WordPress 5.5 beta was released and is scheduled for release on August 11, 2020. It will be the second major release of WordPress this year and brings many new features and improvements.
Let's see what comes with WordPress 5.5
(You can test the beta version on your computer or in a staging environment using the additional WordPress Beta Tester).
Let us mention before we start that WordPress 5.5 is still under development, which means that the features it currently has in beta may change or we may not see them at all in the final version.
The new version of WordPress 5.5 brings several Block Editor UI improvements. You will notice borders around toolbars and buttons, new icons and focus highlighting as you move and type.
The (+) button for adding a new block has changed (it is more visible) and looks more like a button.
WordPress 5.5 will bring some new blocks in the block editor. It is about for additives of WordPress that add new features to the block editor.
The new version will make it easier to move blocks within the content editing program. You can simply click on the handle on the block you are interested in and drag it up and down.
WordPress allows you to do some basic editing pictures, such as cut, change size, rotation and scale. However, to do this you need to open the image in the media library.
The upcoming WordPress 5.5 will allow you to edit images without having to leave the block editor. You will be able to zoom in, crop, rotate and resize an image on the spot.
WordPress 5.5 will allow you to enable them automatic updates for add-ons and themes via the admin control panel. From the plugins page you will be able to click on "Enable automatic updating" next to the plugins you want to be updated automatically.
Likewise, you can enable automatic updates for themes in the same way from the themes page.
The new version 5.5 will be accompanied by a built-in feature for sitemaps which will be enabled by default. It will create a new file called wp-sitemap.xml which will contain links to all the other files on the site.
Η default sitemap function will support all types of publications, (categories, tags and custom taxonomies) as well as publishers' chronological files. The two biggest plugins All in One SEO Pack and Yoast SEO will continue to have their own sitemaps because they offer advanced customization features.
WordPress 5.5 will also have the feature Lazy load as a default option for all images. The new version will add 'loading' to the img tag. This feature is supported by all modern browsers (except Safari).
These and many more that we will learn in August.
