Customization Meeting Notes: January 23, 2017

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From today’s #core-customize meeting:

Before the meeting, @joen left some good thoughts on how we can start thinking about columns.
Plus, some visual ideas from @iandstewart and @binarymoon:
Would be great to see more comments on https://make.wordpress.org/core/2017/01/19/customization-in-2017/ and walkthroughs on https://make.wordpress.org/design/2017/01/18/share-a-walkthrough-of-setting-up-a-wordpress-site/
There’s a backlog of tickets: https://core.trac.wordpress.org/query?status=accepted&status=assigned&status=new&status=reopened&status=reviewing&component=Customize&groupdesc=1&group=milestone&col=id&col=summary&col=status&col=owner&col=type&col=priority&col=version&col=changetime&col=focuses&col=keywords&order=changetime
- We’re going to do a ticketticket Created for both bug reports and feature development on the bug tracker. scrub tomorrow Tuesday at 1:00pm EST.
- We need to identify which items need to to be milestoned for 4.7.2, which are among low-hanging fruit for subsequent point releases, and which are bigger picture for end of year (which need long-term planning and architecture)
- There are currently 8 tickets milestones for the next minor releaseMinor Release A set of releases or versions having the same minor version number may be collectively referred to as .x , for example version 5.2.x to refer to versions 5.2, 5.2.1, 5.2.3, and all other versions in the 5.2 (five dot two) branch of that software. Minor Releases often make improvements to existing features and functionality.
We talked about prioritizing a richer text widget and/or media widget in the short-term, and determined a richer text widgetWidget A WordPress Widget is a small block that performs a specific function. You can add these widgets in sidebars also known as widget-ready areas on your web page. WordPress widgets were originally created to provide a simple and easy-to-use way of giving design and structure control of the WordPress theme to the user. with media library capabilities is the higher priority.

Thanks @iandstewart for help with notes. Drop by #core-customize next week on Monday at 1:00pm EST for the next full meeting, or join us at the same time tomorrow for ticket triaging.

Ian Stewart 7:52 pm on January 24, 2017
I expanded a bit on those notes about types of customization. I’ll leave the notes here as a comment because it winds up being crazy long. Again, this is based on discussion and thoughts I’ve been hearing in #coreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress.-editor and #core-customize. It’s not intended to be prescriptive. More something to agree or disagree with so we can come to a shared understanding of what we’re talking about.

What I’ve been paying attention to most of all is the future overlap between BlockBlock Block is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience. Editing and Customization, how that might be experienced, how it might make sense, and in what stages it could come in.

The first thing I did was spend a bit of time doing some research on popular post template designs. I could have looked at static pages or home pages but with the connection between Editing and Customizing this seemed like the tougher place to start. Also, I should note that this wasn’t exhaustive research. I just looked at the first few popular personal and corporate blogs that came to mind and some other popular blogs I found on a “popular links” site. I wireframed the designs I was seeing and came up with eight templates. This seemed like a good place to start.

https://cloudup.com/i69MWQ331K9

After spending some time staring at these templates and re-reading discussions in SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/. the designs I was seeing and the experience I’m imagining started to fall into these three milestones or levels of Customization.

Type I Customization

https://cloudup.com/iCgVDDTNT3K
- Type I Customization supports vertical layout control via Blocks.
- The Editing is done in an abstracted Editor preview.
- There is support for simple columns. Imagine selecting a full-width image that expands to the edges of your page, or control over a hanging block quote.
- In addition to basic “post content” blocks, there are blocks for things like author info, social media links, and featured images. The whole layout of an article can be controlled.
- This post, is a Section on your page, local to that page. A Section is a group of blocks.
- For backwards compatibility, the UIUI User interface responds to older themes which support only “basic” blocks — nothing that escapes “traditional” post content.
What’s an abstracted Editor preview? Here’s a comparison with a “live preview” on the left.

https://cloudup.com/iJAvo-kWerv

Type II Customization

https://cloudup.com/iSGFw0a5fKr
- Type II Customization enhances columns by adding support for nesting other editable _global_ Sections in a post for control of things like sidebars. Sidebars are sections, like posts, containing blocks, that can be repeated across pages.
- The number of editable Sections on a page has expanded to include regions like your HeaderHeader The header of your site is typically the first thing people will experience. The masthead or header art located across the top of your page is part of the look and feel of your website. It can influence a visitor’s opinion about your content and you/ your organization’s brand. It may also look different on different screen sizes. and Footer. These are also editable in an abstracted Editor preview.
- Themes can register Post/Page Templates (a pre-set arrangement of Blocks and Sections with style) and Blocks to bolster core options for things like Header layouts.
Type III Customization

https://cloudup.com/iKgOGz3XoYU
- Type III Customization for all content and layout is done in a live preview of your site. Nothing needs to be edited in an abstracted Editor preview.
- The flow for new local content, posts and pages, can start anywhere: an app, adminadmin (and super admin), or the whole-site Customization Edit-Mode.
- May require much more in-depth theme support.
- Joen Asmussen 10:13 am on January 25, 2017
  
  🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 comment.
  
  Lots to digest. Some quick thoughts first.
  
  In addition to basic “post content” blocks, there are blocks for things like author info, social media links, and featured images. The whole layout of an article can be controlled
  
  This made me think about the situation where you just want to write, and not have to insert the social blockBlock Block is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience. on every post, because that always has to be there anyway. If that’s a block, how do we reconcile this with a simple editor flow? Post templates? Pre-populated posts where some of the blocks are already there and you can remove them if you want to? Something to think about.
  
  Type III Customization for all content and layout is done in a live preview of your site. Nothing needs to be edited in an abstracted Editor preview.
  
  I know you’re referring to customization/page-building here, but can’t help but think back to the editor and making sure people who just want to write have an unencumbered experience doing so. Is a full-on live preview desirable in such a situation? Is an abstracted view better? Could a full-preview but with only the post-editable slice of the page work?
  
  Great questions to ask, and lots to think about here!
  - Ian Stewart 3:33 pm on January 25, 2017
    
    This made me think about the situation where you just want to write, and not have to insert the social blockBlock Block is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience. on every post, because that always has to be there anyway.
    
    This has been on my mind too and I’d also thought, “Hmm, post templates?” Your default post looks one way and you can just start writing. And if you do need to edit the design for a different post you can. Or maybe you use a different post template.
    Is a full-on live preview desirable in such a situation? Is an abstracted view better? Could a full-preview but with only the post-editable slice of the page work?
    
    Good questions. 🙂

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