WordPress 4.2 Beta 4 Now Available

We are getting there! Slowly but surely we approach the release of WordPress 4.2, which is planned to be shipped out in the middle of this the month.

Another beta version is ready for download. WordPress 4.2 Beta 4 is now available.

In all my years I have been working with WordPress, I don’t believe I have experienced four beta releases before. But the software is still in development, meaning there’s a bit of testing left to do.

As an avid WordPress user, I encourage anyone who has the opportunity to test even this version to check that everything is working as it is supposed to do. If you think you’ve found a bug, you can post to the Alpha/Beta area in the support forums.

To enable and testing the beta and RC versions, it is recommended not to use your regular production sites. You need to make use of a test environment to test-drive WordPress. Plus, you need to install the WordPress Beta Tester plugin and enable the (“bleeding edge Night Lies”) version! Now we talking!

If you are hesitant on how you set up a test environment, there are quite a few software available. We have previously covered some alternative such as Desktop Server and Instant WordPress that are easy to install, use, and as I can recommend.

If you want to know what’s new in version 4.2, check out the Beta 1, Beta 2, and Beta 3.

Let’s take a look at what’s changed in WordPress 4.2 Beta 4

  • The experience when accessing the customizer on mobile has become incrementally improved.
  • The ability to make admin notices dismissible have been added.
  • Some reported issues with backward-compatibility issues caused by the modularization of core JS files has been fixed.
  • The ability to swipe the admin menu open and closed on touch devices due to reports of some issues with built-in history navigation on certain platforms have been removed.
  • The accessibility of the WordPress admin by replacing skip-to-content links with landmark roles have been improved.
  • Various bug have been fixed. More than 90 changes in the last week.

If you find a bug! Post to the Alpha/Beta area in the support forums. Or, if you’re comfortable writing a bug report, file one on the WordPress Trac. You can also find a list of known bugs there and everything that has been corrected and fixed.

Happy testing of Beta 4!

» WordPress 4.2 Beta 4