New WordPress is here and brings us some improvements, especially in the block editor. It also introduces the new default WordPress theme called Twenty Twenty. As usual, we are glad to announce that all WP Desk plugins are compatible with WordPress 5.3.
It's the last major WordPress release in 2019, so let’s see what we can expect from it.
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New Default WordPress Theme
As it will be the last major release of the year, in WordPress 5.3 we get new default WordPress Theme named Twenty Twenty (no surprises there). This new theme was designed by Anders Norén, and based on other free theme called Chaplin. Twenty Twenty was made to use the full potential of the WordPress block editor.
Block Editor Improvements
WordPress claims that a new release introduces over 150 new features and usability improvements. Which one of them is the most important?
Grouping Blocks
Basically, it’s a new layout element, that allows to gather parts of your page and control them as a group. You can group already existing blocks or add some new ones inside of it.
Improved Image Uploads
WordPress 5.3 finally allows continuing uploading files that were stopped. It will be very helpful while uploading non-optimized, high-resolution pictures that sometimes can unexpectedly stop uploading. Also, the images should be correctly rotated upon upload according to the embedded orientation data.
Layout Picker For Columns Blocks
WordPress 5.3 brings two improvements to columns block. While adding the new column block you can choose from several pre-defined patterns or skip it. And when you get your column, now it’s easier to set a custom width for each column with basic slider.
Improved Table Blocks
Table blocks got a few improvements. It now allows adding table header and footer, set stripes and background colors. Also, it supports text alignments in columns.
Other improvements in WordPress 5.3
Health status
WordPress 5.3 changes the Site Health feature, that was introduced in WordPress 5.1. Areas that may need troubleshooting now can be highlighted, so it should be easier to identify issues. Instead of showing site health score in percentage, it will give status like “Good” or “Needs Improvement”.
Admin Email Verification
Since new release the admin users will be periodically asked to confirm their email address. This feature is intended to reduce the chance of getting locked out of your site if you change your email address.
PHP 7.4 Compatibility
WordPress 5.3 continues to encourage all users to use the latest versions of PHP and is heading to fully support PHP 7.4. This release contains multiple changes to remove deprecated functionality and ensure compatibility.
WordPress 5.3 plugin compatibility
What’s important, all of WP Desk plugins are compatible with WordPress 5.3. Just like with new WooCommerce 3.8. Some of them need to be updated, but don’t worry - it’s all safe.
I hope that this article will be helpful for you to see what’s new in WordPress 5.3. You can find the complete list of changes on official WordPress site.
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