WordPress 5.9 is arriving after a delay occurred in the beta version. As we mentioned before, the entire WordPress 5.9 release pipeline had been delayed due to blockers. At the same time, the Beta arrived ten days after the announcement.
Full-site changes are now easier
The red flag was raised by Editor Tech Lead for WordPress 5.9 due to a blocker that caused the delay in the pipeline
The WordPress team has rescheduled the WordPress version 5.9 release date. The new release date for the final version is the 25th of January. However, the announced released date is called « expected » which means it may be delayed to an even further date.
The latest version focuses on full-site stylistic changes, image color modifications (duotones), typography. In addition, the themes will be able to be built entirely with blocks.
Gutenberg 11.9
The WordPress team also released two new versions for Gutenberg editor. The Gutenberg editor helps users to create pages and other content with a more visual interface. In the 11.9 version of Gutenberg, the Site Editing menu is renamed as « Editing » which can now be found under the Appearance menu. A new fullscreen modal pattern explorer is added under Explore button in the pattern inserter. Comment blocks are also improved with new blocks that allow users granular control over the design of comments.
Gutenberg 12.0
The latest version brings Welcome Guide for Site Editor, which is now called « Editor ». Featured Image blocks placeholder image is now showing in proper width and height. In addition, the block styles previews moved to the sidebar, appearing only when the user hovers the mouse or has a keyboard focus on a style in the Styles section. The Drop Cap setting for the paragraph block, which makes the first letter of the paragraph bigger, is moved to the Typography section under the Block Settings sidebar.