What's New with Astra

Testing changelog to slack notifications

This one’s huge.

Hey community! We’re so excited to bring you the Astra Pro 4.6.0 update. This update allows you to access some additional features on top of your latest Astra 4.6.0 update.

We have added some much-demanded changes, fixed small issues, and addressed some necessary feedback from you guys!

Check out these updates!

Blog Improvements: (Read More…)

• Blog – Reveal Effect: Introducing new Reveal Effect for posts appearing on the archive & search results page.
• WooCommerce: Introducing a new option for Reveal Effect for product archives.

Single Layout Improvements (Single & Author Box) (Read More…)

• Single – Author Box: Introduced new controls like Alignment, Background, Border, and Spacing for improvising the author box.
• Single – Author Box: Introduced new Section placement and social Share option support.
• Single – Post Navigation: Introducing a new badge style for a better visual appearance.
• Single Post: Moved the Author Box, and Social Sharing settings from the Single Post section to the new sub-sections under the Single Post section.
• Author Box: Introduced new filter “astra_addon_author_box_heading_tag” to change the heading tag of the author box section.
• Author Box: Introduced new filter “astra_addon_author_title_heading_tag” to change the heading tag of the author name.
• Added Customizer Section Shortcut Link to Author Box section for quick access for better user experience.

General

• Performance: Removed legacy CSS for the spacing addon & managed spacing with the new spacing options.
• WooCommerce: Added a new customization option for the color of the cart icon when the sticky header is enabled.

Fixes (Overall)

• Social Icons: Horizontal alignment does not work if Stack-On is selected.
• Sticky Header: Background is not blurry on iOS devices.
• Page Header: Background Image is not working on a single post.
• Nav Menu: Menu items hover color not working as expected.
• WooCommerce: Horizontal product gallery slider resizes in landscape mode for mobile devices.
• Site Builder: Header Shrink effect does not work in Site Builder header layouts.
• Site Builder: Layouts and page headers with untitled showing empty title space on the front end admin-bar menu dropdown.
• Site Builder: Issue with hooks not showing up in full width with Beaver Builder on the editor page.
• WooCommerce: Unable to login with modern checkout when the password contains some specific symbols such as ampersand.
• WooCommerce: The shop page sidebar collides when it’s moved to the top of the screen on responsive devices.
• WooCommerce: Quick view background color does not apply to the entire product details section when the sticky add to cart button is enabled.
• Nav Menu: Menu layout breaks on responsive devices due to default spacing added.
• Page Header: Getting str_contains() deprecated notice from the custom header with PHP 8.
• WooCommerce: The Off-canvas Sidebar does not close with an outside click or ESC key.
• PHP error “Uncaught Error: class FLThemeBuilderLayoutData not found” when Beaver Themer is active.
• Sticky header active menu color is not working when the submenu is added.

You need to update to Astra Pro 4.6.0 to experience these amazing new features!

We’re always working to make Astra better for you. So if you face any issues, please feel free to reach out.

You have our docs to help you out whenever you’re stuck with something.

Cheers,

Team Astra

Big news 🎉

Hey everyone! Astra’s latest update, version 4.6.0, is here. We’ve made key improvements for a much better blog reading experience.

We’re introducing a range of versatile features: sleek layout choices, improved post structures, customizable meta elements, refined internal post elements spacing, a revamped comment section UI, and many more. 🚀

This new update enhances the blog experience and empowers your search results page with dedicated container-sidebar styles and live search improvement.

Blog Improvements: (Read More…)

• New featured image options: Image Ratio, Image Size, Hover Effect, etc.
• Dedicated Post Structure elements: Featured Image, Categories, Tags, Title, Meta, Excerpt, Read More, etc.
• Introducing modern Grid, List, and Cover blog/archive skins.
• New meta divider styles.
• New taxonomy styles like Badge and Underline.
• Improved overall UI of the archive page for a better user experience.
• Updated “Read More” default button text to “Read Post” for articles.

Single Layout Improvements (Single, Related Posts, & Comments) (Read More…)

• Single – Banner Title: Added avatar options like Enable Avatar, Prefix Label, and Avatar Size in Author metadata.
• Single – Meta Divider Styles: Introduced new meta divider styles.
• Single – Taxonomy Styles: Introduced new taxonomy styles like Badge and Underline.
• Related Posts: Introducing new featured image options like Image Ratio, Image Size, etc.
• Related Posts: Introduced a dedicated spacing option to control container area spacing.
• Related Posts: Introduced section placement options like Contained, and Separated.
• Comments: Introduced section placement options like Contained and Separated.
• Single Post – Title Area: Introduced new “Removed Featured Image Padding” option for layout 1 with the “None” position set.
• Single Post – Content Images Box Shadow: Introducing a new option to highlight the content area’s images for a better visual experience.
• Single Layouts: Introducing new margin-padding spacing options for container areas in all single layout sections.
• Related Posts: Introduced a new filter “astra_related_posts_box_heading_tag” to change the heading tag of the related posts section.
• Comments: Introduced a new filter “astra_comment_title_tag” to change the heading tag of the comments section.
• Single Post: Improvised default internal spacing between blocks for better readability within the post content.
• Single Post – Comments: Improvised comment area UI for better user experience.
• Single Post: Set up the default container style to Narrow Width for better readability within the post content.
• Post Navigation: Showcasing post titles along with post navigation with improvised default UI for a better user experience.
• Single Post: Introducing new Border, Spacing controls to Related Posts, Comments section.
• Customizer Section Shortcut Links: To Related Posts and Comments section for quick access for better user experience.
• Single Post: Moved the Related Posts and Comments settings from the Single Post section to the new sub-sections under the Single Post section.

Search Page Improvements (Read More…)

• Introducing a new section “Search” under Customizer > Page for improvising the search results page area.
• Dedicated container & sidebar layout options for the Search Page.
• New layout options to showcase post results in grid, list, or cover style.
• Live Search option when no results are found.
• Introduced title area to control banner elements in the Search Page.

General

• Default form UI improved for better user experience.
• Knowledge base data storing in the local uploads directory for better performance.
• Check for Class Exists in the class-astra-admin-loader.php file.

Fixes (Overall)

• Logo color not working in the Firefox browser.
• Site title and tagline font sizes were not part of export-import header compatibility settings.
• Self-hosted Google fonts not working properly on the multisite setup.
• Cart count color not working for the first cart icon option.
• RTL – Hidden menu on Desktop when off-canvas is of type Flyout and position is set to Left.
• Block Editor – The color picker picks the wrong color on the Surface Color Page Level Setting.
• WooCommerce – PHP fatal error for old header footer builder users ‘Call to undefined function astra_header_woo_cart_configuration’ when WooCommerce is enabled.
• The CSS color property is set to “unset” when the color is reset through the customizer.
• WooCommerce – Single product image is not aligned in the center on the Firefox browser.
• Astra meta settings showing for Beaver Builder theme layouts.
• WooCommerce – Cart & Checkout Blocks – The design is breaking with default theme settings.
• Secondary Button Styles – The background color option does not apply to the background color of the outline button as expected.

You need to update to Astra 4.6.0 to experience these amazing new features!

We’re always working to make Astra better for you. So if you face any issues, please feel free to reach out.

You have our docs to help you out whenever you’re stuck with something.

Cheers,

Team Astra

Hey Astra Users!

With Astra Pro 4.6.0 Beta 1, We’re excited to introduce the Reveal Effect for striking post appearances and a redesigned Author Box packed with customization options, from alignment to social share support. 

But wait, there’s more! Along with this, we’ve also got some additional things in store for you!

Single–Author Box – Enhanced Controls

Redesigned Author Box with new controls like Alignment, Background, Border, and Spacing. Now you have more customization options to make your author box look just the way you want.

Single–Author Box – Section Placement and Social Share Support

Explore new possibilities with section placement and social share support for your Author Box. Share your content quickly and connect with your audience.

Reveal Effect for Archives

The Reveal Effect isn’t just limited to posts. We’ve extended it to archives like WooCommerce Shop and the Search Results page. Your entire blog experience is about to get a whole lotta better!

Single–Author Box – UI Enhancements

We’ve added new Border and spacing controls for refining the appearance of your Author Box. Your author profiles are now more visually appealing than ever.

Single–Author Box and Social Sharing Settings

To make things more organized, we’ve moved the Author Box and Social Sharing settings from the Single Post section to new sub-sections. It’s all about easy navigation and a cleaner interface.

Customizer Shortcut Link

Accessing the Author Box section is now quicker with the added Customizer section shortcut link. Your user experience just got a boost!

That’s about it!

You can always check our docs to learn more about Astra and these features.

We’re always working to make Astra better for you. So if you face any issues, please feel free to reach out.

Best regards,

Team Astra Pro

Hey Astra enthusiasts!

We’re excited to announce the latest Astra 4.6.0 Beta-1 version, bringing a fresh perspective to blog design and enhancing readability for your blog readers.

We have added a ton of new features, and improvements for you. Check them out below!

Blog Makeover

• New featured image options: Image Ratio, Image Size, Hover Effect, etc.
• Dedicated Post Structure elements: Featured Images, Categories, Tags, Titles, Meta, Excerpt, Read More, etc.
• Modern Grid, List, and Cover blog/archive skins.

Single Post Improvements

• Banner Title enhancements: Added avatar options like Enable Avatar, Prefix Label, and Avatar Size in Author metadata.
• New meta divider styles and taxonomy styles like Badge and Underline.

Related Posts Upgrade

• New featured image options like Image Ratio, Image Size, etc.
• Dedicated spacing and section placement options like Contained and Separated.

Search Page Enhancements

• New Search Page section under Customizer > Page.
• Dedicated container & sidebar layout options.
• Layout options to showcase post results in grid, list, or cover style.
• Introduced a Live Search option when no results were found.
• Title area to control banner elements.

Comments Section Makeover

• Section placement options like Contained and Separated.

Here are some additional Improvements that we got for you!

• Improved the overall UI of the archive page for a better user experience.
• Single Post: Enhanced default internal spacing for better readability.
• Single Post Comments: Improved comment area UI for a better user experience.
• Set the default container style to Narrow Width for better readability within the post content.
• Blog: Updated “Read More” default button text to “Read Post.”
• Post Navigation: Showcasing post titles along with post navigation with improved default UI.
• Single Post: Introduced new Border and Spacing controls to the Related Posts and Comments section.
• Added customizer section shortcut links for quick access.
• Single: Moved Related Posts and Comments settings to new sub-sections under the Single Post section.
• Improved default form UI for a better user experience.

You have to update to Astra 4.6.0 Beta-1 to experience these amazing features!

Need help navigating the new stuff? Check these docs for all the details about Astra’s exciting blog features.

We’ll see you in the next update!

Team Astra.

Introducing Site Builder (formerly known as Custom Layout)

We’re excited to share that Custom Layout is evolving into Site Builder, reflecting our commitment to enhancing your website creation experience.

• Introducing Site Builder: Big news! Say hello to Site Builder, the rebranded and upgraded version of our beloved Custom Layout feature. Dive into a revamped, user-friendly interface tailored to empower your website creation process.
• WooCommerce – Product Catalog – Quick View Background option: Introducing the Quick View Background color option in WooCommerce’s Product Catalog. Customize your product displays effortlessly in any background.

Improvements:

• Custom Layout & Page Header metadata saving code improvements.
• Updated the select2 library to 4.0.13 to harden the security.

More Fixes:

• Mega Menu – Links should not be crawlable when ‘Disable Link’ option is set.
• Date-Box – Date Box stick at the corner of a post instead of the featured image which breaks blog UI.
• Mega Menu – Mega menu heading normal and hover color is not working.
• Top Border color & width not applied when mega menu width set to full width/full width stretched.

Astra Pro 4.5.0 is getting even better with the introduction of Site Builder, a new tool that makes it easier than ever to create stunning websites. To make the switch to Site Builder as seamless as possible, we’ve added compatibility with Astra. Additionally, we’re introducing a fresh set of color presets, to help you add a touch of beauty to your site’s design.

• Introducing Site Builder capability: This will ensure Astra theme compatibility with Astra Pro Site Builder.
• Introducing fresh color presets: Elevate your site design with our latest addition! Unveiling a collection of vibrant color presets to supercharge your creative process. Experiment effortlessly, infuse life into your design, and captivate your audience with stunning visuals.

More Fixes:

• Footer Builder – Above and Below Footer vertical alignment options are not working.
• EDD – Mini cart widget UI broken in the RTL mode.
• Enable Smooth Scroll to ID causes a jerk issue on the comment navigation section.
• External JavaScript script not loading properly on frontend.

Discover Astra Pro 4.4.0: Blog Filters, Full Screen Search Modal Styles, Page-Level Background Settings, and More!

Elevate Your Blog Archive with Post Filters Using Astra!

Are you looking to enhance your blog archive and make content navigation a breeze for your visitors? Adding post filters is the key!

Why Post Filters Matter:

🚀 Simplify content discovery.
🧹 Organize your blog efficiently.
📈 Help new and returning visitors find what they need.

Exciting New Options in Header Builder – Search Element!

Enhance your website’s search functionality with these fresh options for full-screen searches:

🎨 Choose between Light or Dark search modal styles.
📝 Customize Heading Text to suit your brand.
✏️ Tailor the Description Text to engage your audience effectively.

Upgrade your Header Builder – Search Element with these powerful new features!

Unleash Your Creativity with Astra’s Page-Specific Background Settings!

Exciting news for website customization enthusiasts! Astra’s recent update (version 4.4.0) brings a game-changing feature – Page-Specific Background Settings.

In the past, you could only set one background style for the entire site and one for the content. But now, with Astra 4.4.0, you can give each page its own unique background, making it stand out from the rest.

Page-Specific Settings Overview:

🖌️ Customize backgrounds on a per-page basis.
🌐 Override global settings for site and content backgrounds.
🎨 Achieve a truly unique look for each page.

Why Astra Page-Specific Settings?

– Gain full control over your website’s aesthetics by breaking free from uniform global settings.
– Create distinct looks for different pages with ease.

New:

• Blog Pro – Blog Filter to filter categories and tags. ( https://optimization.bsf.io/docs/post-filter/ )
• Header Builder – Search – Option to switch Light or Dark modal design for Full Screen style.
• WooCommerce – Introducing a new cart shortcode ‘astra_woo_slide_in_cart’, which adds support for a slide-in cart feature.
• Editor – Introducing Page Level Background Settings (Page Background & Content Background). ( https://optimization.bsf.io/docs/page-level-background-settings/ )

Improvement:

• Added a new filter ‘astra_social_rel_attribute‘ to change Social Share’s “rel” attribute inside the post.

Fix:

• Blog – Social sharing icons were incorrectly linking to Twitter for all platforms.
• Header-Footer Builder – Social Icon – Text decoration typography style for labels not working.
• Custom Layout – Embed/YouTube block not working inside nested blocks.
• Sticky Header – Menu color gets overridden by normal header primary menu color.
• WPML conflicting with Profile language for translation.

Discover Astra 4.4.0: Live Search, Sticky Sidebar, Secondary Button Styles, Banner Featured Image options, and Many More!

Introducing Live Search Feature!

Say goodbye to traditional search methods. Astra’s Live Search brings REST API-based optimized live search to your website. Level up your website’s search with Astra’s Live Search feature!

🚀 Fast, Dynamic, and Efficient: Witness search results in real-time as you type.
🔍 Optimal Performance: Powered by the REST API, it ensures swift search results.
📈 Interactivity: Engage users with real-time results for an enhanced search experience.

Enhanced Control Over Featured Images!

In Astra’s latest version 4.4.0, we’re all about boosting your single post banner layouts with eye-catching featured image variations. Featured images are vital for engagement and branding, and we’ve listened to your feedback to make them even better.

Now, you have more control over your single post banner layouts. No more simple on/off switches. Here’s what’s new:

🖼️ Customize Image Position
📏 Adjust Image Width
🔲 Choose Image Ratio
📐 Select Image Size

Enhance Your Website with Astra’s Sticky Sidebar Feature!

With Astra, you can effortlessly add sticky sidebars to your site. These sticky sidebars remain in place as visitors scroll, ensuring vital content is always within reach. No more endless scrolling or searching for information.

Benefits of Astra’s Sticky Sidebar:
🚀 Enhanced User Engagement
👁️ Increased Visibility
🧹 Better Organization

Who Can Benefit?
Whether you run a blog, online store, or business website, Astra’s Sticky Sidebar brings numerous advantages. It provides a seamless browsing experience, ensures important information is noticed, and keeps your site organized.

Privilege to Customize Secondary Button Styles

In the previous versions, WordPress core button styles were managed under Customizer > Global > Buttons, covering both primary and secondary buttons.

But here’s the big news!

With Astra v4.4.0, we’ve introduced a major improvement to button styling. For enhanced outline button styling, we now have dedicated options right within the Customizer.

🎨 Dedicated Styling for Secondary (Outline) Buttons.
📐 Customization at Your Fingertips: Easily adjust button presets, font style, size, and paddings.

New:

• Header Builder – Search – Introducing a new feature Live Search. ( https://wpastra.com/docs/live-search/ )
• Header Builder – Search – Post Types selection option to filter Live Search results within.
• Header Builder – Search – Option to adjust search bar width.
• Introducing a feature of Sticky Sidebar functionality for enhanced user experience. ( https://optimization.bsf.io/docs/sticky-sidebar/ )
• Introducing Primary & Secondary Button styles under Global – Buttons. ( https://optimization.bsf.io/docs/secondary-buttons/ )
• Introducing new Twitter-X Icon added for Social Sharing and Social Icons.
• Introducing new featured image options like Image Ratio, Image Size, Image Position, etc for single banner layouts. ( https://optimization.bsf.io/docs/featured-image-options-for-single-banner-layouts/ )
• WooCommerce – Compatibility for a pro cart shortcode ‘astra_woo_slide_in_cart’, which adds support for a slide-in cart feature.

Improvement:

• Added a new filter ‘astra_woo_shop_product_title_link’ to remove the product title link from the product page.
• Header-Footer Builder – Enabled widget design options by default and it is supported for editor blocks as well.
• Updated default colors from color palette on fresh setup for better UI/UX.

Fix:

• Resolved console error which originated from “menu-toggle-close” element click on the frontend.
• Theme’s meta-box modal UI getting extra space after WordPress-6.3.
• After WordPress 6.3 bottom spacing of ‘figure’ tag is missing.
• Header-Footer Builder – Social – Background spacing issue breaking UI in customizer preview.
• Block Editor – After WordPress 6.3 compatibility title visibility SVG icon jerks on page load with slow networks.
• Site Identity – Logo Width sizes not working as expected in the customizer preview.
• Duplicate dotted outlines are visible on focus of the close-menu toggle icon when accessibility is enabled.
• Above Header – Left & Right spacing does not apply on frontend & in the customizer preview.
• Blog Archive – Read More button not working with the excerpt when the Left Sidebar layout is active.
• Customizer – Blog – Design tab section seems blank when Astra Pro is active and all pro addons are disabled.
• Block – Embed/YouTube block not working inside nested blocks from Custom Layouts.
• Breadcrumb – PHP warnings while accessing “name”/”rewrite” properties of the post object.
• WooCommerce – Ultimate Addons for Elementor’s Product widget missing with “View Cart” button.
• Blog/Archive – Banner title font size is not working in responsive mode.
• Header Builder – CLS issue due to appearing desktop and mobile header together on responsive devices.
• Header Builder – Anchor tag link getting submenu background color which creates multiple color layer issues.
• Social Share – Wrong SVG icon (Ravelry) showing on frontend due to incorrect path.
• Comment Form – On active & focus of form fields they look improper.