What Is New in WordPress 4.2
| Category | Key Updates |
|---|---|
| New Features | Press This revamp, Extended character support (emoji), New plugin install flow |
| Improvements | Streamlined updates, Theme switching workflow, Customizer image widget |
| Under the Hood | TinyMCE update, Taxonomy roadmap, `wp.template` templating |
What are the main user-facing features?
WordPress 4.2 brings a modernized Press This tool and vastly improved character support. The new Press This is a sleeper hit for content curators, letting you grab text, images, and videos from around the web into a draft post with a simple browser bookmarklet.
Native emoji support is the headliner. This is a huge win for global users as it enables full international character and emoji display across all browsers without additional plugins. In practice, this means your site can now handle Japanese, Chinese, and Arabic characters more reliably, along with all the fun emojis.
Plugin Installation
The plugin installation process got a major UX overhaul. You can now search, install, and activate plugins from a single modal window without ever leaving the plugins admin screen. This cuts down the number of clicks and page reloads significantly.
How did the update process improve?
Updating is now a more seamless, in-place experience. When you update plugins or themes from the dashboard, the update process happens in a modal overlay. This is a subtle but meaningful change that keeps you in context instead of bouncing you to a separate update screen.
Switching themes is also safer. If you're previewing a new theme and decide to activate it, WordPress now prompts you to customize the theme first. This prevents the jarring experience of activating a theme with unfinished settings and breaking your site's look and feel.
What changed for theme developers?
The Customizer's image widget received accessibility enhancements. The controls are now clearer and easier to use for everyone. This matters because it improves the experience for site owners who are building their pages without developer help.
Under the hood, the bundled TinyMCE library was updated to version 4.1.9. This resolves a number of bugs and inconsistencies in the visual editor, giving a more stable writing experience. For developers, it means fewer support tickets about weird editor behavior.
What are the key under-the-hood developer changes?
A new JavaScript templating function, wp.template, was introduced. It uses underscore.js templates, providing a standardized way to render reusable client-side templates. This is the foundation for more complex JavaScript applications within the admin area.
var compiled = wp.template( 'my-template' );
var html = compiled( { data: 'example' } );The taxonomy roadmap was also laid out, signaling a long-term direction for how tags and categories will be handled. This was mostly an internal cleanup and preparation for future improvements to the taxonomy system.
FAQ
Does the emoji support add bloat to my site?
No. The emoji support consists of a small JavaScript library that only loads if a browser doesn't have native support. For modern browsers, it's a no-op. The performance impact is negligible for the vast majority of sites.
I use a custom Press This tool. Will it break?
If you've heavily modified the old Press This bookmarklet, you'll need to update it. The new version is a complete rewrite with a different architecture, so old customizations are not compatible.
What happens if a user's browser doesn't support the new emoji?
WordPress includes a fallback script (twemoji) that automatically converts emoji characters into cross-browser compatible images. The transition is completely seamless for the end-user.
Is the new plugin installation modal accessible?
Yes, the updated plugin installation interface was built with accessibility in mind. It improves keyboard navigation and screen reader support over the old multi-page workflow.
Why was the TinyMCE update significant?
Upgrading the core editor library fixed numerous edge-case bugs related to text formatting, paste handling, and HTML cleaning. It provides a more stable and predictable WYSIWYG experience.