Title: developer-hours – Make WordPress Core

---

#  Tag Archives: developer-hours

 [  ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/mburridge/) [Michael Burridge](https://profiles.wordpress.org/mburridge/)
4:18 pm _on_ August 18, 2023     
Tags: developer-hours, [meeting ( 405 )](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/meeting/)

# 󠀁[Developer Hours: Introduction to the HTML API](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/08/18/developer-hours-introduction-to-the-html-api/)󠁿

Developer Hours are now firmly established as a regular monthly event in the calendar
of WordPress’ developer community.

If you want to catch up with the recordings of previous events they are all available
on [wordpress.tv](https://wordpress.tv/?s=developer%20hours) and in [a YouTube playlist](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1pJFUVKQ7ETApyQQlt3pLNjPx2HrQwl5).

The next Developer Hours event is scheduled for **Wed 30 August at 15:00UTC**.

This session will feature [Dennis Snell](https://profiles.wordpress.org/dmsnell/)
who will be delivering a presentation on the [**HTML API**](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/03/07/introducing-the-html-api-in-wordpress-6-2/)
and demonstrating what can be achieved with it. This new 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. enables new ways
to reliably work with and modify HTMLHTML HyperText Markup Language. The semantic
scripting language primarily used for outputting content in web browsers., and will
help alleviate difficult and tiresome wrangling of regular expressions which was
previously the only way to achieve many of the things that the HTML API will enable.

The [Tag Processor](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/classes/wp_html_tag_processor/)
is already available for developers to use, as of WordPress 6.2, and is the first
of a number of technologies which will eventually make up the HTML API.

Dennis is a key member of the team developing the HTML API so there is no-one better
to introduce this exciting new technology to us. After his presentation he will 
be available to answer your questions.

All are welcome. If you wish to join please RSVP on the [meetup event](https://www.meetup.com/learn-wordpress-online-workshops/events/295482766/).
The zoom link will be available there for registered attendees.

_Props to [@juanmaguitar](https://profiles.wordpress.org/juanmaguitar/) and [@dmsnell](https://profiles.wordpress.org/dmsnell/)
for reviewing this post._

---

Recorded session is available in [wordpress.tv](https://wordpress.tv/2023/08/31/developer-hours-introduction-to-the-html-api/)
and [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XC3qNWYKw8&list=PL1pJFUVKQ7ETApyQQlt3pLNjPx2HrQwl5&index=10)

[#developer-hours](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/developer-hours/), [#meeting](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/meeting/)

 [  ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/mburridge/) [Michael Burridge](https://profiles.wordpress.org/mburridge/)
8:11 pm _on_ February 7, 2023     
Tags: developer-hours   

# 󠀁[Developer Hours is returning](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/02/07/developer-hours-is-returning/)󠁿

After a successful trial, a new series of events, entitled “Developer Hours” will
be available. These sessions are free to join and participate in. They will take
place on Zoom video-conferencing, and will variously consist of discussion sessions
and question and answer sessions aimed at developers working with WordPress.

---

It’s said that “no-one is an island”, and that is as true for developers as it is
for anyone. While documentation and tutorials can take you so far, sometimes there’s
just no substitute for talking to other developers who are facing the same struggles
as you, or getting advice from those who are more experienced than you and who are
able to help you overcome your problems – or at the very least point you in the 
right direction.

### The pilot

In early 2022 a set of [four trial events](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2021/10/07/proposal-gutenberg-developer-hours-series-of-events/)
was scheduled to provide developers with a forum for such interactions. These events
were held under the moniker “Developer Hours”.

These initial events proved to be enormously successful. Links to the videos from
these trial events can be found at the bottom of this post. Given this success the
decision has been taken to iterate on this trial in 2023 and make Developer Hours
a fixture in the calendar for WordPress developers.

Developer Hours will henceforth be held regularly. They are discussion and question
and answer events aimed at developers working with WordPress. Anyone is welcome 
to attend, whether you are a freelancer or work in an agency, and whether your special
area of interest is coreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress.
The Core Development Team builds WordPress. or themes or plugins, or indeed any 
combination thereof. 

The initial four trial events were purposely unstructured, although attendees were
able to send questions in advance so the panelists could prepare meaningful answers.
The facilitators and moderators could structure the session on the fly, thereby 
lending each event an air of spontaneity. 

Feedback provided by attendees and panelists at those initial sessions resulted 
in the following insight. Rather than the sessions being open-ended and having a
broad range of questions covering a variety of development topics, each scheduled
Developer Hours session should instead center around a particular topic or theme.
This will ensure that each session has a clear focus, it will set expectations, 
and it will help ensure both that the event is well structured and that it provides
value for each of the participants involved. 

### Future events

The newly re-launched Developer Hours events will provide you with the opportunity
to connect with other WordPress developers, to have a platform to air your concerns
or relate your experiences, and to ask a panel of peers and experts about best approaches,
tooling, coding and implementation problems, and a variety of other topics related
to WordPress development. There’s sure to be someone in each session who can help
you or who can address any concerns you may raise.

If you’re starting out and seeking help and advice, an experienced developer who
is willing to share their knowledge and expertise to help others, or if you just
want to voice your thoughts and opinions to anyone willing to listen, or even vent
your frustrations, then Developer hours are for you.

The first three Developer Hours have already been scheduled. The focus for these
will be 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/](https://wordpress.org/plugins/)
or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party. development and they will have a
special emphasis on migrating a PHPPHP The web scripting language in which WordPress
is primarily architected. WordPress requires PHP 7.4 or higher based plugin, e.g.
migrating one that renders content using a shortcodeShortcode A shortcode is a placeholder
used within a WordPress post, page, or widget to insert a form or function generated
by a plugin in a specific location on your site. or 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. to blocks. So, if you are 
a plugin developer who is planning, or has already tried, to modify your plugin 
to also implement a 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., then one of these sessions is for you. 

The following events have been scheduled and are available for you to sign-up: 

| **Date** | **Time** | **Event** | **Hosts** | 
| Mon, February, 6, 2023 | 14:00 UTC | [Developer Hours: Migrate a plugin to blocks ](https://www.meetup.com/learn-wordpress-online-workshops/events/291332157/)
[(EMEA)](https://www.meetup.com/learn-wordpress-online-workshops/events/291332157/) | [Michael Burridge](https://profiles.wordpress.org/mburridge/)[Ryan Welcher](https://profiles.wordpress.org/welcher/) | 
| Mon, February 27, 2023 | 17:00 UTC | [Developer Hours: Migrate a plugin to blocks ](https://www.meetup.com/learn-wordpress-online-workshops/events/291332535/)[(Americas](https://www.meetup.com/learn-wordpress-online-workshops/events/291332535/)) | [Justin Tadlock](https://profiles.wordpress.org/greenshady/)[Ryan Welcher](https://profiles.wordpress.org/welcher/) | 
| Mon, March 27, 2023 | 08:00 UTC | [Developer Hours: Migrate a plugin to blocks ](https://www.meetup.com/learn-wordpress-online-workshops/events/291332837/)[(EMEA / Asia-Pacific)](https://www.meetup.com/learn-wordpress-online-workshops/events/291332837/) | [Jonathan Bossenger](https://profiles.wordpress.org/psykro/)[Michael Burridge](https://profiles.wordpress.org/mburridge/) |

These sessions will be held on Zoom and each has been scheduled for different times
to cover as many timezones as possible. Click the link for the event scheduled for
your region and RSVP on [Meetup](https://www.meetup.com/learn-wordpress-online-workshops/)
to join the event. You will see the correct time adjusted for your timezone in MeetupMeetup
All local/regional gatherings that are officially a part of the WordPress world 
but are not WordCamps are organized through [https://www.meetup.com/](https://www.meetup.com/).
A meetup is typically a chance for local WordPress users to get together and share
new ideas and seek help from one another. Searching for ‘WordPress’ on meetup.com
will help you find options in your area.. We look forward to seeing you there.

If your interests lie elsewhere then keep a lookout for more [upcoming events](https://www.meetup.com/learn-wordpress-online-workshops/events/)
covering different topics. These are sure to be scheduled soon. 

### Get involved

Do you have a particular topic that you want to see discussed? Please suggest it
in the comments below or head over to the [#core-editor](https://wordpress.slack.com/archives/C02QB2JS7)
channel in Making WordPress SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform
[https://slack.com/](https://slack.com/). The WordPress community has its own Slack
Channel at [https://make.wordpress.org/chat/](https://make.wordpress.org/chat/) 
and suggest it there. If you’re willing to host a Developer Hours session, new volunteers
are very welcome.

---

**Please note** that all Developer Hours events will be recorded and the recording
will be uploaded to [WordPress.tv](https://wordpress.tv/) and to [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/wordpress).
Participation in a Developer Hours event implies agreement to, and acceptance of,
this – though remember that there are no “stupid questions” and no-one is expected
to know everything. We are all learning all the time. The hope is that these recordings
will be a useful and valuable learning resource for developers working with WordPress
who were not able to attend.

---

### Project background and recordings from 2022

 * [Proposal: Gutenberg Developer Hours series of events.](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2021/10/07/proposal-gutenberg-developer-hours-series-of-events/)
 * [Developer Hours now scheduled, first event February 8, 2022](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/01/28/developer-hours-now-scheduled-first-event-feb-8th-2022/)
 * [February 8, 2022, Gutenberg Developer Hours – Session Evaluation](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/02/24/february-8th-gutenberg-developer-hours-session-evaluation/)

 * [Developer Hours #2](https://youtu.be/VGkvVvlIWEM), February 2022 recording on
   YouTube – focusing on block building, theme development strategy, and general
   questions.
 * [Developer Hours #3](https://youtu.be/YQaGNDac0s8), March 8, 2022 recording on
   YouTube
 * [Developer Hours #4](https://youtu.be/075y395UOaY) March 2022, recording on YouTube

---

_Props to: _[@juanmaguitar](https://profiles.wordpress.org/juanmaguitar/), [@bph](https://profiles.wordpress.org/bph/),
[@webcommsat](https://profiles.wordpress.org/webcommsat/), [@hellofromtonya](https://profiles.wordpress.org/hellofromtonya/)
for contributions to this post.

[#developer-hours](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/developer-hours/)

 [  ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/bph/) [Birgit Pauli-Haack](https://profiles.wordpress.org/bph/)
6:37 pm _on_ February 24, 2022     
Tags: developer-hours, [online events ( 2 )](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/online-events/)

# 󠀁[February 8th Gutenberg Developer Hours – Session Evaluation](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/02/24/february-8th-gutenberg-developer-hours-session-evaluation/)󠁿

Previous posts about the event series 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/](https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/)
Developer hours. 

 * [Proposal: Gutenberg Developer Hours series of events.](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2021/10/07/proposal-gutenberg-developer-hours-series-of-events/)
 * [Developer Hours now scheduled, first event Feb 8th, 2022](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/01/28/developer-hours-now-scheduled-first-event-feb-8th-2022/)
 * Events: [Feb 8th, 2022](https://www.meetup.com/wordpress-social-learning/events/283412026/),
   [Feb 22, 2022](https://www.meetup.com/wordpress-social-learning/events/283720638/),
   [Mar 8, 2022](https://www.meetup.com/wordpress-social-learning/events/284178232/)
   + March 22, 2022

**TL;DR** 

The first Gutenberg Developer Hours was a great success! Huge thank you to Tammie,
Fabian, and Nick!  86.7% of survey takers rated it as Excellent. All 15 responders
would place their recommendation into the likely half with 80% rating it a 10 (very
likely)

These answers to open questions stood out: 

**What did you like:** 

 * Interesting topics, knowledgeable participants
 * Conversation. The different points of view.
 * Best practices, expert advice, very relevant to work we’re doing

**What didn’t you like: **

 * Too Short
 * Probably a challenge to have different experience levels at once, but that was
   well handled.
 * If any of these Meetups should have been recorded of the dozen or more I’ve attended,
   it was this one. The live transcript is very valuable, and its absence a noteworthy
   lack of planning.
 * When there are many topics, it becomes a bit too diluted, and it felt like maybe
   not everything was said before continuing to the next question.

**How did you hear about the event? **

 * 53% MeetupMeetup All local/regional gatherings that are officially a part of 
   the WordPress world but are not WordCamps are organized through [https://www.meetup.com/](https://www.meetup.com/).
   A meetup is typically a chance for local WordPress users to get together and 
   share new ideas and seek help from one another. Searching for ‘WordPress’ on 
   meetup.com will help you find options in your area. 
 * 33% Gutenberg Times
 * 13% Make Blogblog (versus network, site)
 * 6% Twitter
 * 6% WPVIP

Below are topic suggestions for more Social Learning spaces.  

Based on your feedback, the producers have already enabled live captions for future
events. They will record the sessions, too, so you can revisit them or catch up 
if you have to miss one. FOMO is real. 

## **Here are the details. ** 

Of 38 participants, 15 filled out the survey

[[

[[

## What did you like about the event?

 * Direct and honest interaction with those in the know
 * Best practices, expert advice, very relevant to work we’re doing
 * The knowledge of the panel members. So much info!
 * Knowledge of the panel and their easy-to-understand explanations
 * My question was answered after I joined, I was quite late in joining and I was
   worried my question might already have been covered, but you waited till I joined
   and I’m very thankful you did. And of course it was great to get my question 
   answered by several of the people in the meeting, and I also got a very useful
   link from Fabian which was great.
 * The panelists were the most knowledgeable group thus far on the Social Learning
   Meetups. Fabian and Nick were excellent.
 * The way the three panelists answered the questions.
 * Experts opinions
 * I got lots of links and advice on gutenberg
 * Interesting topics, knowledgeable participants
 * Conversation. The different points of view.
 * Discussion on 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.-based themes.
 * Knowledgeable answers to questions. Good links. Good chat comments.
 * Learning new things about block themes.
 * All doubts were cleared

## What did you dislike about the event?

 * It would be nice to have more questions & participation
 * I loved the event
 * too short! Not clear where the copied code is pasted when Nick said to “copy 
   and paste.”
 * Not recorded so that we can go back and review information presented
 * I was late in joining so I didn’t get the full experience, but I think it might
   be good if future events can be recorded in case anyone misses it, or in case
   people who did view it live wish to watch some of it again.
 * If any of these Meetups should have been recorded of the dozen or more I’ve attended,
   it was this one. The live transcript is very valuable and its absence a noteworthy
   lack of planning.
 * Not really a dislike, for the first installment it was a great event. I think
   I’d prefer to have the Developer Hours be focused on a specific topic, so either
   block development, block theme development, or specific new functions, for example
   template locking.
 * Recording not available but it’s been discussed and hopefully from next Meetup
 * too short
 * When there are many topics, it becomes a bit too diluted and it felt like maybe
   not everything was said before continuing to the next question.
 * Nothing to report here.
 * Timing (just kidding :D)
 * Nothing I disliked. Probably a challenge to have different experience levels 
   at once, but that was well handled.
 * Nothing in particular. Not a Zoom fan.
 * Nothing 🙂

## How did you hear about this event?

 * Email from Meetup
 * from Brett Harris at VIP
 * email from Meetup (I go to other WP social meetups)
 * meetup notice of upcoming events
 * Gutenberg Times newsletter
 * I’ve been a member of the Meetup group since it started.
 * Twitter / Make Blog
 * Searching Gutenberg meet-ups
 * WordPress meetup
 * On WordPress.orgWordPress.org The community site where WordPress code is created
   and shared by the users. This is where you can download the source code for WordPress
   core, plugins and themes as well as the central location for community conversations
   and organization. [https://wordpress.org/](https://wordpress.org/) and from Birgit
 * Gutenberg times, podcasts, meetup
 * From wp.org
 * Gutenberg Times
 * Your newsletter.
 * Through meetup.com

## What topics should we cover in future Gutenberg Developer Hours?

 * I halfway answered this in the “what did you dislike” question, continuing from
   there: 
    - For these, maybe some demo time would be nice, so one of the panelists can
      explain things via screen sharing and then attendees can ask questions around
      that topic. 
    - So like best practices, how to work with theme.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., what part of the theme.json has which effect in the editor,
      block development (static vs dynamic blocks). 
    - In general I’d like to see some deeper going content, however I believe that
      squeezing this into one hour will be quite challenging.
 * Creating custom Gutenberg blocks
 * More gutenberg
 * I think it may help if the topics were limited to maybe 3?
 * Developer centric topics and case studies of unique site
 * FSE related topics
 * Multiple Answers:
    - How to monitor tracking issues. 
    - How to find up-to-date information on 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/](https://wordpress.org/plugins/)
      or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party. development (much is very 
      old, every course and book seems out of date). 
    - How to get the most out of reading the Gutenberg code. Ryan Welcher seems 
      to be almost the only regularly updated source of current developer-level 
      info, so this is an underserved area. 
    - Gutenberg best practices. 
    - Font loading in block themes. 
    - Building child themes for block themes. 
    - FSE theme best practices — color naming and style conventions. 
    - Code walkthroughs of block themes.
 * As of 5.9, when to use or develop plugins.
 * May be show some demo live sites using Gutenberg

Huge **Thank you** to the panel contributors

 * **Chandrika Sista [@cguntur](https://profiles.wordpress.org/cguntur/)**
 * **Daisy Olsen [@daisyo](https://profiles.wordpress.org/daisyo/)**
 * **Fabian Kägy [@fabiankaegy](https://profiles.wordpress.org/fabiankaegy/)**
 * **Grzegorz Ziolkowski **[@gziolo](https://profiles.wordpress.org/gziolo/)
 * **George Mamadashvili **[@mamaduka](https://profiles.wordpress.org/mamaduka/)
 * **Joni Halabi @**thatdevgirl
 * **Nick Diego [@ndiego](https://profiles.wordpress.org/ndiego/)**
 * **Tammie Lister [@karmatosed](https://profiles.wordpress.org/karmatosed/)**

The **second event** took place February 22, 2022. A recording is now [available on YouTube](https://youtu.be/VGkvVvlIWEM)
and a follow-up post will be available next week. This time we didn’t close the 
event and 100 people registered of which 47 attended, 40% repeat participants.

The next [**Gutenberg Developer Hours**](https://www.meetup.com/wordpress-social-learning/events/284178232/)
will take place on [March 8th, 2022 at 11 am ET / 16:00 UTC](https://www.meetup.com/wordpress-social-learning/events/284178232/)

Thank you, also to [@marybaum](https://profiles.wordpress.org/marybaum/) for her
review of this post.

[#developer-hours](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/developer-hours/), [#online-events](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/online-events/)

 [  ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/bph/) [Birgit Pauli-Haack](https://profiles.wordpress.org/bph/)
5:10 pm _on_ January 28, 2022     
Tags: developer-hours   

# 󠀁[Developer Hours now scheduled, first event Feb 8th, 2022](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/01/28/developer-hours-now-scheduled-first-event-feb-8th-2022/)󠁿

A few months back, I posted a[ proposal for four trial events called Developer Hours](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2021/10/07/proposal-gutenberg-developer-hours-series-of-events/).
Although, it received great comments and a few people reached out to me on SlackSlack
Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform [https://slack.com/](https://slack.com/).
The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at [https://make.wordpress.org/chat/](https://make.wordpress.org/chat/),
it wasn’t until now that everything comes together to make it actually happen. Thank
you all for your patience!

Meet the fantastic team of developers who will take turns for the four events coming
up.

 * **Chandrika Sista [@cguntur](https://profiles.wordpress.org/cguntur/)**
 * **Daisy Olsen [@daisyo](https://profiles.wordpress.org/daisyo/)**
 * **Fabian Kägy [@fabiankaegy](https://profiles.wordpress.org/fabiankaegy/)**
 * **Grzegorz Ziolkowski **[@gziolo](https://profiles.wordpress.org/gziolo/)
 * **George Mamadashvili **[@mamaduka](https://profiles.wordpress.org/mamaduka/)
 * **Joni Halabi @**thatdevgirl
 * **Nick Diego [@ndiego](https://profiles.wordpress.org/ndiego/)**
 * **Tammie Lister [@karmatosed](https://profiles.wordpress.org/karmatosed/)**

We have two events each month for February and March on Tuesdays every other week
at 11 am ET / 16:00 UTC.

**[The first event will take place February 8th, 2022](https://www.meetup.com/wordpress-social-learning/events/283412026/).**
Details will be posted on Meetup.com.

**Join us for the first of hopefully many events. And bring your questions, code
samples, demos, and ideas about blocks, themes, 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. themes or the block editor, to
run by our expert panelist.**

[[

---

[@karmatosed](https://profiles.wordpress.org/karmatosed/) created this template 
for the social graphics to announce the events. 
[@ndiego](https://profiles.wordpress.org/ndiego/)
created a block pattern, so we can update information for the next events.

Huge “Thank You” to the +training team for giving this event series a home on the
WordPress Social Learning space.

_Also Thank you to [@marybaum](https://profiles.wordpress.org/marybaum/) for reviewing
this post. _

[#developer-hours](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/developer-hours/)

 [  ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/bph/) [Birgit Pauli-Haack](https://profiles.wordpress.org/bph/)
2:29 pm _on_ October 7, 2021     
Tags: developer-hours, [gutenberg ( 540 )](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/gutenberg/),
[new contributors ( 11 )](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/new-contributors/)

# 󠀁[Proposal: Gutenberg Developer Hours series of events.](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2021/10/07/proposal-gutenberg-developer-hours-series-of-events/)󠁿

 * **Summary: **Proposal for a new event: Every other week, invite WordPress developers
   to meet with 3 developers and discuss your 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/](https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/)
   development questions, code, ideas, and approaches. Follow-up w/ video and resources.
 * **Start Date:** Soon.
 * **Trial period:** 4 events.
 * **Producer: **Birgit Pauli-Haack + Gutenberg Developer Volunteers. 

## Background: 

I used to do in-person walk-in clinics for a volunteer internet service provider,
where we answered all kinds of questions. If there was a moment with no questions,
I would pull a topic out of my hat, talk for five minutes and get another 10 questions
that triggered in people’s heads. The place was always packed.

Not everyone is comfortable dealing with an unknown set of questions, but when done
right, the panel format is quite fun and interesting. Of course, there were always
questions that were too specific or too advanced. We would take note of it and answer
them either the following week or via email directly to the attendee. 

I would like to try this in a remote setting with a panel of three developers from
the community, who are experienced with working with blocks, and call it** Gutenberg
Developer Hours. **

## **About the show**

I have heard from a number of people that despite the sheer volume of developer 
documentation that’s around, it’s hard to know where to start. And when developers
hit roadblocks, it also takes a long time to troubleshoot errors and bugs. 

If you’re a developer who’s new to Gutenberg, I invite you to stop by, to get your
questions answered or to get advice on architecture or approach. (You can also just
lurk, of course!) Maybe you have a code issue: “I’ve been working on this project,
but I hit a roadblock and I have no idea where to go from here.”

For the speakers, being on a panel lightens the load, opens the door to a wider 
range of topics and makes it much less likely any one person will get a question
they might not be able to answer. 

As a moderator, I (at first; if the sessions go well, there can certainly be others)
can jump in and ask questions to bridge the silence if the group runs out of audience
questions. Plus, if a question gets too specific or too advanced, the moderator 
makes a note of it, discusses with the dev team and gets back to the attendee with
a response after the event. That could be:

 * an invitation to office hours, 
 * a set of documentation, or 
 * a blogblog (versus network, site) post inspired by the question. 

It’s certainly part of the trial to find out where the boundaries of this support
offerings are. 

At the beginning, I envision a frequency of every other week, once there is a pool
of volunteer developer panelists available to schedule.

To get attendees interested, it might help to have a short educational segment that
people are interested in for the first two or three shows.

The panelists could also pick a topic. Here are a few that come to mind:

 * How to tap into Gutenberg filters and hooksHooks In WordPress theme and development,
   hooks are functions that can be applied to an action or a Filter in WordPress.
   Actions are functions performed when a certain event occurs in WordPress. Filters
   allow you to modify certain functions. Arguments used to hook both filters and
   actions look the same.?
 * How to add a button to the toolbar?
 * What is a store in ReactJS? 
 * How to add 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. Styles?

I propose promoting the series on Twitter and Facebook, and on make.wordpress.orgWordPress.
org The community site where WordPress code is created and shared by the users. 
This is where you can download the source code for WordPress core, plugins and themes
as well as the central location for community conversations and organization. [https://wordpress.org/](https://wordpress.org/).
Would you like to see this on TikTok? Feel free to make one! Like FSE itself, these
panels can be springboards to creative thinking and doing!

The producers will record and transcribe every show, and the moderator will make
that clear in the opening moments. If an attendee wants to ask their question outside
the recording, the moderator can hit the pause button. 

## Reuse, Recycle, Repurpose

In post-production, the shows can generate a new stream of material for Learn, Marketing
and Community, and everyone else in the community, to use however you like.

The show’s own producers and editors can cut the full session into smaller educational
units and publish them on WordPress.tv. Did a specific question stump the panel?
A producer can pull that out and write a separate tutorial about it.

## Nuts and Bolts

The show is not a webinar but a normal Zoom meeting, so people can see each other
and share their screens and code.

At least for the trial, registration is required. The producers will, of course,
respect the attendee’s privacy and use email addresses only for communication regarding
the specific Gutenberg Developer Hour session.

I have already approached a few developers to be our resident experts with the idea,
and they want to try it. Depending on the feedback, they and I are ready to start
soon. (It helps that this is a Zoom call and not a stage-set production!)

Are you a Gutenberg developer with some experience? Would you like to be on the 
panels? Irrespective of your Gutenberg experience, would you like to help produce
the shows? Please let me know in the comments.

## Production Process:

You do not have to be an experienced Gutenberg developer to help with production.
In fact, it might be a great way to get your feet wet! And it is yet one more way
to contribute to WordPress.

 * Schedule the Gutenberg Developer Hours, one at a time. 
    - Set-up Zoom space, with registration.
    - Announce the next session via social channels, Make/Project, Gutenberg Times,
      and other available channels. 
 * Connect with the volunteers on a regular basis so they can schedule themselves.
 * Recruit volunteers as panelists, moderators and content producers. 
 * Published post with resources and solutions.

**If you want to be part of the team working on this initiative, let us know in 
the comments and I will connect with you via WordPress SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative
Group Chat Platform [https://slack.com/](https://slack.com/). The WordPress community
has its own Slack Channel at [https://make.wordpress.org/chat/](https://make.wordpress.org/chat/).
And as always, the team and I value your comments and questions** immensely.

_Please don’t hesitate to connect with me on [WP Slack @bph](https://wordpress.slack.com/archives/D19Q27C7K)
if you have additional questions._

---

Thank You to **[@annezazu](https://profiles.wordpress.org/annezazu/), [@daisyo](https://profiles.wordpress.org/daisyo/),
and [@sparklingrobots](https://profiles.wordpress.org/sparklingrobots/)** for collaboration
and refinement of the initiative. 
**Props [@jeffpaul](https://profiles.wordpress.org/jeffpaul/)
and [@audrasjb](https://profiles.wordpress.org/audrasjb/) for peer review.**

[#developer-hours](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/developer-hours/), [#gutenberg](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/gutenberg/),
[#new-contributors](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/new-contributors/)