Divi 5 Dev Letter #2: Progress Update and Future Plans

We are excited to bring you a follow-up on our progress with Divi 5 development. In our previous dev letter, we shared our initial plans and challenges. Today, we have a lot to update you on, including some significant strides and insights gained along the way.

We have created a video update to show our progress. This video walks through some of the key developments, including our work on reusable blocks and code optimization. Below, we’ve summarized the main points from the video along with additional updates.

Additionally, we would like to thank all of you that voted on the poll on which plugins you’d like to see us work on first! Much as expected, Divi Machine and Divi BodyCommerce were at the top of that list, so this update will be good news to you!

Let’s get into in.

Divi 5 Theme Builder Status

One of the main hurdles we’ve encountered is that Divi has not yet completed the theme builder for Divi 5. This limitation means we are unable to fully test some features that rely heavily on the theme builder. As soon as it’s available, we will integrate and test our modules to ensure they work seamlessly.

Reusable Code and Performance Improvements

The bulk of our time has been spent building out and optimizing our code. This effort is twofold: it makes development more efficient for us and enhances performance for you. By focusing on these reusable components, we aim to improve the speed and usability of our modules within Divi 5.

Archive Loop Module

One of the most significant advancements we’ve made is in the archive loop module. We’ve been hard at work merging the BodyCommerce and Machine loop modules. This merge aims to streamline the process and improve functionality. The archive loop now auto-detects templates, ensuring a true representation of what you will see on the front end. While we have not been able to fully test this due to the incomplete theme builder, the progress so far looks promising.

Merging BodyCommerce and Machine Loop Modules

As mentioned, we are merging our BodyCommerce and Machine loop modules. This merge means that if you have existing pages using these modules, you will need to convert them once Divi 5 is integrated. While Divi Machine modules will not be affected, Divi Ajax Filter (AF) and Divi BodyCommerce (BC) modules will require conversion. This is due to the fact that the modules in AF and BC were not as robust as those in Machine.

Current Limitations and Workarounds

One critical point to note is the behavior of modules when saving pages. If you add Divi 5 modules and resave a page, it can result in blank outputs. This issue primarily affects pages where you save other modules. To avoid this, ensure that you convert your AF and BC modules to the new format after integrating Divi 5.

Future Directions and Continued Progress

We are still figuring out some aspects, but we are making excellent progress. Our next focus will be on the filter module, followed by the Ajax filter enhancements. Each step brings us closer to a fully optimized and compatible suite of plugins for Divi 5.

Community and Collaboration

We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to the community for your ongoing support and patience. Your feedback is invaluable, and we encourage you to continue sharing your thoughts and experiences. Together, we are building a stronger, more versatile Divi ecosystem.

Stay tuned for more updates, and thank you for being part of this journey with us.

Warmest regards,

Divi Engine Team Signature

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, we have already started development for Divi 5 by exploring the impact and assessing the development cycle. We are starting with our Ajax filtering features in Divi Ajax Filter, Divi Machine, and Divi BodyCommerce.

Yes, we will continue to add new features and maintain the plugins.

This all depends on the changes that come with future versions of the Divi 5 development beta, as well as when Divi 5 is released. The plan is to do things in a way that not only makes our plugins compatible, but also more useful with the new flexibility offered with Divi 5.

Yes, we feel the developer documentation for Divi 5 and the new API is at a place where it makes sense to dive in.

Since we received access to the Divi 5 developer alpha, much has changed in how it operates and what the expectations are for final release. During our initial exploration last year, we found that the developer documentation was lacking and that things were still very buggy. Various class names and modules have changed since then and as early as one month ago, we were still seeing some changes that would have wasted precious development time. At this time, we think the developer beta is in a good place, so we are fully committed to full-time development from here on in.

No, we do not currently have any plans to increase the pricing of our plugins related to Divi 5 or otherwise.

Yes, we want to hear from you in this process. We constantly monitor feedback on our feedback site at https://feedback.diviengine.com, so we encourage you to make any suggestions there.

We wish we knew as much as you do. Divi 5 is still evolving and is actively being developed by Elegant Themes. We suspect the public alpha might be released during Q2 this year, with a beta to follow in Q3, and ultimately a Divi 5 release before the end of the year. This is speculation based on the state of Divi 5 right now.

  • Core Technology Overhaul: Total rewrite for improved performance and scalability.
  • New Builder API: Allows extensive customization and feature development.
  • Enhanced Gutenberg Integration: Improved compatibility with Gutenberg blocks.
  • Elimination of Shortcodes: Shift to a modern storage format.
  • Performance Improvements: Faster load times for front-end and builder interface.
  • Future-Proofing: Updated for the latest PHP and WordPress versions.

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