Core Editor chat summary: 29th March 2023

This post summarises the weekly editor chat meeting (agenda for 29th March meeting) held on 2023-03-29 14:00 UTC in Slack. Moderated by @get_dave.

Status Updates

• WordPress 6.2 is due to be released today (Update: as of this post it has now been released).
• …the release squad decided to postpone yesterday’s scheduled release due to a bug that was sufficiently impactful that it needed to be fixed.
• Gutenberg 15.4.0 is the latest release of the PluginPlugin A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https://wordpress.org/plugins/ or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party with the RCrelease candidate One of the final stages in the version release cycle, this version signals the potential to be a final release to the public. Also see alpha (beta). of 15.5.0 due today. @welcher and @greenshady will lead this one.

Updates based on updated scope for site editing projects

• Navigation Block
• Site Editor & Templates
• Building with Patterns
• Design Tools
  • Layout Option & Design Tools
• Styles
  • Style Engine
• Query Block
• Mobile Team
• Components Team
• WebFonts API

Task Coordination

The following items were shared by folks to update us on what work is in progress or where help is needed:

@scruffian:

• I’ve been focussing a lot on this PR (Refactor and stabilize selectors API) and the followup from it. The change there has quite far reaching consequences so it’s a good one to be aware of.
• Update: this PR has now been merged.

@get_dave:

• Working mostly on improving the fallback handling in the Nav 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.. It’s not quite ready for review yet but it should improve the stability.
• Also working on adding more e2e test coverage to the Nav block’s editable list view feature – I’m seeking feedback on that PR.
• I’m also seeking opinions on whether folks are interested in being able to give custom labels to group blocks in the list view? If you are then please +1 on this comment.

@ajlende:

• I’ve been continuing to work on things in Tracking: Duotone filters.
• There were some regressions with the update to only render duotone filters on the page, and the selectors block.jsonJSON JSON, or JavaScript Object Notation, is a minimal, readable format for structuring data. It is used primarily to transmit data between a server and web application, as an alternative to XML. APIAPI An API or Application Programming Interface is a software intermediary that allows programs to interact with each other and share data in limited, clearly defined ways. has been stabilized, so I’m also working on updating the duotone block supports to use that new API.

@wildworks:

• I’m wondering what specs should be reintroduced for the dynamic block anchor support that was reverted in WordPress 6.2.
• I have come up with one approach, but if anyone has any other ideas, please comment.

Open Floor

The full Open Floor discussion is available on 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/..

Using GithubGitHub GitHub is a website that offers online implementation of git repositories that can easily be shared, copied and modified by other developers. Public repositories are free to host, private repositories require a paid subscription. GitHub introduced the concept of the ‘pull request’ where code changes done in branches by contributors can be reviewed and discussed before being merged be the repository owner. https://github.com/ CoPilot on PR descriptions in GutenbergGutenberg The Gutenberg project is the new Editor Interface for WordPress. The editor improves the process and experience of creating new content, making writing rich content much simpler. It uses ‘blocks’ to add richness rather than shortcodes, custom HTML etc. https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/

• @noisysocks asks if there any objections to signing the Gutenberg repo up for GitHub Copilot for Pull Requests so that contributors may experiment with it if they wish?
• @get_dave mentioned this comment from @youknowriad which also asked the same question.
• There were no objections during the chat.

Alignment of Reusable Blocks

• @paaljoachim asked for further input on an old Issue regarding lack of alignment options for Reusable Blocks.
• @get_dave mentioned he’d previously tried to solve this but there was no easy solution that married well with Layout in block themes.
• No solutions were offered during the meeting – perhaps @youknowriad might be able to advise on any potential for future explorations.

Request for ideas on updating the Architecture section of the Block Editor docs

• @gziolo advises us that he’s opened a new discussion with the goal of collecting ideas about what’s missing in the documentation regarding the architecture of the block editor and the key concepts. It would be awesome if that was a team effort!
• Folks were asked to leave their input on the Discussion in Github.

Concerns about AI in Gutenberg and WordPress

• @chopinbach raised concerns about usage of AI within WordPress and Gutenberg.
• @get_dave reflected that it was a valid concern but he was unaware of anywhere where AI or Deep Learning was currently in use within CoreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress..
• @get_dave asked whether leadership had previously provided any direction on the usage of AI within the WP project. No one was able to think of anything.
• As this is a very large topic, @get_dave advised creating a Discussion on Github to allowed this to be discussed in a more considered manner outside of a chat-based format.

Request for update on Design Tooling Consistency

• @mdxfr asked whether @aaronrobertshaw might be able to provide an update on the Design Tooling Consistency work he was previously active in.
• @get_dave suggested @mdxfr could also leave a comment with suggestions for next steps or any particular problems being encountered that need work.
• Update: @aaronrobertshaw has now provided an update on the Issue.

Updating the CODEOWNERS files to be more useful

• @wildworks submitted a discussion about updating the CODEOWNERS file. Can we make it more useful in allowing folks to access the best reviewer for their PR?
• @get_dave wondered whether regularly contributors could take a moment to update the file as per their own preferences and current focus areas.
• @get_dave also noted that becoming a CODEOWNER shoulld not mean that individual becomes solely responsible for a given area. The right to disconnect is important.
• @fabiankaegy noted there is some fear around adding oneself to the CODEOWNERS file and suggested adding documentation to explain the purpose of the file to make it more open to changes.
• @wildworks agreed to consider opening a PR to update the docs to include a section on CODEOWNERS.
• After the chat ended @nerrad pointed out that CODEOWNERS:
  • must have write permissions to the repository
  • are automatically requested for reviews.
• So even though the intent is not that they are “guardians” of that section of the code, to new contributors submitting code it can appear as though they are fulfilling that role.
• @fabiankaegy, @nerrad and indeed everyone is encouraged to add their thoughts to the Discussion.
• See the full discussion on Slack.

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Thanks to everyone who attended what was a lively and interesting chat 👍🏽

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