WordPress 5.5.1 RC2

WordPress 5.5.1 Release Candidaterelease candidate One of the final stages in the version release cycle, this version signals the potential to be a final release to the public. Also see alpha (beta). 2 (RC2) is available for you to test!

Here are two ways to test WordPress 5.5.1 RC2:

  • Use the WordPress Beta Tester pluginPlugin A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https://wordpress.org/plugins/ or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party (select the point releaseMinor Release A set of releases or versions having the same minor version number may be collectively referred to as .x , for example version 5.2.x to refer to versions 5.2, 5.2.1, 5.2.3, and all other versions in the 5.2 (five dot two) branch of that software. Minor Releases often make improvements to existing features and functionality. nightlies option)
  • Download the release candidate here (zip)

What’s in this release candidate?

In addition to everything included in RC1, 5.5.1-RC2 fixes 7 additional issues:

  • #51184: get_the_date() checks $format only for empty variable and fails on false boolean
  • #51182: Theme_Installer_skin::do_overwrite does not work on a Windows server
  • #38009: #reply-title.comment-reply-title not updating when replying to an individual
  • #51123: commonL10n and other JSJS JavaScript, a web scripting language typically executed in the browser. Often used for advanced user interfaces and behaviors. globals removed without backwards compatibility
  • #50848: Clarify the usage of null for auto_update_{$type} filterFilter Filters are one of the two types of Hooks https://codex.wordpress.org/Plugin_API/Hooks. They provide a way for functions to modify data of other functions. They are the counterpart to Actions. Unlike Actions, filters are meant to work in an isolated manner, and should never have side effects such as affecting global variables and output.
  • #51081: Fatal Error – Undefined get_page_templates() in CustomizerCustomizer Tool built into WordPress core that hooks into most modern themes. You can use it to preview and modify many of your site’s appearance settings.
  • #51154: sitemaps should be initialized before each test is run

Note for translationtranslation The process (or result) of changing text, words, and display formatting to support another language. Also see localization, internationalization. teams

An additional change is also planned for 5.5.1:

  • #51028: Dot should be out of the quotes

This is a very small change, but making this change before 5.5.1 is released would have resulted in the string being untranslated on the 5.5 About page. To limit the amount of time this string may be displayed as untranslated, this change will be made just prior to 5.5.1 being officially released.

Polyglot teams should note that this string won’t be available for translations before 5.5.1 is released, but best efforts should be made to translate the string after.

What’s next?

The dev-reviewed workflow (double committercommitter A developer with commit access. WordPress has five lead developers and four permanent core developers with commit access. Additionally, the project usually has a few guest or component committers - a developer receiving commit access, generally for a single release cycle (sometimes renewed) and/or for a specific component. sign-off) is still in effect when making any changes to the 5.5 branchbranch A directory in Subversion. WordPress uses branches to store the latest development code for each major release (3.9, 4.0, etc.). Branches are then updated with code for any minor releases of that branch. Sometimes, a major version of WordPress and its minor versions are collectively referred to as a "branch", such as "the 4.0 branch"..

As per the proposed WordPress 5.5.1 schedule, the final release is expected for Tuesday September 1, 2020 at 18:00 UTC. Please note that this date/time can change depending on any issues discovered while testing RC2.

The 5.5.1 release is being lead by @audrasjb, @azhiyadev, @davidbaumwald, @desrosj, @johnbillion, @planningwrite, @sergeybiryukov and @whyisjake.

#5-5, #5-5-1, #minor-releases, #releases