With WordPress 5.8 slated to ship on July 20th, this post seeks to consolidate ways for those in the FSE Outreach Program (anyone can join!) to help test specific features related to the overall full site editing project that will be included in this release. This is meant to bolster, not replace, overall 5.8 testing efforts. Theme.json is explicitly not mentioned here as there’s currently a dedicated testing post for that feature with feedback open until July 14th.
For more information about the outreach program, please review this FAQ for helpful details and check out the latest schedule. To properly join the fun, please head to #fse-outreach-experiment in Make Slack for future testing announcements, helpful posts, and more.
Important note: Anything marked as [Technical] is best for those comfortable with more advanced testing steps.
Testing environment
Please only test on a development site and not on a production/live site. You can follow these instructions to set up a local install or use a tool like this to set up a development site.
Once a development site is set up, please install and activate the WordPress Beta Tester Plugin before setting it to:
- Update channel to “Bleeding edge”
- Stream options to “Beta/RC only”
If you need more specific steps, here are more detailed instructions you can follow.
Block Widgets Editor
The block widgets editor allows you to use blocks in widgets areas and control them further in the Customizer with live preview, scheduling, etc. The following items are considered a high priority to test:
- Migrating classic widgets to this new screen.
- Switching between themes.
- Editing blocks in widget areas in the Customizer.
- Confirming opting in and out works properly. You can review each mechanism under “Opting out of the block-based widgets editor” in this post.
For robust testing steps for each of these items, please review this specific call for testing from earlier in the release process. For more information about this new feature, check out this Dev note covering all of the details.
Template Editing Mode & Theme Blocks
Template editing mode allows you to edit your content’s template with blocks, including some new theme blocks like the Site Title block or Page List block. As a reminder, template editing mode is opt in for Classic Themes and opt out for Block Themes. This means that if you want to test this, you’ll need to use a block theme along with both the Gutenberg plugin and the WordPress Beta Tester Plugin.
The following items are a high priority to test:
- [Technical] Opting into and out of template editing mode. More information about how to do this can be found under “Theme Support” in this post. Bonus if you test with different themes.
- Customizing templates, including creating new ones, after either using a theme that has opted in or using a block theme with Gutenberg.
- Exploring each new Theme Block listed in this post to build out a more robust template.
For robust testing steps around using and creating templates, please follow these previous calls for testing: create a custom portfolio page and create custom landing pages.
Note: If you use a block theme to test this, you will need to install the Gutenberg plugin alongside it in order for everything to work with WordPress 5.8.
Duotone
Duotone is a feature that allows you to add colors to your images and enhance your content. It works best with high contrast images, so keep that in mind as you test the following priority items:
- [Technical] Adding duotone support to a registered block using the still experimental block supports described here.
- Using the feature in the Image and Cover Block. Remember that you can use this with videos in the cover block too and that you can set your own custom colors!
For more information about this feature, check out the WordPress news post that covers it in depth.
Query Loop Block
The Query Loop Block (previously called the Query Block) is a powerful new block that unlocks the ability to easily show off posts from a specific category, allowing you to do things like quickly creating a portfolio or a favorite recipe page. Think of it as a more complex and powerful Latest Posts Block! Currently, this new block offers multiple ways for displaying lists of posts and comes with new block patterns that take advantage of its flexibility and creative possibilities.
To help test this, explore the patterns built into the block, try changing the default query in the sidebar settings, placing it inside a columns block, and more. Keep in mind that to create a better user experience, the content within the Query Loop isn’t able to be edited but can be customized (i.e., Post Title text can’t be changed but you can change the color of the Post Title Block).
For robust testing steps around using the query block, please follow this previous call for testing that was focused on the Query Loop block.
Where to report feedback
If you find any issues, it’s best to share them on the alpha/beta forums, or Trac if you are more technically savvy and comfortable. Please share feedback before the release on July 20, 2021.