Update April 29, 2020 – Security release and bug fixes WordPress 5.4.1
This week the core team released 5.4.1 with a few fixes to the latest update that came out on March 31, 2020.
We looked at the release notes for the Block Editor fixes that were back-ported (6) to WordPress core.
- Update Search/RSS block render method – This PR makes a couple of minor changes, primarily for consistency across blocks. The way the RSS block interpolates its HTML has been updated to be consistent with other blocks. Furthermore, a couple of properties are now escaped to avoid the possibility of a malformed tag.
- Fix the latest-posts block when `imageDimensions` is empty: There was a javascript crash caused by imageDimensions array having missing values for certain sizes that we try to access without a null check via imageDimensions[featuredImageSizeSlug].height
- Only scroll page for multi-selections – fixes some weird scrolling behavior after block deletion of selection of list items.
- Prevent typing on a Popover from closing the block toolbar text input into a dropdown or popover in the block controls toolbar as soon as you try to type into the toolbar it’s hidden. It’s fixed now. It seems like it was a contradicting UI
- Fix the Buttons block margins – That was a big one for content creators, as now the buttons, can line up perfectly in all alignment options.
- Fix block duplication using keyboard shortcut: when you highlight a text in paragraph and use command (ctrl) +shift+ enter, now it actually duplicated the block.
There were also 7 security fixes and additional non-editor related updates. Justin Tadlock at the WPTavern comprehensively covered all those changes.
WordPress 5.4 release notes
The About Page of the new release informs content creators about the updates in the block editor:
Two new blocks. And better blocks overall.
- Two brand-new blocks: Social Icons and Buttons make adding interactive features fast and easy.
- New ways with color: Gradients in the Buttons and Cover block, toolbar access to color options in Rich Text blocks, and for the first time, color options in the Group and Columns blocks.
- Guess a whole lot less! Version 5.4 streamlines the whole process for placing and replacing multimedia in every block. Now it works the same way in almost every block!
- And if you’ve ever thought your image in the Media+Text block should link to something else—perhaps a picture of a brochure should download that brochure as a document? Well, now it can.
Here is a list of links to the various details for new WordPress 5.4 features for the block editor and beyond. For a list of all Release notes on Privacy, REST API and other updates for WordPress 5.4 use the Tag link #5.4 #devnotes for the Make Core Blog and JB Audras compiled the Field Guide for 5.4
Mark Uraine and I talked through theses updates in our latest Gutenberg Changelog episode. Listen in on your commute or during workout…
Navigation block exclusion from WP 5.4
Although stable in its form, the team decided to leave it out of the Core updates, as it only would make good sense in connection with a Full-Site-Editing Experience. Outside, that use case, it might be just confusing to end-users.
New or Updated Blocks
Refactored Social Links Block – breaking change from plugin implementations + Buttons Block
Introduce block variations API
A way to declare style variations when registering a block.
Miscellaneous Developer Focused Changes
It mentions the new Embeds for TikTok and removal of CollegeHumor embeds
An updated Button component
The buttons for WordPress UI can also be used outside the block editor, on admin and settings pages.
Block Editor Keyboard Shortcuts
With this API WordPress now centralizes registration and removal of Keyboard shortcuts for the editor and its extensions and plugins
New @wordpress/create-block package for block scaffolding
Inspired by WP-CLI this new tool assists in creating single block plugins for the future Block directory.
General Block Editor API Updates
This is collection of new APIs available for the block editor and beyond and review the information about the deprecation of Meta attribute sources.
- Shortcode Transformations
- AsyncModeProvider API
- custom media upload handler
- Easier drag-and-drop
- New Guide component
and a few more.
Markup and style-related changes
Simpler block margins, Blocks and rich text components lose redundant wrappers, and remove legacy “editor-” class name compatibility
New gradient theme APIs
One of the most popular feature from the Gutenberg plugin is coming to WordPress 5.4 – using gradient backgrounds for buttons and cover block. Learn how to add them and also how to turn them off.
Full screen mode enabled by default in the editor
With WordPress 5.4, the block editor will slightly change its default behavior and turn on by default the Fullscreen mode. Personally, I would have thought it would make more sense to turn on by default the Top Toolbar. Most writers find the overlapping toolbar on each paragraph quite disconcerting.
End User documentation is available on how to get back to the WP Admin Menu and how to switch off the Fullscreen mode
Marius Jensen from the support team built a small plugin: Block editor Full screen Mode Control
- This plugin makes the default remain as it was prior to this update, making the full screen editing an opt-in feature.
- This plugin provides you a per-user profile option to enable or disable the full screen editing which persists between devices and sessions.
JB Audras has a code snippet for disabling the default full screen mode via your child theme’s function.php.
Actually, I would have taken it a bit further and also enable the TopToolbar by default:
const isfixedToolbar = wp.data.select( 'core/edit-post' ).isFeatureActive( 'fixedToolbar' );
if ( isfixedToolbar ) {
wp.data.dispatch( 'core/edit-post' ).toggleFeature( 'fixedToolbar' );
}Code language: JavaScript (javascript)WordPress 5.4 Release Schedule
At the moment WordPress 5.4 is available in Beta 3. The first Release Candidate is schedule for tomorrow, March 3rd, 2019
| 3 March 2020 (+1w) | Release candidate 1, publish Field Guide with Dev Notes, commit About page, begin drafting release post, and hard string freeze. (Slack archive) (Zip download) |
| 10 March 2020 (+1w) | Release candidate 2, update About page images, and continue drafting release post. (Slack archive) (Zip download) |
| 17 March 2020 (+1w) | Release candidate 3, update About page images, and continue drafting release post. (Slack archive) (Zip download) |
| 24 March 2020 (+1w) | Release candidate 4. (Slack archive) (Zip download) |
| 30 March 2020 (+6d) | Dry run for release of WordPress 5.4 and 24 hour code freeze. (Slack archive) |
| 31 March 2020 (+1d) | Target date for release of WordPress 5.4.  |
Help with Testing
You can use the WordPress Beta Tester plugin to test beta and RC version in a local or staging environment.
Featured Image: “Walking in Merida, MX” by Birgit Pauli-Haack (2020)
2 Comments
[…] Neue Gutenberg-Features in WordPress 5.4Mit dem nächsten großen WP-Update, das für Ende März geplant ist, kommen neue Features des Gutenberg Plugins in den WordPress-Core. Welche Neuerungen es in das Update geschafft haben, zeigen die Kollegen von Gutenberg Times. […]
[…] Block Editor updates for the WordPress 5.4 release […]