Current Status
We’re thrilled to share that Elegant Themes has officially released the Divi 5.0 Public Alpha – an exciting milestone for the Divi community! Divi 5.0 is a complete overhaul of the framework, offering a faster, more modern website-building experience for Divi users.
As a third-party Divi developer, we’ve been actively involved in Divi 5.0 development over the last 2-3 years. We’ve provided valuable feedback to the Elegant Themes team and have been working to convert our own products to Divi 5.0 as the necessary tools and features have become available. Here’s where things stand for our products:
- Simple Heading, Typewriter, Text-On-A-Path:
90% complete – Awaiting bug fixes and feature updates from Elegant Themes. - Table Maker, TablePress Styler, and Image Box:
85% complete – Also awaiting bug fixes and feature updates. - AuthorAI, Hide & Show PRO, Hide & Show, and Accessibility Bundle:
85% complete – Also awaiting bug fixes and feature updates.
Backwards Compatibility System
Divi 5.0 includes a Backwards Compatibility System designed to allow Divi 4.0 extensions to work within the new Divi 5.0 framework. It does this by loading the Divi 4.0 framework into Divi 5.0 and running legacy modules via AJAX. While this system looks promising, our testing has shown that it currently works only with very simple modules.
As a result, Elegant Themes has given third-party developers the option to opt out of the compatibility system for specific products. Based on the result of our testing, we’ve decided to opt out for the time being, and here’s why:
- Performance: Our more complex products don’t perform well within the compatibility system.
- Dependancy: We are entirely dependant on Elegant Themes to resolve issues with the compatibility system.
- Priorities: We believe the Public Alpha should be about testing Divi 5.0, not troubleshooting legacy Divi 4.0 products.
- Redundancy: By opting out, we avoid unnecessary support requests for products that will soon be replaced by native Divi 5.0 versions.
- Resources: This allows us to focus on delivering fully native Divi 5.0 versions of our products as soon as possible.
What This Means For You
If your website uses any of our products, you won’t be able to convert it from Divi 4.0 to Divi 5.0 during this phase. We understand this might be disappointing for those eager to try out Divi 5.0, but we believe this decision will lead to a smoother transition in the long run.
It’s important to note that Elegant Themes has advised against using the Public Alpha on production sites, and we strongly recommend not attempting to convert an existing Divi 4.0 site to Divi 5.0 during this alpha phase. However, you’re more than welcome to try Divi 5.0 on a new website installation!
Looking Ahead
We sincerely appreciate your patience and support as we navigate these important changes. Converting all of our products to Divi 5.0 has been a long and complex process, but we’re confident it’ll be worth the wait. Divi 5.0 is set to be a game-changer, ensuring Divi remains a leading WordPress builder for years to come.