You can encounter continuous changes in WordPress; do you know why? It’s all about providing powerful fully-functional advanced features that can make the editing experience more effortless.
WordPress comes into the Big Picture for web developers, bloggers just with its launch in 2003; it is the world’s leading Content Management System (CMS), having incredible features. The reason why approx 75 million sites have opted for the WordPress CMS.
(Source: Forbes)
So, this time with what new features WordPress has come up?
It’s not other than the most awaited version- WordPress 5.7 and the first major release of 2021. As per the WordPress.org source, it will release on March 9, 2021. Further, they have highlighted the new changes will reflect the Gutenberg editor and the core features.
What are those? What’s new in WordPress 5.7?
Excitement at the peak!! Let’s lower it down and capture everything around the new release of WP.
Highlights of Contents
WordPress 5.7 Roadmap: New Features, Core Improvements, Editor Improvements, And More
Core Improvement In WP 5.7
1. Lazy-load iframes
WordPress 5.7 changes will allow lazy-loading of iframes. For that, you need to set the loading=”lazy” to iframe tags. Adding this attribute on the front-end, the embedded resources like images and videos will not be rendered and downloaded until required. The aim is to improve the website’s performance.
Source: Kinsta
2. Easy Migrating From HTTP to HTTPS
Earlier, when site admin looks to switch their WordPress site from HTTP to HTTPS, they find it a painful task. Several involvements of manual tasks like URLs embedded in the content need to be updated one-by-one manually.
But with the WordPress 5.7 release, things are much easier. It allows easy migration of websites from HTTP to HTTPS. It is a one-click task; besides, at Site Health, it will have an HTTPS status check. It introduces the new wp_update_urls_to_https() function which will make an extreme advancement in the WordPress administration experience.
3. Standardize the WP-admin color palette
Earlier, there were limited color schemes for WordPress users. But now, the plates of color are more enhanced; it will give you more chance to play with the color to build attractive components for the users to read.
As per the current accessibility guideline, WP-admin will see a standardized color palette, including CSS custom properties. It will be easier for them to add custom color schemes. The admin will see more dark and light color schemes.
There are 12 shades of each color, i.e., greens, blues, reds, yellows, and adds 13 shades of blacks, whites, and grey.
4. Ongoing cleanup after update to jQuery 3.5.1
With the new launch, jQuery 1.12.4 will get upgraded to jQuery 3.5.1. This WordPress 5.7 jQuery version will bring some fantastic changes like modern features, security improvements, better DX, etc.
5. New Robots API
Robots meta tag helps the WP-admin control the indexing of web pages in the search engines, meaning which page will get crawled with the search engines Robot or which page will not depend on the admin.
While in the new WordPress 5.7 version., there is a new Robots API feature that will allow developers to handle the robot’s meta tag. The wp_robots filter will allow theme developers to set their custom directives to the robots meta tag.
Besides, the max-image-preview: large directive can be seen by default to websites configured to be visible by search engines. This way, search engines will have to display a preview of a large image in search results.
Editor Improvement
- Inserter drag and drop: Now, it is easy to drag the blocks and block patterns straight from the inserter toward the post canvas.
- Full height alignment: Now, the WP developer will get the chance to expand the block like the Cover block to fill the entire viewport.
- Block variations: From the WP 5.7 release, you can check the block variation icon and description in the block inspector. Plus, now the block inspector will have a new dropdown where you can easily switch between block variations.
- Reusable blocks: We will see numerous advancements to the stability and usability of reusable blocks. Now, the reusable blocks will get saved simultaneously with the post-saving process.
- Buttons block: Now, it is easy to adjust and add a button’s width in the present percentage. Also, the Button block will support vertical alignments.
- Social Icons block: As per the need or requirement, you can alter icon size in the Social Icons block.
- Font size in more places: Now, it is easy to make changes in List and Code blocks’ font size.
End Words!!
I hope you find this blog informative; now you know what new features are coming with WordPress 5.7. Although the release is on 9th March 2021, you can keep yourself ready for the changes.
