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WPML 4.4.7 beta – preparing for WordPress 5.6 and PHP 8

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Today, we released the first WPML 4.4.7 beta, which is fully PHP 8 ready and will continue to be updated as WordPress proceeds with their 5.6 development.

WordPress 5.6 is a highly anticipated release that includes many new features, including support for PHP 8. PHP 8 offers great overall improvements, but it’s a sensitive upgrade that introduces breaking changes for most plugins, themes, and web hosts.

If you are currently using a WordPress 5.6 beta on a development site, please update to the WPML 4.4.7 beta to prevent these breaking changes with WPML. Clients who are not using a WordPress 5.6 beta do not need to update.

Remember: the breaking changes introduced with PHP 8 will affect almost every plugin and theme. So, if you’re trying out PHP 8, you should check the compatibility of your theme and all the plugins that you use.

For a full list of what’s included in WPML 4.4.7 beta, please see our changelog.

Known issues in this release

This release contains some known issues. We are working on a fix for these and will release a new update once they are fixed:

  • Using Avada, the language switcher may show an incorrect language parameter on some pages.
  • Avada Global Layouts: WPML flags may not show up.
  • Changing translation preferences for custom fields may not be possible.
  • Updating a post in a language that is hidden may lead to a JavaScript error.

Installing the Beta Version

There are two ways of downloading this beta: manually or through the beta channel.

Important: This software is still in development. We do not recommend installing this version on a production site.

Installing manually

Go to your WPML Downloads page. In the Choose Channel dropdown, select Beta. Download the ZIP file and add it to your site.

Choosing the Beta channel on the Downloads page
Choosing the Beta channel on the Downloads page

Installing through the beta channel

Go to the Plugins page, click the Add New button and then click the Commercial tab.

Switching to the Beta channel

Under the Updates channel option, use the dropdown menu to switch to the Beta channel. Finally, click the Switch button in the dialog that appears. See our documentation for more details on switching between beta and development channels.

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2 Responses to “WPML 4.4.7 beta – preparing for WordPress 5.6 and PHP 8”

  1. Hi,

    I’m trying to find up-to-date changelog information for WPML. Currently 4.4.8 is waiting to be installed, but 4.4.7 is the last post you have on it. Is there somewhere else I should be looking to get this information?

    Thanks,

    Mark