{"id":41256,"date":"2019-02-22T13:25:45","date_gmt":"2019-02-22T11:25:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.superhosting.bg\/?p=41256"},"modified":"2022-04-02T10:26:58","modified_gmt":"2022-04-02T07:26:58","slug":"wordpress-5-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.superhosting.bg\/en\/wordpress-5-1.html","title":{"rendered":"WordPress 5.1 Notifies Users to Update Outdated PHP Versions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WordPress 5.1<\/a> \u201cBetty\u201d is here and it honors the American jazz singer Betty Carter<\/a>. This version contains numerous improvements and bugfixes as one of them is particularly impressive since it provides your website with maximum security and excellent performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you still have not updated your website to WordPress 5+ this might be the right time to test version 5.1. This version offers many improvements of the block editor Gutenberg as well as lots of new features. Follow the steps from the test plan and update your website to WordPress 5+<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This version leads the path to a major change in the way WordPress is perceived. The CMS will no longer be presented as a blogging platform, but rather as a versatile publishing platform. This is a conclusion easy to make after a major change concerning the system files was performed. Strings in the system files of WordPress that contain the words blogging<\/em> and blog<\/em> have been replaced with publishing<\/em><\/strong> and site<\/em><\/strong> (e.g. wp-config-sample.php: Happy publishing.).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are a few interesting and important new features in WordPress 5.1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WordPress and the PHP version used by your website<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

WordPress is an application written using PHP scripting language<\/a>. WordPress is driven by the execution of the PHP code. Similarly to WordPress, the scripting language also has different versions. Each new PHP version is better, faster and more secure than the previous ones. When WordPress works with a new PHP version, it uses all possible enhancements and protection mechanisms from this version. The latest PHP versions are provided with active support<\/a> and constantly get security patches and enhancements. All other versions such as 7.0, 5.6 or earlier ones have reached their EOL (End Of Life<\/a>) and do not get security updates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your website is running WordPress version 5+, activate <\/strong>PHP version 7+<\/strong><\/a> to enhance its security and improve its performance.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Warning for using outdated PHP version<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Version 5.1 has a feature that detects the PHP version your website is currently using. If your PHP version is older than 5.6<\/strong>, you will see a warning message on the dashboard as it will guide you to activating a newer PHP version.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Warning
PHP Update Required notification in the WordPress 5.1 admin panel<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Detecting and notifying for outdated PHP version is just a part of the global initiative – Site Health Check<\/a> project. This project aims to encourage good website maintenance in a positive and user-friendly way. There are a few more projects taking part in the initiative. One of them is Servehappy<\/a> as it will further educate administrators on the importance of using the latest and most secure versions of PHP. Tide<\/a> is another project aiming to help users take better decisions for the plugins and themes they create or install.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prevention from installing plugins incompatible with the website\u2019s PHP version<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

There is a new feature preventing from installing plugins incompatible with the website’s used PHP version as this is one more completed task to the Servehappy project and the global Site Health project. As of WordPress 5.1 in the list of plugins the installation button is inactive for the plugins requiring a newer PHP version for your website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Prevention
Prevention from installing plugins incompatible with the website\u2019s PHP version<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Enabling a newer PHP version with SuperHosting.BG<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In case you get a notification for your current PHP version, enable a newer one quickly and easily by going to cPanel \u00bb PHP Manager<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Important<\/strong>: Before upgrading your website to a newer PHP version back up all files and databases on your website. Activate the new PHP version and carefully test the website and its features, the theme and the plugins. In case something is not working properly get back to the previous version of PHP by accessing cPanel \u00bb PHP Manager<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More New Features in version 5.1<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The new WordPress Block Editor (Gutenberg)<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The new editor in WordPress from now on will be called only Block Editor<\/strong><\/a> instead of Gutenberg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The block editor contains many enhancements in version 5.1. The most important ones are improved performance, speed and optimization of its main features – publishing text, displaying elements and data in them, optimizing content for mobile devices, many bugfixes and others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Besides all those enhancements, the help documentation of the editor is also improved. Now there is a lot of new useful information, related to the editor such as guidance how to use JavaScript code in a WordPress environment: Getting Started with JavaScript<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More Improvements and Bugfixes<\/h4>\n\n\n\n