After the release of WordPress 5.2, WordPress 5.3 is expected to be released on November 2019. WordPress 5.3 will have new features, block editor improvements, and user interface update. In this article, we will show you the major changes and the new features in WordPress 5.3
The Group Block
The major update for WordPress 5.3 is the Group Block, which allows you to create large sections of content. The group block will be an excellent way to create simple, reusable block templates for your web site. Some features of Group Block are :
- Group block and grouping interactions
- Gallery block improvements (reordering inline, caption support)
- Accessibility Navigation Mode, which will allow you to navigate with the keyboard between blocks without going into their content.
- Columns block improvements (width support + patterns)
New Admin Email Verification Screen
WordPress 5.3 will also introduce a new admin email verification screen that will be shown every six months after an administrator has logged in. This address is very important as WordPress sends password reset and other notification emails to the address. WordPress 5.3, will make it mandatory to verify new email address to ensure that you don’t miss those future emails.
New Block Classes Added
Several new CSS classes are making their way into 5.3. For themes that remove core block styles on the front end, they need to add support for the classes to their theme’s stylesheet.
WordPress is doing away with inline styles for left, right, and center text alignment. This is a welcome change because it moves CSS to its appropriate place, which is in a stylesheet. Theme authors need to make sure they support these new classes for the following blocks.
- Heading
- Paragraph
- Quote
- Verse
The columns block no longer supports column-specific class names. Version 5.3 supports custom column widths, which are handled with inline styles. It’s unlikely this will break most themes, but it’s worth testing.
A show/hide password toggle
A show/hide password toggle will now be available on WordPress login screens on both mobile and desktop devices.
New Social Links Block in The Editor
WordPress 5.3 will have a brand new social links block to easily add social media icons inside your WordPress posts and pages. You can add or remove icons you want to add, link them to your social media profiles, and even select from a list of social media websites to add.
