Genesis 3.3 beta is ready to try! With Genesis 3.3 beta your sites can download and update Genesis parent theme translations without a separate plugin. 3.3 beta also brings accessibility improvements and bug fixes.
How to try the beta
Experiment with new Genesis 3.3 features safely with the Genesis Beta Tester plugin in a local development environment or testing server. Or wait for the official release of Genesis 3.3 at the end of February 2020 and upgrade your production sites then.
Genesis 3.3 requires PHP 5.6+. It works best with a Genesis HTML5 child theme, WordPress 5.0+, and the Block Editor enabled so you can make the most of every new feature:
Download and update Genesis parent theme translations
If your WordPress site uses a non-U.S. English site language at Settings → General, WordPress will now prompt you if Genesis parent theme translations are available for installed languages.
Try Genesis translation downloads with 3.3 beta:
1. Check your language is listed and has translations in the list of Genesis language packs.
2. Disable the Genesis Translations plugin if it’s currently active on your site. We’re grateful to Remkus de Vries for maintaining this plugin and for his help with the language features in Genesis 3.3.
3. Check for language pack updates at Dashboard → Updates. If you do not see language pack updates, switch your site language to U.S. English at Settings → General, save changes, then switch back to your own language and check for language updates again.
4. Install available language packs when prompted by clicking the button on the Updates page.
Accessibility improvements
Genesis 3.3 beta continues our commitment to accessible WordPress sites with three accessibility fixes:
- Author box titles on author archives now use h2 instead of h4 to prevent heading levels from jumping.
- Prevent “Reader Interactions” screenreader text appearing below content if there are no comments, comment form, or trackbacks on display.
- Move
role="navigation"from the list element to the wrapper element on pagination navigation.
Tweaks and fixes
Genesis 3.3 also improves the Genesis Framework with bug fixes and development tooling improvements:
- AMP: Fix CSS string format used in the AMP menu styles.
- Block Editor: Show singular, post-type, and ID-specific layouts in the Genesis sidebar layout selector.
- REST: Accept multiple comma-separated layout types for the /layouts/ Genesis REST endpoint.
- Standards: switch all instances of
date()togmdate()to adhere to new WordPress standards recommendations. - Tooling: simplified the creation of the Genesis zip file during the release process.
Send feedback about Genesis 3.3 beta
Please help us test Genesis 3.3 before the full release in February 2020. Then reach us here with your questions and suggestions:
- The GenesisWP Slack workspace is where the Genesis community and development team hangs out.
- The StudioPress account help page helps StudioPress customers send comments and feedback.
- The WP Engine Customer Portal lets you reach us if you’re a WP Engine account holder.
We hope you enjoy the features and improvements that Genesis 3.3 brings to your WordPress sites.