles to all themes. I’ll continue to work in this area for the next week.
Started “thunk-ifying” of core-data, got to the point where we’re able to slice Jarda’s main PR into a series of smaller, high-velocity PRs. The first one was #33201 and more are coming
Fixed a few problems with retrieve_widgets in core a bit (1524, 1525)
Brainstormed the navigation /reorder endpoint in #25093
I’ve worked a bit on performance. I want to get back to some layout related work.
I’ve reviewed a number of PRs as well.
I’ve spent some time this week exploring some wild ideas for block registration (both to make easier and more universal/language independent). For the curious, the repo is here https://github.com/youknowriad/blocky it’s no where near ready but I’d love to learn more about your custom blocks, if you have examples or ideas about how you’d ideally write them and what use-cases would you want to see for the simplified “view” property.
I worked on a proposal to split block registration from filtering, but I landed on a solution that ensures that all 3rd party filters are correctly (re)applied to all registered blocks. It might fix many existing issues for 3rd party blocks and their integration with plugins that extend blocks. It waits for feedback.
Triaging unlabeled PRs (down from over 100 to in the 20s). The unlabeled PRs that are left I am not quite sure what to do with so feel free to jump in.
Open Floor
Offer to run a Gutenberg Release for the first time. Raised by @mikeschroder.
If folks are interested, after shadowing @talldanwp (thanks again!), I would love to try running a Gutenberg release for the first time. Whenever it works best for the team is okay with me!
Next step: @priethor will coordinate since he helps wrangle the release process.
Proposed migrationMigrationMoving the code, database and media files for a website site from one server to another. Most typically done when changing hosting companies. of E2E specs to Playwright. Raised by Bart Kalisz.
A proof concept was shared and well received thus far as part of a proposed migration to Playwright. At this point, a wider discussion needs to happen with impacted parties to ensure that folks are willing to follow the proposed changes. A few folks chimed in agreeing that a wider discussion needs to happen along with perhaps a comparison with Cypress (mentioned by @swissspidy). Depending on how things go, a Make Core post might make sense.
Call for community ideas for FSE Outreach testing calls. Raised by @annezazu.
I’d love to start experimenting with community members sharing ideas for what to test in the outreach program. If you’d like to suggest an idea for a call for testing, know it’s very welcomed and all ideas will be weighed against current project priorities to figure out what makes the most sense to pursue. You can share ideas directly in the #fse-outreach-experimentslackSlackSlack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/. channel or via DM to me! In case you’re curious about how calls for testing have been wrangled in the past, it’s typically been a combination of monthly project priorities/release priorities + my own testing/what I can make happen + conversations with contributors.
WordPress 5.8.1 Release Candidaterelease candidateOne of the final stages in the version release cycle, this version signals the potential to be a final release to the public. Also see alpha (beta). 1 (RC1) is available for testing!
Some ways you can help testing WordPress 5.8.1 RC1:
Use the WordPress Beta TesterpluginPluginA plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https://wordpress.org/plugins/ or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party
as this is a minor RC release, select the Point ReleaseMinor ReleaseA set of releases or versions having the same minor version number may be collectively referred to as .x , for example version 5.2.x to refer to versions 5.2, 5.2.1, 5.2.3, and all other versions in the 5.2 (five dot two) branch of that software. Minor Releases often make improvements to existing features and functionality. channel and the Nightlies stream. This will be the latest build including the RC and potentially any subsequent commits in trunk).
Directly download the BetaBetaA pre-release of software that is given out to a large group of users to trial under real conditions. Beta versions have gone through alpha testing in-house and are generally fairly close in look, feel and function to the final product; however, design changes often occur as part of the process./RC version (https://wordpress.org/wordpress-5.8.1-RC1.zip)
What’s in this release candidate?
5.8.1 Release Candidate 1 features 41 bug fixes on CoreCoreCore is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress., as well as 20 bug fixes for the BlockBlockBlock is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience. Editor.
The following core tickets from TracTracAn open source project by Edgewall Software that serves as a bug tracker and project management tool for WordPress. are fixed:
#53556 – Add a new template-editing tagtagA directory in Subversion. WordPress uses tags to store a single snapshot of a version (3.6, 3.6.1, etc.), the common convention of tags in version control systems. (Not to be confused with post tags.) to the Theme APIAPIAn API or Application Programming Interface is a software intermediary that allows programs to interact with each other and share data in limited, clearly defined ways.
#53562 – Widgets Editor in CustomizerCustomizerTool built into WordPress core that hooks into most modern themes. You can use it to preview and modify many of your site’s appearance settings. doesn’t load with E2E tests + 0ms Animations
#53609 – Responsive widgetWidgetA WordPress Widget is a small block that performs a specific function. You can add these widgets in sidebars also known as widget-ready areas on your web page. WordPress widgets were originally created to provide a simple and easy-to-use way of giving design and structure control of the WordPress theme to the user. block embeds not showing in the customizer
#53616 – Registered block styles should only be rendered when the block exists on a page
#53641 – Can not configure image widget (and others) in widget accessability mode
#53654 – Menus: Hide bulk-select options when no menus exist
#53667 – Support wp_editor_set_quality for both loaded and saved mime_types
#53668 – Generated images for one file can be overwritten by another with the same name when mapping mime types for generated images
#53680 – Correct inline documentation about IMAGETYPE_WEBP and IMG_WEBP
#53696 – wp_add_iframed_editor_assets_html() not checking for block editor
#53697 – Possible RegressionregressionA software bug that breaks or degrades something that previously worked. Regressions are often treated as critical bugs or blockers. Recent regressions may be given higher priorities. A "3.6 regression" would be a bug in 3.6 that worked as intended in 3.5. – Border settings not displaying for Button Block
#53702 – Four css files removed between 5.7.x and 5.8 were not included in $_old_files
#53713 – Bounce underscore.js version in script-loader
#53714 – Bounce jquery.form.js version in script-loader
#53715 – Bounce hoverIntent.js version in script-loader
#53719 – grunt clean:css does not clean the css/dist folder
#53738 – Broken loopLoopThe Loop is PHP code used by WordPress to display posts. Using The Loop, WordPress processes each post to be displayed on the current page, and formats it according to how it matches specified criteria within The Loop tags. Any HTML or PHP code in the Loop will be processed on each post. https://codex.wordpress.org/The_Loop. in WP_Theme_JSON_Resolver
#53827 – Increase number of media items displayed when clicking button to “Load More”
#53830 – Default filters try to create nonce during installation before options table exists
#53833 – ‘Replace image’ Media Modal is missing select fields under filterFilterFilters are one of the two types of Hooks https://codex.wordpress.org/Plugin_API/Hooks. They provide a way for functions to modify data of other functions. They are the counterpart to Actions. Unlike Actions, filters are meant to work in an isolated manner, and should never have side effects such as affecting global variables and output. media due to css issues
#53877 – Menus: Selected display locations for new menus aren’t saved
#53898 – Duplicated 404 templates in the TemplatePanel
#53922 – Docblockdocblock(phpdoc, xref, inline docs) in get_block_editor_settings function
#53932 – Media grid view doesn’t show all media elements
#53936 – Output of serialize_block_attributes does not match equivalent GutenbergGutenbergThe Gutenberg project is the new Editor Interface for WordPress. The editor improves the process and experience of creating new content, making writing rich content much simpler. It uses ‘blocks’ to add richness rather than shortcodes, custom HTML etc. https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/ function
#53955 – Fix and improve the docs for the image_editor_output_format filter
#54030 – Pressing esc in Widgets Editor closes panel in customizer
#54036 – PclZip throwing errors on PHPPHPThe web scripting language in which WordPress is primarily architected. WordPress requires PHP 5.6.20 or higher 8 – previously merged patchpatchA special text file that describes changes to code, by identifying the files and lines which are added, removed, and altered. It may also be referred to as a diff. A patch can be applied to a codebase for testing. is incomplete
The following block editor issues from GitHubGitHubGitHub is a website that offers online implementation of git repositories that can can easily be shared, copied and modified by other developers. Public repositories are free to host, private repositories require a paid subscription. GitHub introduced the concept of the ‘pull request’ where code changes done in branches by contributors can be reviewed and discussed before being merged be the repository owner. https://github.com/ are fixed:
PR33381 – Docs: use markdown headings instead of links for API declarations
PR33498 – Docs: Run Prettier after updating API in documentation
PR33549 – Use tabs instead of spaces in block transform doc example
PR30617 – Fix metaboxMetaboxA post metabox is a draggable box shown on the post editing screen. Its purpose is to allow the user to select or enter information in addition to the main post content. This information should be related to the post in some way. reordering
PR32083 – Block editor: move layout styles to document head (instead of rendering inline)
PR33814 – Widgets: Allow HTMLHTMLHyperText Markup Language. The semantic scripting language primarily used for outputting content in web browsers. tags in description
PR33457 – Editor: Set ‘hide_empty’ for the most used terms query
PR33482 – Update widget editor help links to point to the new support article
PR33621 – Fixed that the block is selected instead of the title when using the select all shortcut.
PR33699 – Writing flow: select all: remove early return for post title
PR34280 – Default batch processor: Respect the batch endpoint’s maxItems
PR34314 – Fix button block focus trap after a URLURLA specific web address of a website or web page on the Internet, such as a website’s URL www.wordpress.org has been added
PR34076 – Text for dropdown fields within legacy widgets in the Customizer is off centered
PR32935 – Add a SearchControl component and reuse accross the UIUIUser interface(class change in tests)
What’s next?
The dev-reviewed workflow (double committercommitterA developer with commit access. WordPress has five lead developers and four permanent core developers with commit access. Additionally, the project usually has a few guest or component committers - a developer receiving commit access, generally for a single release cycle (sometimes renewed) and/or for a specific component. sign-off) is now in effect when making any changes to the 5.8 branchbranchA directory in Subversion. WordPress uses branches to store the latest development code for each major release (3.9, 4.0, etc.). Branches are then updated with code for any minor releases of that branch. Sometimes, a major version of WordPress and its minor versions are collectively referred to as a "branch", such as "the 4.0 branch"..
As per the proposed WordPress 5.8.1 schedule, the final release is expected on Wednesday, September 8, 2021. Please note that this date can change depending on possible issues after RC1 is released. Coordination will happen in the WordPress.orgWordPress.orgThe community site where WordPress code is created and shared by the users. This is where you can download the source code for WordPress core, plugins and themes as well as the central location for community conversations and organization. https://wordpress.org/SlackSlackSlack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/.#5-8-release-leads channel.
A special thanks to everyone who helped test, raised issues, and helped to fix tickets. With this release candidate testing continues, so please, help test!
Depending on where you live, it’s the first day of Spring. Or Autumn. Or, if you live on Venus, just another season of sulphuric acid showers.
No matter where you are, GutenbergGutenbergThe Gutenberg project is the new Editor Interface for WordPress. The editor improves the process and experience of creating new content, making writing rich content much simpler. It uses ‘blocks’ to add richness rather than shortcodes, custom HTML etc. https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/ 11.4 has been released with new features to brighten your mood including the refactored Gallery BlockBlockBlock is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience., duotone filters for featured images, and more block design tools!
Gallery Block now uses Image Blocks
The Gallery Block now acts as a wrapper for coreCoreCore is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. Image Blocks.
Individual gallery images will therefore feature all existing and future functionality of not only Image Blocks – for example, the ability to add custom links, filters, and styles – but also standard block behavior such as move, drag and drop, copy, and keyboard navigation.
For now, the new Gallery Block can be enabled on the Gutenberg Experiment page, but the plan is for the Gallery Block to ship with WordPress 5.9.
Theme and pluginPluginA plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https://wordpress.org/plugins/ or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party authors can get wise about backward compatibility recommendations over in the Gallery Block Refactor Dev Note.
Duotone filters for featured images
Duotone filters were introduced to image and cover blocks in 10.6. By extending duotone filters to Post Featured ImageFeatured imageA featured image is the main image used on your blog archive page and is pulled when the post or page is shared on social media. The image can be used to display in widget areas on your site or in a summary list of posts. blocks, 11.4 enables us to set consistent effects across post and page templates, recent posts lists, and Query Block content.
Padding support for Button Blocks
As of 11.4, we can define padding for Button Blocks with the further option of linking padding values to vertical and horizontal axial sides.
The aim is to provide greater control as well as uniformity in the way we display button elements. We can still set a single padding value for all sides – adding extra vertical or horizontal padding just gives us that extra flexibility to create variations on our design patterns.
Support for block gap spacing
Having a consistent way to tweak the margin/gap between blocks has been a long-standing feature requestfeature requestA feature request should generally begin the process in the ideas forum, on a mailing list, as a plugin, or brought to the attention of the core team, such as through scope meetings held for each major release. Unsolicited tickets of this variety are typically, therefore, discouraged.. 11.4 introduces the groundwork for adding gap spacing control to blocks such as Buttons, Images, and Columns, opening up the possibility of more powerful and precise layout tools.
There’s work in progress to bring this to the editor so stay tuned for updates in upcoming releases!
Other notable highlights
Font weight support is now available for the Post Date and Post Terms Blocks.
An “early betaBetaA pre-release of software that is given out to a large group of users to trial under real conditions. Beta versions have gone through alpha testing in-house and are generally fairly close in look, feel and function to the final product; however, design changes often occur as part of the process.” feature has also made it into 11.4: the ability to expose a parent block’s toolbar controls to its child blocks. A use case would be changing the alignment of Buttons when editing a single Button. Keep an eye out for a request for feedback on this developing feature soon.
11.4.0
Enhancements
AccessibilityAccessibilityAccessibility (commonly shortened to a11y) refers to the design of products, devices, services, or environments for people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design ensures both “direct access” (i.e. unassisted) and “indirect access” meaning compatibility with a person’s assistive technology (for example, computer screen readers). (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accessibility)
Cover Block: Allow alt text in Cover blocks. (33226)
Add aria-describedby to custom select control component to describe currently-selected font size. (33941)
Block Editor
Block Lists: improve iframeiframeiFrame is an acronym for an inline frame. An iFrame is used inside a webpage to load another HTML document and render it. This HTML document may also contain JavaScript and/or CSS which is loaded at the time when iframe tag is parsed by the user’s browser. block, pattern and template previews. (28165)
Block Library
Query LoopLoopThe Loop is PHP code used by WordPress to display posts. Using The Loop, WordPress processes each post to be displayed on the current page, and formats it according to how it matches specified criteria within The Loop tags. Any HTML or PHP code in the Loop will be processed on each post. https://codex.wordpress.org/The_Loop.: update Post Template sub-block icon. (34204)
Convert Gallery block to use Image blocks. (25940)
Post Featured Image: add duotone block supports. (34113)
Post Featured Image: add contextual help text to the scaleproperty. (34158)
File block: update transform from image to use image filename if caption is empty. (34256)
Post date Block: add font weight support to the block. (34070)
Post terms: add font weight support to the block. (34142)
Button: update spacing support to use axial padding. (33859)
Components
Add deprecated props adapter for ColorPicker. (34014)
Wrap SegmentedControl in a BaseControl with an added help property. (34017)
Combobox: update the current selection if the list of suggestions is filtered. (33928)
Post Title: use rich text hook and updating tagtagA directory in Subversion. WordPress uses tags to store a single snapshot of a version (3.6, 3.6.1, etc.), the common convention of tags in version control systems. (Not to be confused with post tags.) to h1 (31569)
Design Tools
Add layout default value support for blocks. (34194)
Dimensions Panel: add padding tool as default for blocks where this is a common setting. (34026)
Updates the “settings” icon, which toggles the display of additional controls in an interface. (34165)
Post Editor
Migrate post editor feature preferences to the interface package. (34154)
Widgets Editor
Migrate customize widgets feature preferences to interface package. (34135)
Refactor editor ‘feature’ preferences to interface package. (33774)
Bug Fixes
Block APIAPIAn API or Application Programming Interface is a software intermediary that allows programs to interact with each other and share data in limited, clearly defined ways.
Spacing/Dimensions Supports: separate spacing from dimensions for compatibility purposes. (34059)
Block Editor
Font-size adjustment for tablet and mobile device previews. (33342)
Fix single block selection by holding shift key. (34137)
Fix unwanted additional spaces added around pasted text on Windows. (33607)
Inserter: prevent non-deterministic order of inserter items. (34078)
Try: Fix multiselect toolbar indent and reformat BlockContextualToolbar(). (34038) (34173)
Block Library
Latest Comments: use site localeLocaleA locale is a combination of language and regional dialect. Usually locales correspond to countries, as is the case with Portuguese (Portugal) and Portuguese (Brazil). Other examples of locales include Canadian English and U.S. English. in the editor. (33944)
Navigation: fix vertical layout on the frontend. (34226)
Navigation: add z-index value to responsive menu overlay. (34228)
Navigation: enable flex on container to fix space between. (34258)
Post ExcerptExcerptAn excerpt is the description of the blog post or page that will by default show on the blog archive page, in search results (SERPs), and on social media. With an SEO plugin, the excerpt may also be in that plugin’s metabox.: remove interactive formatting. (34083)
RichText: fix space key for button and summary elements. (30244)
Search Block: add space between generated border class names. (34025)
Build Tooling
Webpack: Fix watch on .json and .php files. (34024)
Pin TypeScript dependency to a specific version to avoid pulling in breaking changes. (34422)
Block Editor: use groups for InspectorControls. (34069)
Block Library
Add generic classnames to children of Navigation. (33918)
Global Styles
Add slashes back to the Theme JSONJSONJSON, or JavaScript Object Notation, is a minimal, readable format for structuring data. It is used primarily to transmit data between a server and web application, as an alternative to XML.. (33919)
Add block spacing gap configuration to theme.json and add support for this CSS variable to the “flow/default” layout. (33812)
Unit Control: add unit tests for getValidParsedUnit utility method. (34029)
Rename SegmentedControl to ToggleGroupControl. (34111)
Dropdown Menu: remove min-width from the dropdown component and add whitespace rule to avoid wrapping (33995)
Core Data
Allow passing store definitions to controls. (34170)
Site Editor
Remove extra DOM element used for template part overlay. (34012)
Tools
Build Tooling
Automated Changelog: force group all documentation tasks under Documentation. (34042)
Automated Changelog: rename “Editor” grouping to “Post Editor” to avoid ambiguity with other editors. (34093)
Automated Changelog: sort feature groups by issue name. (34071)
Automated Changelog: use nested headings for feature groups instead of indenting lists. (34040)
Automated Changelog: remove UncategorizedheaderHeaderThe header of your site is typically the first thing people will experience. The masthead or header art located across the top of your page is part of the look and feel of your website. It can influence a visitor’s opinion about your content and you/ your organization’s brand. It may also look different on different screen sizes. in output and place items at top. (34037)
Add Typescript extensions to watched files. (34094)
Remove obsolete step that pushes tags in NPM publishing flow. (34114)
Release workflow: only commit modified changelogs. (34211)
ESLint
Eslint plugin: use @typescript-eslint/no-duplicate-imports in TS projects. (34055)
GitHubGitHubGitHub is a website that offers online implementation of git repositories that can can easily be shared, copied and modified by other developers. Public repositories are free to host, private repositories require a paid subscription. GitHub introduced the concept of the ‘pull request’ where code changes done in branches by contributors can be reviewed and discussed before being merged be the repository owner. https://github.com/ Contributor Templates
Issue Forms: simplify the bugbugA bug is an error or unexpected result. Performance improvements, code optimization, and are considered enhancements, not defects. After feature freeze, only bugs are dealt with, with regressions (adverse changes from the previous version) being the highest priority. report form template. (34007)
Logs
Hide deprecation logs under a console group. (34163)
Testing
Emulate reduced-motion in end-to-end tests. (34132)
Remove extra props from Cover deprecations. (34066)
Remove the ENVIRONMENT_DIRECTORY env variable that was added to the performance jobs. (34086)
Add snapshot test for changelog formatting. (34049)
Experiment with using REST APIREST APIThe REST API is an acronym for the RESTful Application Program Interface (API) that uses HTTP requests to GET, PUT, POST and DELETE data. It is how the front end of an application (think “phone app” or “website”) can communicate with the data store (think “database” or “file system”) https://developer.wordpress.org/rest-api/. in end-to-end tests to build up states. (33414)
Performance benchmark
Version
Loading Time
KeyPress Event (typing)
Gutenberg 11.4
6.35s
36.87ms
Gutenberg 11.3
6.29s
36.97ms
WordPress 5.8
6.91s
35.48ms
Thanks to @critterverse for our release preview assets, @priethor for guiding the release, @noisysocks, @talldanwp, and @andrewserong for their help with the release build and deployDeployLaunching code from a local development environment to the production web server, so that it's available to visitors., and to all who contributed to this release. Thank you for your splendid work!
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