![\"WordPress](\"https:\/\/www.gravityforms.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/WordPress-5.4.jpg\")
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On the 31st March, the newest version of WordPress was released – WP 5.4. Named after the famous American jazz trumpeter, Nat Adderley, WordPress 5.4 has some exciting additions and enhancements that focus on improving the block editor as well as privacy tools and the developer experience.<\/p>\n
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Below we have picked out some of the key features released in WP 5.4, as well as a few of the most useful and a couple that are just fun! Let\u2019s jump right in\u2026<\/p>\n
WordPress 5.4<\/a> provides two new blocks – Social Icons and Buttons – both of which help to streamline the process of adding interactive features to your pages and posts.<\/p>\n Other blocks have seen features enhanced, the loading speed of the editor has been improved, a fullscreen mode enabled by default for the editor has been introduced, and much more…<\/p>\n With the new Social Icons block, WordPress users can easily add social follow icons to their content, helping to grow their social following.<\/p>\n Simply type Social Icons<\/strong> into the block Search<\/strong>, then select the social buttons you would like to add. These buttons can then be linked to your social profile pages, enabling site visitors to quickly click through and follow you on social.<\/p>\n The new Buttons block will enable users to add numerous buttons to their content, all within the same block container. This feature is perfect for anyone wanting to add multiple call-to-actions next to each other in a row, instead of having to list them one under the other down the page.<\/p>\n Buttons have a selection of customization options, which you will find within the Block Settings<\/strong>. Here you can change the text, add a link, insert an image, alter the text and background color, and much more.<\/p>\n A number of improvements have been made to the Block Editor in terms of using and adding color to your pages and posts. These include\u2026<\/p>\n These color options will give users greater control over the appearance of their website\u2019s content, as well as helping to improve the general aesthetics.<\/p>\n To further engage your audience, WordPress 5.4 has integrated featured images into the Latest Posts block. This will help grab your readers\u2019 attention, and encourage them to click through and read additional blog posts.<\/p>\n Under Block Settings,<\/strong> you can also select the size of the images, alter image dimensions, and choose image alignment.<\/p>\n With WordPress 5.4 the Block Editor is enabled in fullscreen mode by default. This means for any new WordPress installations, or if you open your WordPress dashboard on a new device, then the editor will be displayed in fullscreen mode from the get-go.<\/p>\n You can turn Fullscreen Mode on and off by clicking on More Tools and Options<\/strong> and choosing the mode that best suits your design process.<\/p>\n And now for the fun bit – thanks to WordPress 5.4 you can now embed TikTok videos directly in your pages and posts. Simply select the TikTok<\/strong> block and then paste in the TikTok URL to embed the video into a page or post.<\/p>\n Other Block Editor features that have been released with WordPress 5.4 include…<\/p>\n Another key area that WordPress 5.4 has focused on is the issue of privacy<\/a>. With privacy laws on customer data tightening up around the globe, this is a crucial topic that is constantly under review within the WordPress community.<\/p>\n Areas that have been updated include\u2026<\/p>\n Like WordPress, security and data privacy is at the forefront of all that we do here at Gravity Forms. To find out more, check out our Gravity Forms Security Whitepaper<\/a>.<\/p>\n Developers will find that WordPress 5.4 has brought 122 enhancements, 210 bug fixes, multiple improvements to the WordPress admin area, and much more<\/a>. Let\u2019s take a look at a few of these changes\u2026<\/p>\nNew Social Icons Block<\/h2>\n
![\"WordPress](\"https:\/\/www.gravityforms.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/WordPress-5.4-Social-Icons.jpg\"){kind=icon}
<\/p>\nNew Buttons Block<\/h2>\n
![\"Buttons\"](\"https:\/\/www.gravityforms.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Buttons.jpg\")
<\/p>\nImproved Color Options<\/h2>\n
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![\"WordPress](\"https:\/\/www.gravityforms.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/WordPress-5.4-Colors.jpg\")
<\/p>\nEnhanced Latest Posts Block<\/h2>\n
![\"Latest](\"https:\/\/www.gravityforms.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Latest-Posts.jpg\")
<\/p>\nFullscreen Mode for the Block Editor Enabled by Default<\/h2>\n
![\"Fullscreen](\"https:\/\/www.gravityforms.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Fullscreen-Mode-Block-Editor.jpg\")
<\/p>\nEmbedding TikTok in WordPress<\/h2>\n
![\"TikTok\"](\"https:\/\/www.gravityforms.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/TikTok.jpg\")
<\/p>\nOther Block Editor Features<\/h2>\n
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Privacy<\/h2>\n
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![\"Site](\"https:\/\/www.gravityforms.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Site-Health.png\")
<\/p>\nDeveloper Experience<\/h2>\n
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![\"Gravity](\"https:\/\/www.gravityforms.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Gravity-Forms-Newsletter-1.png\")