wordpress 5.8 screenshots

WordPress 5.8 was released earlier today, and it is the second major release of 2021.

This new release is coming with some major new features and improvements. These changes introduce new creative ways to work on your WordPress website.

In this article, we’ll share what’s new in WordPress 5.8, and which features you should try after updating your websites.

WordPress 5.8 is a major release, and unless you are on a managed WordPress hosting service, you’ll have to manually initiate the update.

Important: Don’t forget to create a complete WordPress backup before initiating the update.

That being said, here’s all that’s new in WordPress 5.8.

The New Template Editor

WordPress 5.8 comes with a new feature called the template editor. It is a step towards creating a full site editing tool using the block editor.

You can create a new template by creating on the ‘New’ link under the template tab while editing a post or page.

Note: Template editor is an optional theme feature. If you cannot see the Template tab on the post edit screen, then this means that your theme does not support the feature.

WordPress will then ask you to provide a title for your new template. This could be anything that helps you easily identify the template for later use.

After that, WordPress will switch to the template editor mode. This will allow you to edit non-content areas and add site-wide blocks in your template.

WordPress 5.8 comes with several site blocks that allow you to add different site-wide elements to your new template.

Site Logo
Site Tagline
Site Title
Query Loop
Post Title
Post Content
Post Date
Post Excerpt
Post Featured Image
Post Categories
Post Tags
Login/out
Page List

The template editor in WordPress 5.8 is a theme-specific feature. It still uses your WordPress theme’s styles and appearance.

If you want to get full design control for a custom layout, then a far better tool would be a page builder plugin like SeedProd. It works regardless of which WordPress theme you are using which gives you full control on the layout.

Blocks Based Widget Editor in WordPress 5.8

The widgets screen in WordPress now uses the block editor. Simply go to the Appearance » Widgets page to try out the new widgets experience.

Each widget-ready area in your WordPress theme will appear as a tab in the block editor. You can add widgets as blocks to your website’s sidebars and widget-enabled areas.

This gives you greater control over widgets as you can now use blocks to create more engaging widget areas. For instance, you can add buttons, choose colors, group different blocks, and more.

You can still use older widgets by adding the Legacy Widget block to any sidebar.

Opting Out of The New Widgets Screen

Some users may still want to use the older Widgets screen. This can be easily done by installing and activating the Classic Widgets plugin.

Upon activation, the plugin will simply restore the older classic widgets screen.

WordPress Now Supports WebP Images by Default

WebP is a new image format that reduces image file size by 25-34% than PNG and JPEG without losing quality. This is a big difference and can significantly boost speed and performance of any website.

WordPress 5.8 now supports WebP images by default. This means you can save and upload your WebP images to your WordPress website without using a plugin.

However, some older web browsers don’t support WebP images. If many of your users use unsupported browsers, then you should consider using an image compression plugin.

Image compression plugins can convert images into WebP format and display JPEG or PNG images as the fallback option. For detailed instructions, see our tutorial on how to add WebP images in WordPress.

Media Library Changes in WordPress 5.8

WordPress media library will not be using infinite scroll to load images in the ‘Grid’ view. Instead, you’ll now see a Load more button to view more images.

Another handy new improvement is the ability to copy the media file URL when uploading directly via Media » Add New page.

Previously, when you added an image directly in the media library you had to edit the image and then manually copy the image URL.

With WordPress 5.8, you’ll now see a button to copy the media file URL and use it anywhere you want.

Block Editor Changes in WordPress 5.8

The block editor is where WordPress users spend most of their time creating content. Each WordPress release brings improvements to the block editor.

Following are some of the new features and improvements in the block editor that you may want to try out.

The Query Loop Block in WordPress 5.8

Ever wanted to display a bunch of posts inside a WordPress page or post?

Previously, you had to use plugins to do that but now you can use the Query Loop block to easily display a list of posts, pages, or products anywhere.

Simply add the Query Loop block to a post or page. You can choose from a bunch of layouts and configure the query parameters in the block settings.

Duotone Filters for Images and Media Blocks

WordPress 5.8 has introduced Duotone filters for images and media blocks like images, galleries, and cover images.

It comes with a few presets and you can create your own presets as well by choosing the colors you want to apply. Your WordPress theme may also include their own presets to match theme colors.

Pattern Recommendations in Add Block Panel

WordPress 5.8 will now recommend patterns in the the add block panel.

For instance, if you look for a common element then it may suggest patterns using that block.

There are some new patterns available and initial work has been laid for integration with the WordPress.org pattern directory.

Easily Select Parent Block in Nested Blocks

Selecting the parent block in columns, groups, and other nested blocks was a bit difficult.

WordPress 5.8 now shows an always visible parent block button in the toolbar which allows you to quickly select it.

Improved List View in Block Navigation

WordPress 5.8 comes with an improved list view panel showing the complete list of blocks in your post or page. This makes it easier to navigate when you are working with a more complex layout.

Improved Select Tool with Block Handles

WordPress 5.8 introduces better block highlighting and an improved select tool. It shows you a block handle so that you can easily move blocks up and down.

Block Enhancements in WordPress 5.8

WordPress 5.8 has many enhancements for existing blocks. There are more options to choose text, background, and link colors.

You can now control spacing among columns, cover, and other blocks.

You can now also use gradient background color for tables.

Under the Hood Changes

WordPress 5.8 brings many changes for developers to explore and use in their own themes, plugins, and projects. Here are some of the under the hood changes for developers.

A new file called theme.json can now be used by theme developers to configure block settings in one place. For instance, theme developers can use it to define colors, add presets, control which options are available for a block, and more. (See details)

Theme authors can now set layout and content width globally in theme.json file. (See details)

Context aware filters to use block editor APIs on multiple WordPress admin screens. (#52920)

WordPress recovery mode email message will now only be shown when email can be sent. (#52560)

Encouraging usage of block.json metadata file as the canonical way to register block types. (#53233)

We hope this guide helped you explore what’s new in WordPress 5.8. We are particularly excited about the new widget and template editor features.

What are you excited about? Let us know in the comments below.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post What’s New in WordPress 5.8 (Features and Screenshots) appeared first on WPBeginner.

WordPress 5.8 beta is out with an expected release date of July 20th, 2021. It will be the second major release of the year and comes with lots of new features and improvements.

We’ve been following the development closely and trying out the new features on our test sites.

In this article, we’ll show you what’s coming in WordPress 5.8 with features and screenshots.

Note: You can try out the beta version on your computer or on a staging environment by using the WordPress Beta Tester plugin.

Introducing Template Editor

WordPress 5.8 will ship with the new template editor. It is a step towards creating a full site editing tool using the block editor, which means you can expect it to get better with future releases.

The template editor allows you to create and save templates for your WordPress website and use them later for any post or page.

Switching to the template editor will allow you to add Site Editing blocks. A number of essential blocks are available including:

Site Logo
Site Tagline
Site Title
Query Loop
Post Title
Post Content
Post Date
Post Excerpt
Post Featured Image
Post Categories
Post Tags
Login/out
Page List

The feature is optional, theme developers and users will be able to easily disable it.

The template editor still relies on your WordPress theme and inherits its styles.

For a more flexible approach, you can try SeedProd which allows you to create custom landing pages regardless of which WordPress theme you are using.

Blocks As Widgets

Another big step towards full-site editor experience is the new blocks as widgets interface.

Users will be able to access the new widget experience by using the Customizer or by visiting the Appearance » Widgets page.

Blocks as widgets will bring the flexibility of the block editor to your WordPress sidebar widgets. You’ll be able to use colors, spacing, typography, and other design tools without installing any plugins.

There is even a Widgets block that will let you use the classic widgets that are not available as blocks yet.

Not ready to make the move yet?

Don’t worry, you can turn off this new feature by using the Classic Widgets plugin. Simply install and activate the plugin and it will disable the new Widget Blocks feature.

WebP Images Are Coming to WordPress

WebP is a new file format for images to be used on the web. By using the WebP image format, your images will be 25-34% smaller in file size than PNG and JPEG without losing quality.

Currently, WordPress doesn’t support WebP images and users see an error when they try to upload a WebP image.

With WordPress 5.8, you’ll be able to upload WebP images to your WordPress website without using any plugins.

However, one downside is that it will not automatically replace the image with JPEG or PNG if a user is on an unsupported browser.

If majority of your users are using an unsupported browser, then you may still want to use an image compression plugin.

For more details, see our article on how to properly add WebP images in WordPress.

Editor Improvements in WordPress 5.8

The block editor screen is where users spend most of their time creating content. Each WordPress release comes with many improvements, bug fixes, and new features to improve the editing experience.

Following are some of the editor improvements coming in WordPress 5.8.

Easily Select Parent Block in Nested Blocks

Nested blocks like columns and groups allow you to easily group blocks. However, it sometimes becomes difficult to select the parent block inside a nested block.

WordPress 5.8 will now show an always visible parent block button in the toolbar.

Improved List View

WordPress 5.8 will come with an improved list view panel. It will show you the complete list of blocks in your post or page.

This would make it easier for users to move to a specific block in more complex layouts. For instance, if you have multiple paragraphs in a specific column then you can navigate using the list panel.

Improved Select Tool with Block Handles

The select tool will now show a better block outline with a handle to move blocks up and down.

In WordPress 5.8, you’ll also notice better block highlighting as you move your mouse around different blocks.

New Duotone Filters for Images and Media Blocks

Another exciting upcoming feature in WordPress 5.8 is the Duotone filters. You’ll be able to use these filters over your media blocks like images, galleries, and cover images.

It comes with a few presets and you can create your own presets as well by choosing the colors you want to apply.

WordPress themes will also be able to add their own presets to match theme color schemes.

Pattern Suggestions in Add Block Panel

Using the add block panel if you search for a block, the editor will also suggest patterns that you can instantly add. There are some new patterns available and initial work has been laid for integration with the WordPress.org pattern directory.

Improvements to Existing Blocks

There are several improvements to existing blocks. For instance, more color options to choose text, background, and link colors.

There is a new option to adjust padding among columns.

You can also choose gradient background for table block.

Under The Hood Changes

WordPress 5.8 will also bring many changes for developers to explore and use in their own themes, plugins, and projects.

Following are some of these under the hood changes.

WordPress will end support for Internet Explorer by the end of this year. 5.8 has merged most of the changes needed for that. (See details)

Context aware filters to use block editor APIs on multiple WordPress admin screens. (#52920)

WordPress recovery mode email message will now only be shown when email can be sent. (#52560)

We hope this article gave you a glimpse into what’s coming in WordPress 5.8. Let us know what features you find interesting and what you’d look to see in a future WordPress release.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post What’s Coming in WordPress 5.8 (Features and Screenshots) appeared first on WPBeginner.