WordPress 6.4 Release Candidate 3 (RC3) is making waves in the WordPress community as the final testing phase before the official release on November 7, 2023. This highly anticipated update promises several exciting enhancements and improvements. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll dive deep into WordPress 6.4 RC3, exploring its key features, how to test it, and ways to contribute to its development. Let’s embark on this journey to uncover what’s in store for the WordPress ecosystem.
What’s in WordPress 6.4 RC3?
WordPress 6.4 RC3 introduces a plethora of bug fixes and enhancements compared to its predecessor, RC2. Here’s a closer look at the major improvements:
- More than 25 issues resolved: WordPress is known for its commitment to improving user experience. RC3 addresses over 25 issues, ensuring that your WordPress website runs more smoothly and efficiently.
- Core Query block requires more testing and feedback: The Core Query block is a critical component in WordPress, and RC3 emphasizes the importance of extensive testing and feedback from the community. We’ll delve into what this means for website owners and developers.
- PHP compatibility update: Keeping up with technological advancements, WordPress 6.4 RC3 mandates PHP 8.1 or higher. This update ensures better performance and security while aligning with the latest PHP versions.
How to Test WordPress 6.4 RC3
Testing WordPress 6.4 RC3 is vital to identify and fix issues before the official release. There are three ways you can get involved:
- Plugin: The easiest method is to install and activate the WordPress Beta Tester plugin on your WordPress website. Select the “Bleeding edge” channel and “Beta/RC Only” stream to access RC3 for testing.
- Direct download: For a more hands-on approach, download the RC3 version (zip) and install it directly on your WordPress site. This method gives you more control over the installation process.
- Command line: If you’re comfortable with the command line, you can use the following WP-CLI command to update to WordPress 6.4 RC3:
sql
wp core update --version=6.4-RC3
How to Contribute to WordPress 6.4
WordPress is an open-source project, and your contributions play a pivotal role in its success. Here are some ways you can get involved in WordPress 6.4:
- Get involved in testing: Testing new releases is one of the most valuable contributions you can make. By identifying and reporting bugs, you help ensure a more stable and secure WordPress environment.
- Search for vulnerabilities: During the release candidate phase, WordPress doubles the monetary reward for reporting unreleased security vulnerabilities. Your efforts can enhance WordPress’s security.
- Update your theme or plugin: If you develop themes or plugins, it’s crucial to test them with WordPress 6.4 and update the “Tested up to” version in your plugin’s readme file to 6.4. This ensures compatibility and a seamless user experience.
- Documentation: The Docs team is always in need of assistance. You can help put the finishing touches on end-user documentation, making it more accessible for users.
- Help translate WordPress: WordPress is available in over 100 languages. If you’re proficient in a language other than English, consider contributing to the translation efforts, making WordPress accessible to a wider audience.
Conclusion
WordPress 6.4 is poised to be a remarkable release, with RC3 addressing numerous issues and improving compatibility. Your participation in testing and contributing to the WordPress project is invaluable. Let’s work together to make WordPress 6.4 the best release yet. If you encounter any bugs or have feedback, please report them to the WordPress support forums or WordPress Trac.
Additional Information
- PHP compatibility: WordPress 6.4 requires PHP 8.1 or higher. This update ensures better performance and security.
- Featured highlights: For a more in-depth look at the new features, read the RC1 announcement.
- Technical notes: Check the Make WordPress Core blog for 6.4-related posts, and the WordPress 6.4 Field Guide for detailed technical notes on new features and improvements.
- Underrepresented gender release squad: The WordPress 6.4 release is a collaborative effort welcoming the participation of underrepresented genders in the WordPress open source project. This highlights the inclusivity and diversity of the WordPress community.
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WordPress is much more than a blogging platform. If you have basic PHP, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript experience you can use WordPress to develop fast, scalable, secure, and highly customized web apps, mobile apps, web services, and multisite networks of websites. Along with core WordPress functions and database schema, you’ll learn how to build custom plugins, themes, and services for just about any kind of web or mobile application.
GET A COPY
In this updated second edition, Brian Messenlehner and Jason Coleman cover new features and functionality added to WordPress up to version 5.4. All code examples in the book are available on GitHub.
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- Compare WordPress with traditional app development frameworks
- Use themes for views and plugins for backend functionality
- Get suggestions for choosing or building WordPress plugins
- Register custom post types (CPTs) and taxonomies
- Manage user accounts and roles, and access user data
- Build asynchronous behaviors with jQuery
- Use WordPress to develop mobile apps for iOS and Android
- Integrate PHP libraries, external APIs, and web service plugins
- Collect payments through ecommerce and membership plugins
- Learn how to speed up and scale your WordPress app
- Extend the WordPress REST API and create custom endpoints
- Learn about WordPress Gutenberg blocks development
As WordPress enthusiasts and users, it’s our responsibility to contribute to its growth and development. WordPress 6.4 is a testament to the power of community involvement, and by actively participating, we can ensure WordPress continues to thrive as a versatile and user-friendly content management system. Let’s shape the future of WordPress together!
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