WordPress 5.8, released on 20th July 2021, contained nearly 300 improvements and new features that make it easier for publishers to innovate and express themselves creatively.
It feels like a start of a new era in web publishing!
WordPress is a widely used elementary open-source content management system (CMS) that programmers use consistently to build a website for more than ten years. WP 5.8 is a momentous release that brings tons of changes and enhancements to several areas of the CMS.
WordPress 5.8
Aside from improvements, bud fixes, and features, WP 5.8 allows web developers to extend the Site Health admin interface. In addition, it enables full-site editing through its various features and opens a new way of building websites.
In a nutshell, WP 5.8 makes website designing easier and also enhances its performance altogether. This second major release of the year comes with several new features and gives WordPress admins more control over their websites. It also enables programmers to build websites faster. Here Are Some of the Key Features of WordPress 5.8:
#1. WordPress 5.8 Now Supports WebP Images
Google introduced the WebP image feature in 2010 to get a better quality image at a reduced file size for websites. Now, with the WP 5.8 update, you can upload WebP images that are 20% smaller than Jpeg images at the same quality and make your site load faster. Just save the WebP images in your media library and use them whenever you require.
#2. Dropping IE 11 Support
WP 5.8 will no longer support Internet Explorer 11 (IE 11), the default web explorer of Microsoft Windows 10. The decision to drop IE 11 support meant you needed to switch to a more modern browser, like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, or Microsoft Edge in the future. It enhances the overall performance of all websites created from now on.
#3. Introducing Full Site Editing Features (FSE)
It is a significant update that allows you to use block editor for changing any element of your site, including the header, footer, and sidebar. Now you can customize the design of your website without spending time writing codes by using FSE.
Some Exquisite FSE Features That Merged into Core with WordPress 5.8
● Template Editing Mode
It allows you to create post/page templates using blocks and save them for the WordPress website later. In addition, WP 5.8 enables you to create custom templates without requiring you to build a child theme first.
● Blocks As Widgets
Blocks as widgets feature in FSE gives you the flexibility of the block editor to your WordPress sidebar widgets. Now, you can use colors, spacing, typography, and other design tools in WP 5.8 without installing any plugins. You can access it by visiting the Appearance » Widgets page.
● Query Loop Block
The new feature will allow publishers to display posts based on custom criteria. It performs a query based on the user’s settings and loops all posts through it. Then, it retrieves all posts matching it and displays them on the page. Now site owners and admins can use the feature to create lists of their posts without writing complex code or hiring a developer for the job.
● List View
Before WP 5.8, if you clicked ‘List View,’ it displayed as a popover and disappeared when you clicked outside it. Now, it is displayed in a sidebar in the Post Editor, allowing you to explore the block tree swiftly and accurately. In addition, it enables publishers to navigate to a specific block more efficiently.
● Theme.json
The integration with theme.json in WP 5.8 allows theme developers and publishers to change the default style elements of web pages more conveniently. It gives better control of the look and feel of a website to the developers. The aspects that you can control using the theme.json –
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- Enabling or disabling features
- Settings for the block editor
- Settings per block
- Managing styles
- CSS custom properties – presets & customizations
● Duotone Filters
If you want to add more creative flair to a page, the duotone filter feature allows you to do it through colorizing images or videos. It enables you to select unique colors for the shadows and highlights of a photo and even customize it as per your choice.
#4. Addition of New Blocks to the Gutenberg Editor
WP 5.8 also brings new features and enhancements to several elements of the block editor. A few notable New Blocks in the Gutenberg Editor in WordPress 5.8 includes
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- Page listings
- Site titles, Site logos, Site Tagline
- Post Title, Post Content, Post Featured Image, Post Categories, Post Tags
The New Blocks significantly enhance the overall editing experience of websites. These changes include
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- Media & Text Block Enhancements
- Reusable Blocks Improvements
- Normalized Block Toolbars
- Top Toolbar Improvements
- Embedded PDFs
- Duotone Block Support
- Table Block Colors and Borders
- Improvements to the Block Inserter
- Drag and Drop Support in Cover Blocks
- Enhanced Publishing UI
#5. Pattern Transformations Tool
Now, the Gutenberg Editor will also suggest patterns that you can instantly add to your block panel. In addition, WP 5.8 allows you to choose many new patterns available from the pattern directory with a few clicks of copy and paste. Thus, the integration enables you to work faster while building a site.
#6. Block API Enhancements
You can use the block.json file to register block types and automatically optimize resource en-queueing with WordPress 5.8. It allows the development of more efficient plugins and helps in reducing the page size.
Conclusion
WordPress 5.8 leaps towards modernizing CMS and enables publishers to make changes on web pages without diving into the complex coding process. It gives more creative liberty to the publishers in building a website faster and easier.
Overall, WP 5.8 will make site management simplistic. In addition, WP 5.8 brings faster downloads and lesser data consumption for developers obsessed with site speed and WordPress performance.