The first release candidate for WordPress 5.4 is now available!
This is an important milestone as we progress toward the WordPress 5.4 release date. “Release Candidate” means that the new version is ready for release, but with millions of users and thousands of plugins and themes, it’s possible something was missed. WordPress 5.4 is currently scheduled to be released on March 31, 2020, but we need your help to get there—if you haven’t tried 5.4 yet, now is the time!
There are two ways to test the WordPress 5.4 release candidate:
What’s in WordPress 5.4?
WordPress 5.4 has lots of refinements to polish the developer experience. To keep up, subscribe to the Make WordPress Core blog and pay special attention to the developer notes tag for updates on those and other changes that could affect your products.
Plugin and Theme Developers
Please test your plugins and themes against WordPress 5.4 and update the Tested up to version in the readme file to 5.4. If you find compatibility problems, please be sure to post to the support forums so we can figure those out before the final release.
The WordPress 5.4 Field Guide will be published within the next 24 hours with a more detailed dive into the major changes.
How to Help
Do you speak a language other than English? Help us translate WordPress into more than 100 languages! This release also marks the hard string freeze point of the 5.4 release schedule.
If you think you’ve found a bug, you can post to the Alpha/Beta area in the support forums. We’d love to hear from you! If you’re comfortable writing a reproducible bug report, file one on WordPress Trac, where you can also find a list of known bugs.
Latest PECL Releases:
- datadog_trace 0.41.0
### Added
- Put compile_file hook behind a feature flag, default on #757
Changed
- Require curl at configuration time #766
- Log background sender messages to error_log #776
- Deprecate manual usage of legacy Symfony bundles and Laravel provider #772
- Separate background sender timeout env vars from userland #773
Fixed
- Gracefully handle a dropped span on exit #765
- Update contribution guidelines #769
- Trace http response code when set via function 'http_response_code' #755 - thanks @aderiyenko
- Fix execinfo on builds from source in Alpine containers #752
- zip 1.18.0RC1
- add ZipArchive::FL_RECOMPRESS, FL_ENCRYPTED, FL_OVERWRITE, FL_LOCAL,
FL_CENTRAL constants
- add optional "flags" parameter to ZipArchive::addEmptyDir, addFile and
addFromString methods
- add "flags" options to ZipArchive::addGlob and addPattern methods,
keeping previous behavior having FL_OVERWRITE by default
- add ZipArchive::replaceFile() method
- redis 5.2.0
phpredis 5.2.0
- There were no changes between 5.2.0RC2 and 5.2.0.
phpredis 5.2.0RC2
- Include RedisSentinelTest.php in package.xml! [eddbfc8f] (Michael Grunder)
- Fix -Wmaybe-uninitialized warning [740b8c87] (Remi Collet)
- Fix improper destructor when zipping values and scores [371ae7ae]
(Michael Grunder)
- Use php_rand instead of php_mt_rand for liveness challenge string
[9ef2ed89] (Michael Grunder)
phpredis 5.2.0RC1
This release contains initial support for Redis Sentinel as well as many
smaller bug fixes and improvements. It is especially of interest if you
use persistent connections, as we've added logic to make sure they are in
a good state when retreving them from the pool.
IMPORTANT: Sentinel support is considered experimental and the API
will likely change based on user feedback.
- Sponsors
~ Audiomack.com - https://audiomack.com
~ Till Kruss - https://github.com/tillkruss
-
Initial support for RedisSentinel [90cb69f3, c94e28f1, 46da22b0, 5a609fa4,
383779ed] (Pavlo Yatsukhnenko)
-
Houskeeping (spelling, doc changes, etc) [23f9de30, d07a8df6, 2d39b48d,
0ef488fc, 2c35e435, f52bd8a8, 2ddc5f21, 1ff7dfb7, db446138] (Tyson Andre,
Pavlo Yatsukhnenko, Michael Grunder, Tyson Andre)
-
Fix for ASK redirections [ba73fbee] (Michael Grunder)
-
Create specific 'test skipped' exception [c3d83d44] (Michael Grunder)
-
Fixed memory leaks in RedisCluster [a107c9fc] (Michael Grunder)
-
Fixes for session lifetime values that underflow or overflow [7a79ad9c,
3c48a332] (Michael Grunder)
-
Enables slot caching for Redis Cluster [23b1a9d8] (Michael Booth)
-
Support TYPE argument for SCAN [8eb39a26, b1724b84, 53fb36c9, 544e641b]
(Pavlo Yatsukhnenko)
-
Added challenge/response mechanism for persistent connections [a5f95925,
25cdaee6, 7b6072e0, 99ebd0cc, 3243f426] (Pavlo Yatsukhnenko, Michael Grunder)
- gRPC 1.28.0RC1
- gRPC Core 1.28.0 update
- msgpack 2.1.0
+ Improved performance
+ Upgraded bundled msgpack headers to 3.2.0
* Merged PR #101: Update README in order to match compatibile PHP version
* Merged PR #125: fix ce->name is a zend_string
* Merged PR #106: Update README
* Merged PR #126: add mising tests in archive
* Merged PR #135: Add fixes for issue #81 This also includes tests.
* Merged PR #143: Fixed build with PHP-7.4
* Fixed issue #139: Segmentation fault when using cloned unpacker
* Fixed issue #132: Segfault on session php7.3
* Fixed issue #107: $unpacker->execute() bug
* Fixed issue #83: Arrays and negative index
* Fixed issue #137: DateTime(Immutable) serialization doesn't work with php 7.4 RC1
* Fixed issue #105: MessagePackUnpacker() bug
* Fixed issue #90: msgpack_unpack is super slow (30x times igbinary) on big data sets
* Fixed issue #91: Private property in base class
* Fixed issue #67: Integer overflow on a 64-bit system
* Fixed issue #33: int64 and uint64 decode is not supported in 32-bit php
* Fixed issue #119: uint64 numbers are cast to uint on Windows
* Fixed issue #134: msgpack-php msgpack_serialize/msgpack_pack not handling properly large int
* Fixed issue #81: Serialize optimization
* Fixed issue #108: tests/041.phpt failure
* Fixed issue #142: Recursion encoded as NULL
* Fixed issue #138: Serializers comparison for session like data
- zip 1.17.2
- fix #79315 ZipArchive::addFile doen't honor start/length parameters
- krb5 1.1.3
- [BUG] Keep proper minor status for error reporting in initSecContex
- [BUG] remove some overlooked debugging output
- [BUG] fix PECL package license metadata
- [FEATURE] Add API for password expiration information (MIT >=1.9 only)
- [FEATURE] Allow leaving the NegotiateAuth SPN unspecified (allow all from keytab)
- [FEATURE] Add support for gss_acquire_cred_from() instead of setting the per process keytab (in NegotiateAuth,
GSSAPI to follow).
- [FEATURE] Allow overriding SPN for NegotiateAuth.
Package:
Summary:
Generate PDF documents with tables displaying data
Groups:
Author:
Description:
This class can generate PDF documents with tables displaying data
It is an extension of the FPDF that takes arrays with data to display on the rows of a table and then it can generate a PDF document that displays the table on a page...
Read more at https://www.phpclasses.org/package/11553-PHP-Generate-PDF-documents-with-tables-displaying-data.html#2020-03-03-01:28:32
The web is full of advice for freelance web designers. Certainly, I’ve offered up my share. But, while it’s often well-meaning, there is an unintended consequence. It can lead us to believe that we need to achieve perfection in order to succeed.
But no matter how much great advice we give or receive, none of us are perfect. We all make mistakes. Sometimes, we run a bit low on motivation. It’s all part of the human experience.
Today, we’ll explore some of the more common perceived sins that designers commit. They range from business-related bumbles to technical faux pas. And, while they’re not something worth celebrating, they are acts that we can (and should) forgive ourselves for.
Let’s take a look:
The Freelance Designer Toolbox
Unlimited Downloads: 500,000+ Web Templates, Themes, Plugins, Design Assets, and much more!
Not Following up on Leads
Have you ever received a message from a prospective new client and just never got around to replying? It almost feels like breaking some sort of international salesperson’s code of honor.
I admit to having done this more than a few times over the years. The question I often ask myself is, “Why?”
There are a few reasons why we might let these opportunities slip into the wind. It could be that we’re simply too busy and preoccupied with other projects. Some days, it can feel like a new client is indeed the last thing you need to deal with – as counterintuitive as that may sound.
But there is also the possibility that a lead seems either completely uninspiring or raises some other red flag. The person on the other end could come off as being difficult, or the project might appear to be of no real benefit.
Of course, this doesn’t mean we should ignore every opportunity that comes our way – that would be foolish. But don’t be too hard on yourself for allowing a lead to go unanswered. It’s not the end of the world.
Ignoring the Hot New Trend
In some respects, it’s reasonable that designers jump onto certain trends. After all, no one wants to look as if they’ve fallen behind the times. Why, even some “retro” looks are done with a wink and a nod of irony.
Some styles, like minimalism, can become full-blown design principles that withstand the test of time. But most often they end up leaving just as fast as they arrived. This makes for tough decisions when working on new projects.
On one hand, you might feel obligated to create a website that’s “with it” and reflects the current times. Yet, you also don’t want it to look like last year’s fad as the site ages.
It feels like there’s a level of guilt associated with ignoring the latest trends. As in, maybe you’ve lost your creative mojo or are not serving your clients as well as you should be.
But eschewing trends in favor of more time-tested techniques can be a good thing. Because you aren’t latching onto buzzwords or worrying about how it will look in your portfolio, you’re actually performing a great service.
Odds are, your designs will stay relevant longer. That’s a benefit to both you and your clients.
Parting Ways with a Client
Booking a new client means the start of a new relationship. It’s one that you hope will be prosperous and mutually beneficial.
However, working relationships are still human relationships. That means that we are going to face the same struggles with clients that we’d face with any other person. In that same way, sometimes things just don’t work out.
And, while it’s true that our job is to serve our clients, they’re not without responsibilities of their own. Clients who aren’t truthful, don’t pay their bills or are otherwise disrespectful should be accountable. Just as we designers are responsible for holding up our end of the bargain, clients should be held to the same standard.
Still, firing a client can seem like an extreme measure. Yet, it’s better than staying in a bad relationship.
Because, while serving clients is part of what we do, that doesn’t mean we should do so at all costs. Therefore, saying goodbye is a sometimes-necessary act.
Breaking a Website and Other Assorted Mishaps
As previously mentioned, there is pressure on web designers to be perfect. But anyone who’s ever built a website knows that isn’t the reality.
That’s because, when working with code and a host of third-party tools, projects can become complicated in a hurry. And the more complex the task, the more likely we are to make mistakes.
Even so, it’s easy to take these mishaps to heart. A single second of downtime (especially one where your client notices) can feel embarrassing. It may make you question yourself and your ability to keep things running smoothly.
However, making and correcting mistakes are part of the job description. Of course, that’s no excuse for being sloppy. But even the best-prepared developer can bring down an entire server with a single misplaced character.
So, the next time your website breaks, don’t be too hard on yourself. Instead, use it as a learning opportunity. Chances are you’ll know how to better handle the situation when it arises again in the future.
Putting Yourself First
The internet does not take a day off. Hardware and software failures don’t wait until you’re in your comfy office chair to wreak havoc. And clients aren’t always the most understanding of people.
Put all of this together and you might start to feel like a machine. One that’s programmed to switch itself into work mode as soon as an email arrives.
This is why so many of us tell ourselves that there simply isn’t time for a vacation. Or that we’ll have to miss our child’s school event because, well, duty calls.
Then, when we actually do take a day off, we feel guilty. Because, heaven forbid that we’re not around if someone, anyone, has a question. And if something were to break…
One of the hardest lessons I’ve learned, and continue to struggle with, is that nobody is going to tell you to take a day off. And, even if one client did, you may have dozens more that wouldn’t. So, it’s up to us to put ourselves and our families first.
Getting away from your office is not a sin. And anyone who makes you feel that it is probably isn’t worth working with.
Stop Chasing Perfect, Start Living
We all want to do the very best that we can. We want to make money and keep our clients happy. We want to be respected within our industry.
The secret is that each and every one of these things is possible. Yet, none of them require us to be perfect. As simple as that sounds, it can be easy to forget.
Any of the situations above can lead us to doubt ourselves. But that’s a natural reaction. It’s how we respond that really counts.
If you’re looking to grow as both a web designer and a person, forgive yourself. It may just be the gateway to a whole different outlook.
The post The 5 Forgivable ‘Sins’ of a Freelance Designer appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.
Package:
Summary:
Generate PDF documents with tables displaying data
Groups:
Author:
Description:
This class can generate PDF documents with tables displaying data
It is an extension of the FPDF that takes arrays with data to display on the rows of a table and then it can generate a PDF document that displays the table on a page...
Read more at https://www.phpclasses.org/package/11553-PHP-Generate-PDF-documents-with-tables-displaying-data.html#2020-03-02-09:42:24
The design of your online store matters just as much as the quality of your products. As such, you need to make sure that your eCommerce and shopping theme has all the necessary features as well as an attractive design that will make your products look even more visually appealing while making your customers feel welcome.
With features such as product filters, mega menus, and auto-complete search, the themes in this collection were designed to help you sell more products. When you pair that with attractive and responsive design, you’ll quickly be on your way towards making more profit from your online store.
In this collection, we’ve rounded up the best free eCommerce and shopping themes for WordPress that will help you take your store to the next level.
More Free WordPress Themes:
WordPress Development Themes:
The Woostify theme is focused on bringing you more conversions in your online store. It offers features such as auto-complete search, product quick views, one page checkout and more. The theme is also optimized for fast loading times.
The Shoppo WooCommerce theme has a minimal and clean design that puts your products in the spotlight. You can setup your online store quickly by using one of the many pre-made shop styles, or you can create unique and complex page layouts with the intuitive drag and drop page builder.
The Tyche theme has a beautiful grid layout on the homepage that makes it easy to showcase the most popular products from several categories. The theme is also easy to customize, fully responsive, and full of features designed to help you sell more.
The Maison theme is a great choice if you’re looking for a minimal theme that doesn’t skimp out on the features. The theme comes with 5 different homepage designs, one-click demo import, and eCommerce features such as image lazy load, quick view, mega menus, and more.
Storefront is the perfect theme for your next WooCommerce project as it was designed by the same team that made WooCommerce. The theme offers several layout and color options to customize your shop as well as multiple widget regions, a responsive design, and much more.
The Adiva is unique and modern looking eCommerce Theme. It includes several premade demos, responsive design, and tons of customization options. On top of that, you will find all the necessary eCommerce features designed to help you sell more.
The eCommerce Gem is a multipurpose eCommerce WordPress theme suitable for any type of online store. Key features include product search with category select, multiple sections on the front page, full-width slider, latest and featured product carousel, call to actions, and more.
The Cashier theme is a minimalist and clean theme for WooCommerce that loads fast and is easy to customize. The theme is fully responsive, optimized for SEO, and easy to customize.
The Ocin Lite is a beautiful WooCommerce theme perfect for modern and clean online shops. It has a responsive design that will make it easy for your customers to make a purchase on every device.
Try the Indra theme if you are on the lookout for a WordPress theme that loads fast. The theme offers several premade demos which can be installed with one click and on top of WooCommerce integration, it also integrates with the Elementor page builder plugin.
The Shophistic Lite theme comes with stunning CSS animations and a powerful theme options panel that lets you customize every aspect of your site. It also includes a custom social icons menu, responsive design, and built-in SEO optimization.
The Sullivan theme offers features such as search with instant results, full-width slideshows, responsive design, dropdown modals for account settings and the shopping cart, and tons of customization options.
WooShop is a free WooCommerce theme with interesting features such as a hover over effect on products images, category descriptions, and SEO optimization. The theme is also easy to customize.
The ShopStore is a sleek multipurpose WordPress WooCommerce theme. The theme is fully responsive and comes with impressive product display options. The ShopStore also includes plenty of customization options.
The Shopera theme is a free and minimal WooCommerce theme that’s highly customizable, fully responsive, and easy to use. It’s suitable for any type of online store and is also translation-ready.
The Pasal eCommerce theme has a clean and modern design. The theme has comes with right sidebar widget area, footer widgets, custom widgets, 4 sliders and much more. It’s also fully responsive.
If you’re looking to sell digital products, the Easy Digital Download theme is a perfect choice. It integrates beautifully with Easy Digital Downloads and includes features such as Schema and SEO-friendly code, one-click demo import, GDPR compliance, and various sections for newsletter, testimonial, digital downloads, and more.
The ShopIsle theme makes it easy to feature your popular products and various product categories. The theme is responsive and comes with a custom mega menu, extensive theme options panel, and detailed documentation.
To learn more about WooCommerce, take a look at this article. And if you’re looking for free WooCommerce plugins, this collection is for you.
The post The 15 Best Free eCommerce & Shopping Themes for WordPress appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.
Latest PEAR Releases:
February 2020 was a busy month in the WordPress project! Most notably, there was an outpouring of sentiment in response to the unfortunate cancellation of WordCamp Asia. However, the team continues to work hard in the hopes of making WordCamp Asia 2021 happen. In addition, there were a number of releases and some exciting new news during the month of February. Read on for more information!
WordCamp Asia 2020 Cancelled & Pop-up Livestream
There was a ton of excitement around WordCamp Asia, not to mention all the effort from organizers, speakers, sponsors and volunteers. Unfortunately, on February 12th, WordCamp Asia was cancelled due to concern and uncertainty around COVID-19. Since then, the organizing team has worked to refund tickets and to support hotel and air refunds. In addition, a pop-up livestream featuring some WordCamp Asia speakers and a Fireside Chat and Q&A with Matt Mullenweg took place on February 22nd.
For a personal take on the cancellation of WordCamp Asia, read this post from Naoko Takano, the global lead organizer. Many thanks to the volunteers who worked hard to deliver WordCamp Asia. They’ve not only handled logistics associated with cancellation but have also announced that they’ve started working on WordCamp Asia 2021 with some January dates in mind! To get the latest on WordCamp Asia, subscribe to updates here.
WordPress 5.4 Beta is Now Available
WordPress 5.4 Beta 1 was released on February 11 and quickly followed by Beta 2 on February 18 and Beta 3 on February 25. These two releases get us closer to our primary goal for 2020: full-site editing with blocks. WordPress 5.4 will merge ten releases of the Gutenberg plugin and is scheduled to be released on March 31, 2020. It will come with many new features, such as two new blocks for social links and buttons, and easier navigation in the block breadcrumbs. There are also a number of accessibility improvements, such as easier multi-block selection and easier tabbing, one of the editor’s biggest accessibility issues. 5.4 will also include many developer-focused changes, such as improved favicon handling and many new hooks and filters.
Want to get involved in building WordPress? There are a number of ways to help right now! If you speak a language other than English, help us translate WordPress. Found a bug? Post it to the Alpha/Beta area in the support forums. You can also help us test the current beta by installing the WordPress Beta Tester plugin. Just remember that the software is still in development, so we recommend against running it on a production site.
WordCamp Centroamérica is Looking for Speakers and Sponsors!
WordCamp Centroamérica is the first regional WordCamp for Central America and will be held on September 17-19, 2020, in Managua, Nicaragua. The Call for Speakers and Call for Sponsors are now open, so if you’re interested in speaking at or sponsoring WordCamp Centroamérica, now is your chance! To learn more about the eent, visit and subscribe to updates on their website, or follow their Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts.
Want to get involved in the Community team and help make more amazing WordCamps happen? Follow the blog and join the #community-events channel in the Making WordPress Slack group! You can also find out about other upcoming WordCamps here.
Contribute to WordPress Core via GitHub
An experimental feature has been added to Trac to help improve collaboration between Trac and GitHub. This feature allows contributors to link GitHub pull requests opened against the official WordPress Develop Git mirror to tickets, which will make GitHub contributions more visible in the related Trac ticket. To learn all the details and to see how it works, read this post.
Gutenberg Development Continues
There are many new exciting additions to Gutenberg! On February 5, Gutenberg 7.4 saw two new features added, including background color support to the Columns block and text color support for the Group block. Many enhancements were made, including a number of improvements to the Navigation Block.
Gutenberg 7.5 was released on February 12, with 7.6 following on February 27. They introduced even more features, including the Social Links block as a stable block and a number of additional blocks for full-site editing, not to mention the many enhancements, new APIs, bug fixes, documentation, and updates.
Want to get involved in building Gutenberg? Follow the Core team blog, contribute to Gutenberg on GitHub, and join the #core-editor channel in the Making WordPress Slack group.
Further Reading:
Have a story that we should include in the next “Month in WordPress” post? Please submit it here.
Halftone patterns, those intensely-dotted images, are a mainstay of both print and web design. While traditionally used as a means of faithfully reproducing images in print, it has also become a style all its own.
Today, halftone patterns are used as backgrounds or to provide some surreal special effects to images. And, as CSS and JavaScript have progressed, designers have found a way to integrate the effect into code as well. The results can be stunning.
Let’s have a look at some examples of how halftone is being implemented through code. As you’ll see, there are a number of different takes and techniques for bringing this classic pattern to the web.
The Web Designer Toolbox
Unlimited Downloads: 1,000,000+ Web Templates, Themes, Plugins, Design Assets, and much more!
Halftone Your Cat (Or Non-Cat) Photo
This is probably the most familiar implementation of halftone. It consists of adding the effect to an existing photograph (a cat, in this case). But this snippet is also fully customizable. You can replace dots with, for example, emoji or text. In addition, you can change the sizing of each dot. And, yes, you can swap the cat with a face – but why?
See the Pen
Halftone by ycw
Press for Halftone
Here’s a very creative use for halftone. There’s a subtle pattern displayed on this button, with a slightly bolder hover effect. But clicking will turn on a high-contrast pattern that is sure to grab your attention.
See the Pen
Halftone button by Taylor Hunt
Revealing Secrets
The flashlight effect has become quite popular in recent times. Here, it’s combined with a halftone pattern that “illuminates” hidden text. It’s a fun interaction, and the pattern brings a bit of retro/brutalist vibe.
See the Pen
Reveal Hidden Text by Tyler Durrett
Taking a Subtler Tone
There’s no law that says halftone has to be loud – and this snippet is proof. Halftone effects are blended perfectly into a crosshatch pattern. The result is something both unique and subtle. Bonus points for being built with pure CSS.
See the Pen
Half Tone Cross Hatch Pattern by Devin Price
Far-Out Hover Effects
Here’s a snippet that looks like something from a sci-fi thriller. A blue on black halftone photo stares at us from the other side of the screen. Place your cursor over it and a portion of the image fades back into obscurity.
See the Pen
Halftone Aberration by Théo Gil
Parallax Sans BS
Another surreal take on the effect, this photo features a dizzying array of colored dots. What’s more, moving your cursor brings a 3D parallax effect that exposes a subtle outline floating above the main image. The added dimension makes the effect all the more interesting.
See the Pen
Parallax Halftone by Eric Jackson Wood
Duo It All
Thanks to CSS blend modes, halftone effects can be added to just about anything. In this example, a beautiful blend is placed on top of various photos. Hovering over one reveals its true color. It’s a very practical use that is compelling, but without being over-the-top.
See the Pen
CSS Blend modes by Jos van Weesel
More Than Your Average Text Shadow
Let’s finish things off with another practical use case. Here we have some basic outlined typography that utilizes offset shadowing. The first two examples use a solid color shadow, which works well. But the second set features a halftone pattern, which offers a more artsy feel.
See the Pen
Strokes, Shadows + Halftone Effects by Mark
A Pattern of Innovation
The great thing about combining code with a classic image effect is that it opens up a whole new world of possibilities. Sure, we can add a halftone pattern to a design element – but why stop there?
Designers are finding new and clever uses for these effects. In the code snippets above, halftone is utilized both traditionally and innovatively. The old boundaries only exist if we want them to.
Want to see more halftone pattern examples? Check out our CodePen collection for other creative uses.
The post Examples of Combining Halftone Effects with Code appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.
Package:
Summary:
Manage a playlist using SplDoublyLinkedList class
Groups:
Author:
Description:
This is a simple example class that can manage a playlist using the SplDoublyLinkedList class...
Read more at https://www.phpclasses.org/package/11552-PHP-Manage-a-playlist-using-SplDoublyLinkedList-class.html#2020-03-01-13:42:18
