Winstina 7:29 pm on July 22, 2020  

Dev Chat Summary, July 22nd, 2020

@whyisjake hosted this agenda and @jeffpaul and @marybaum edited.

Dev Notesdev note Each important change in WordPress Core is documented in a developers note, (usually called dev note). Good dev notes generally include a description of the change, the decision that led to this change, and a description of how developers are supposed to work with that change. Dev notes are published on Make/Core blog during the beta phase of WordPress release cycle. Publishing dev notes is particularly important when plugin/theme authors and WordPress developers need to be aware of those changes.In general, all dev notes are compiled into a Field Guide at the beginning of the release candidate phase.

The group didn’t discuss these, but @whyisjake added them to the announcements. Have an opinion? Add your thoughts to the comments:

Upcoming Releases

  • WordPress 5.5 is slated for release August 11th, 2020
    • @whyisjake stated that we are a week away from the scheduled RCrelease 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).
  • Beta 3 was released yesterday (07/22)
    • @whyisjake thanked everyone for the work in getting BetaBeta A pre-release of software that is given out to a large group of users to trial under real conditions. Beta versions have gone through alpha testing in-house and are generally fairly close in look, feel and function to the final product; however, design changes often occur as part of the process. 3 out the door
  • The group approved a fourth beta before 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). 1. The beta will happen on July 24th.
  • A bugscrub was completed (07/21)
    • @davidbaumwald shared an updated bugscrub schedule for 5.5
    • @afercia noted the accessibilityAccessibility Accessibility (commonly shortened to a11y) refers to the design of products, devices, services, or environments for people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design ensures both “direct access” (i.e. unassisted) and “indirect access” meaning compatibility with a person’s assistive technology (for example, computer screen readers). (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accessibility) team reported regressions in 5.5 blockBlock Block is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience. editor, an issue the release squad should be made aware
  • Tickets and issues of concern
    • @afercia noted confusion with GitHubGitHub GitHub is a website that offers online implementation of git repositories that can easily be shared, copied and modified by other developers. Public repositories are free to host, private repositories require a paid subscription. GitHub introduced the concept of the ‘pull request’ where code changes done in branches by contributors can be reviewed and discussed before being merged be the repository owner. https://github.com/ issues that carry the bug label and @sarahricker suggested a different label.
    • @whyisjake suggested a method for managing accessibility or regressionregression A software bug that breaks or degrades something that previously worked. Regressions are often treated as critical bugs or blockers. Recent regressions may be given higher priorities. A "3.6 regression" would be a bug in 3.6 that worked as intended in 3.5. tags.

Component check-in and status updates

  • @Carike is looking for feedback on how to proceed with the Consent APIAPI An API or Application Programming Interface is a software intermediary that allows programs to interact with each other and share data in limited, clearly defined ways..
  • There will be a new About page scheduling process
    • @marybaum introduced and asked @abhanonstopnewsuk to share thoughts on the 5.5 release schedule for the About page
    • @abhanonstopnewsuk stated that for the 5.5 About page there will be an edit window from the end of this dev chat until 12pm UTC please on Sunday 26 July.
    • A formal schedule process for Marcomms elements is underway and will kick off in 5.6.
  • An updated release of the XML Sitemaps feature pluginFeature Plugin A plugin that was created with the intention of eventually being proposed for inclusion in WordPress Core. See Features as Plugins. is at hand:
    • @pbiron told the group that a change to sitemaps in coreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. in 5.5 Beta 3 results in a PHPPHP The web scripting language in which WordPress is primarily architected. WordPress requires PHP 7.4 or higher fatal when activated on a site running Beta 3.
    • The fix for the feature plugin is already committed to its repo. @swissspidy will release the new version.

Open Floor

  • @ramiy announced that WordPress 5.5 string tickets are ready to review.
  • @estelaris will post her questions on the About page design on the ticketticket Created for both bug reports and feature development on the bug tracker.
  • @carike thanked Abha and others for their improvement of dev notes.
  • @abhanonstopnewsuk shared an update on work by Marketing Team on Q&As relating to 5.5.
  • @abhanonstopnewsuk stated that Meetups have asked about new release features.

Props @desrosj and @whyisjake for providing historical background, and @jeffpaul, @marybaum, @davidbaumwald and @sarahricker for proofreading.