Major Update in New WordPress 4.8
What has Changed In WordPress 4.8 ?
Well WordPress members has been working on this platform day and night to make it better in each release for their customers! So if you are a WordPress user like me and you regularly login to your dashboard of WordPress you will get the update notification of the great 4.8 WordPress. When I saw the notification I wasn’t thinking much about the update. I thought like other updates it would have some improvements but not noticeable to end users ! But boy !! I was so wrong ! Right after update here is what I saw on my dashboard –
So the latest update of wordpress you will notice immediately are :
- Exciting Widget Updates
- Link Boundaries
- Nearby WordPress Events
In this update I have seen major changes in the widgets of WordPress ! Before a lot of things like inserting image, video we had to use plugins or maybe raw html ! But now it’s possible with builtin wp !!
- Image Widget
- Adding an image to a widget is now a simple task that is achievable for any WordPress user without needing to know code. Simply insert your image right within the widget settings. Try adding something like a headshot or a photo of your latest weekend adventure — and see it appear automatically.
- Video Widget
- A welcome video is a great way to humanize the branding of your website. You can now add any video from the Media Library to a sidebar on your site with the new Video widget. Use this to showcase a welcome video to introduce visitors to your site or promote your latest and greatest content.
- Audio Widget
- Are you a podcaster, musician, or avid blogger? Adding a widget with your audio file has never been easier. Upload your audio file to the Media Library, go to the widget settings, select your file, and you’re ready for listeners. This would be a easy way to add a more personal welcome message, too!
- Rich Text Editor Widget
For Developers under the hood there are the new features wordpress offers :
More Accessible Admin Panel Headings
New CSS rules mean extraneous content (like “Add New” links) no longer need to be included in admin-area headings. These panel headings improve the experience for people using assistive technologies.
Some Video Support Removed
As fewer and fewer browsers support Silverlight, file formats which require the presence of the Silverlight plugin are being removed from core support. Files will still display as a download link, but will no longer be embedded automatically.
Multisite update
New capabilities have been introduced to 4.8 with an eye towards removing calls to is_super_admin().Multisite performance twerks has been seen
Text-Editor Anyhere !!
Before this update when you wanted for wordpress text editor to any widget you would have used some plugin to do so! Something like the : Black Studio TinyMCE Widget !! But with wp update & with the addition of TinyMCE to the text widget in 4.8 comes a new JavaScript API for instantiating the editor after page load. This can be used to add an editor instance to any text area, and customize it with buttons and functions. Great for plugin authors!
Media Api update
The introduction of a new base media widget REST API schema to 4.8 opens up possibilities for even more media widgets (like galleries or playlists) in the future. The three new media widgets are powered by a shared base class that covers most of the interactions with the media modal. That class also makes it easier to create new media widgets and paves the way for more to come.
