The second beta for the next big release, WordPress 5.2 is available for the general public to test. WordPress 5.2 Beta 2 was released only a few hours ago.
Since the software is still in development mode, it’s best that you don’t run it on a production site. Consider setting up a test site just to play with the new version. To test WordPress 5.2, try the WordPress Beta Tester plugin (you’ll want “bleeding edge nightlies”). Or you can download the beta here (zip).
There have been nearly 100 tickets closed since the first beta release. It includes numerous small bug fixes and improvements to help smoothen your WordPress experience. Have a quick look at the Beta 2 highlights.
WordPress 5.2 Beta 2 Highlights
- Added support for Emoji 12!
- A brand-new wp_body_open()template tag (and corresponding wp_body_openaction) will let themes (and plugins!) add content right after the <body> is opened (#12563).
- Superfluous paragraph tags will no longer incorrectly appear in dynamic block content (#45495).
- Several bug fixes, tweaks, and performance improvements in the Site Health Screens.
- Crash Protection no longer interrupts plugin editing (#46045).
- Custom error handlers now load correctly (#46069).
The Beta 2 version also has a handful of changes for the developers to try out. Check out the developer notes on the WordPress Core.
As mentioned in our earlier post on updating your PHP version, WordPress 5.2 Beta 2 will require PHP 5.6.20. So, if you’re running an older version, update your PHP right away before the major release this year.
Talking about the major release, WordPress 5.2 is targeting April 30 for its release. And the developers need your help to make it as smooth and bug-free as possible.
If you think you’ve found a bug, you can post to the Alpha/Beta area in the support forums. If you’re comfortable writing a reproducible bug report, file one on WordPress Trac, where you can also find a list of known bugs.