FSE Program Final Touches Summary

This post is a summary of the Final Touches call for testing for the FSE outreach program, the twenty-sixth and final effort. As always, I want to highlight those who helped to bring others along with them in this latest effort: 

  • InstaWP for allowing the outreach program to use their tooling for free, enabling more folks to jump into this call for testing and for more creativity in what we are able to test. 

As mentioned on the Evolving the FSE Outreach Program post, thank you to everyone who has helped from the start with these feedback efforts.

High level summary 

This testing call spanned numerous planned WordPress 6.4 features, including a focus on the Font Library (which is no longer planned for 6.4). Most feedback pertained to feature requests and usability concerns, highlighting the following common themes:

  • A desire for improved visibility of current and CoreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. categories in pattern creation.
  • Requesting additional controls, similar to the Cover 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., for adding background images to a Group block.
  • A need for more informative error messages in the Font Library, especially when deleting fonts.
  • Enhancing the discoverability of the Font Library.

Instead of breaking down feedback into bugs, feature requests, and general usability feedback, everything is broken down into groupings of features with extra quotes. This decision was driven by the limited volume of feedback received (only three responses) and the evident recurring themes within the feedback itself. 

Command Palette 

The Command Palette was featured throughout this call for testing, including to navigate to a page with a similar name to a pattern. This quickly reinforced a need for more context when searching for items and running commands:

Using the Command Palette. I write Portfolio and get up two Portfolios that have two different icons. One that looks like a post/page and the other as if it is a template part. Hovering over both it would be nice if it said something like: Portfolio page and the other Portfolio template part. To strengthen the meaning of the icons I see.
@paaljoachim in this comment.

It would be awesome to have more information about the current state of a toggle, “Disable distraction free mode” instead of “Toggle distraction free mode.” Or maybe make the icon of the active toggle reflect its state by adding a black background like the Settings or Styles buttons do.
@josvelasco in this comment.

I like that the command palette now includes site editor navigation like list view toggle, distraction free toggle, and code view toggle. However, I agree with you and the folks here that suggest that the command name having a clearer context of what each will do.
@franz00 in this comment.

Patterns 

While adding categories to patterns works, the ability to see current categories, core provided or otherwise, would make it much easier to stay organized:

When creating synced patterns, it is great that now we can put them into categories. However, I’ve also learned that WordPress has its own default categories for patterns from this URLURL A specific web address of a website or web page on the Internet, such as a website’s URL www.wordpress.org https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/blob/c20350c1d246163201375f090b0b7b4ab49b1dad/packages/block-editor/src/components/inserter/block-patterns-tab.js#L35 (‘custom’, ‘featured’, ‘posts’, ‘text’, ‘gallery’, ‘call-to-action’, ‘banner’, ‘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.’, ‘footer’). Personally, I want my patterns organization to be as much closer to WP default categories as possible, but I can’t find those predefined categoryCategory The 'category' taxonomy lets you group posts / content together that share a common bond. Categories are pre-defined and broad ranging. names being listed somewhere in the Site Editor interface. Perhaps we could have categories checkbox for those, like the post page have?
@franz00 in this comment.

Since there was a pattern called “Portfolio,” it was kind of confusing to find where to edit the page with the same name. The command palette would be more verbose and say “Edit template Portfolio” instead of just “Portfolio.”
@josvelasco in this comment.

I see that I can add a category, but I can not see which categories already exist. As I might want to place this into a pre existing category.
@paaljoachim in this comment.

Font Library 

The following specific items were raised with a particular note around the need for better error messaging both when uploading and deleting fonts:

I clicked the “Aa” icon to open up font management just because I followed your instructions, but I couldn’t have found the font management easily without them. I love icons, but this is only visible with a label.
@josvelasco in this comment.

I tried to upload a .zip on purpose but got no errors. It may be nice to have or suggest allowed font formats and a confirmation notification when one gets uploaded.
@josvelasco in this comment.

However, I found that the activation/deactivation and deletion of fonts somewhat confusing. Why would fonts deletion be offered on active, check marked, fonts? Would it make more sense to only offer fonts deletion to the inactive (unused) ones? Because deleting an active font directly impact the pages that use them, which will cause the page to automatically fall back to the default font. Besides, this is done without any warnings.
@franz00 in this comment.

I see the Fuggles uploaded above the Theme Fonts. There is a heading for Theme fonts but no heading for the fonts above it. It would be nice to have an “External Fonts” etc heading for the ones that are not Theme fonts.
@paaljoachim in this comment.

Other

Of the following items, the desire for more controls in adding a background image to the Group block was mentioned by all three responses. In particular, folks wanted to see the ability to change focal point. 

I find the rename feature taking too many steps and feels cumbersome. I would like to double click it just as if I was on a Mac to rename. I am happy the feature is in even if it kinda feels half baked.
@paaljoachim in this comment.

Color adjustments are fine, but having the same background adjustments available as the cover block would be great. Focus point, at least.
@josvelasco in this comment.

I also noticed that when navigating blocks in list view, the up arrow key sometimes cannot traverse back up when it encounters synced patterns, or a footer template part.
@franz00 in this comment.

#fse-outreach-program, #fse-testing-summary