WordPress Release: 3.9.16

TL;DR

WordPress 3.9.16 Release

This maintenance release fixes three specific bugs in WordPress 3.9:

1. Fixed query functionality for post types with special characters in their names
2. Improved Press This tool by hiding Categories & Tags UI for users without term assignment permissions
3. Fixed excerpt display in Posts list table to correctly show manually entered excerpts

This is a targeted bugfix release that improves the reliability of specific WordPress features without introducing any new functionality or security patches.

Highlight of the Release

• Fixed query functionality for post types with special characters in their names
• Improved Press This tool by hiding Categories & Tags UI for users without term assignment permissions
• Fixed excerpt display in Posts list table to correctly show manually entered excerpts

Migration Guide

No migration steps are required for this update. WordPress 3.9.16 is a maintenance release that fixes bugs without changing functionality or requiring any migration actions from users or developers.

Upgrade Recommendations

It is recommended that all WordPress 3.9.x users upgrade to version 3.9.16 to benefit from the bug fixes included in this release.

The update addresses issues that may affect content management workflows, particularly for sites using custom post types with special characters or those relying on the Press This tool and excerpt functionality.

This is a maintenance release with minimal changes, making it a low-risk update that should not disrupt existing functionality.

Bug Fixes

1. Query Functionality: Fixed an issue where queries would not work correctly with post type names containing special characters. This ensures more reliable content retrieval and display for custom post types with non-standard naming.

2. Press This Tool: Resolved a UI issue where the Categories & Tags interface was being displayed to users who did not have permission to assign terms to posts. The UI is now properly hidden for users without the necessary permissions.

3. Posts List Table: Fixed a display issue in the Posts list table when using Excerpt mode. The system now correctly shows the manually entered excerpt content rather than an automatically generated one when a manual excerpt exists.

New Features

No new features were introduced in this maintenance release. WordPress 3.9.16 focuses exclusively on bug fixes and improvements to existing functionality.

Security Updates

No security fixes were included in this maintenance release. The changes focus on functional bug fixes rather than security patches.

Performance Improvements

No specific performance improvements were included in this maintenance release. The changes focus on bug fixes and UI improvements rather than performance enhancements.

Impact Summary

WordPress 3.9.16 is a targeted maintenance release that addresses three specific bugs affecting content management and user interface elements. The fixes improve reliability for queries involving post types with special characters, enhance permission handling in the Press This tool, and correct excerpt display in the Posts list table.

These changes primarily benefit content creators and administrators by ensuring more consistent behavior when working with post content. The update is particularly valuable for sites using custom post types with non-standard naming conventions and for those who rely on manually entered excerpts.

While the changes are relatively minor in scope, they address specific pain points that could affect day-to-day content management tasks. The release contains no security fixes, performance improvements, or new features, focusing exclusively on bug fixes to existing functionality.