Dev Notes for WP 5.5

[ellatrix]

https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/issues?q=label%3A%22Needs+Dev+Note%22

These are all the PRs that need Dev Notes to be written for. Let's write them, share them here as comments, see what is related, and create make/core posts accordingly. Please let me know if you're unable to write a note for our PR. The notes should be posted before WP 5.5 RC, but the sooner, the better.

@youknowriad

• Block patterns: https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/07/16/block-patterns-in-wordpress-5-5/
• Remove the old block preview implementation Remove the old block preview implementation #21096

@aduth (These need to be taken over, cc @WordPress/gutenberg-core.)

• Block API: Allow block registration without category Block API: Allow block registration without category #22280
• Block Editor: Change default URLInput autoFocus to false Block Editor: Change default URLInput autoFocus to false #19973
• Blocks: Update default block categories Blocks: Update default block categories #19279

@gziolo

• Block API: Add new utility to register block types from metadata in PHP Block API: Add new utility to register block types from metadata in PHP #20794

@nerrad

• Convert _experimentalCreateInterpolateElement to a stable api Convert _experimentalCreateInterpolateElement to a stable api. #20699: https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/07/17/introducing-createinterpolateelement/

@tellthemachines

• Resizable editor experiment Resizable editor experiment #19082: https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/08/04/new-editor-preview-options/

Unmarked

• Block API: Add Block Context support Block API: Add Block Context support #21467 (see https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/blob/master/docs/designers-developers/developers/block-api/block-context.md)
• REST API endpoints: https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/07/16/new-and-modified-rest-api-endpoints-in-wordpress-5-5/
• Block Tools: https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/07/27/new-block-tools-on-wordpress-5-5/
• Image Editing: https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/07/20/editing-images-in-the-block-editor/

[youknowriad]

There's a few of these that are still experimental, in that case, we shouldn't write a dev note for them but leave the label for later when the API is made stable.

[gziolo]

Block API: Add new utility to register block types from metadata in PHP #20794

As part of that, we should also update https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/blob/master/docs/rfc/block-registration.md and move to the final location.

[nerrad]

What's the deadline for the Dev notes to be written? I can write one for createInterpolateElement but knowing the deadline will help me plan when I write it.

[youknowriad]

@nerrad Something like a month (before RC) but the sooner, the better :).

[gziolo]

There are some issues reported about “Enqueue assets for rendered blocks only” (#22754) and it feels like we should revert it. If we don’t find a working solution for all cases on Monday, we should postpone it to WP 5.6.

[ellatrix]

@gziolo Are we depending on it for anything? If not, perhaps better to be safe and revert? It seems quite tricky.

[gziolo]

#22754 was reverted with #23708 and moved to WordPress 5.6 in the corresponding core ticket.

[tellthemachines]

Here's a dev note draft for the resizable editor/new preview options:

New editor preview options

You can now preview editor content in different screen sizes. Replacing the old preview button there is now a dropdown with “Desktop”, “Tablet” and “Mobile” sizes, as well as the previous front end preview option.

The new preview options currently only work on medium to large screens (>= 600px). In the future, there may be a way to preview large screens on a phone.

Block developers

If you’re a block developer and would like to have responsive styles for your blocks in the editor, use the #start-resizable-editor-section and#end-resizable-editor-section markers to define responsive styles. Styles between these markers will be picked up by the editor and render correctly when it is resized. As an example, this is what your styles would look like:

#start-resizable-editor-section {
    display: none;
}

/* add all responsive styles here */

#end-resizable-editor-section {
    display: none;
}

Currently, we aren’t able to manipulate theme editor styles because they are loaded inline in a <style> tag, instead of a separate stylesheet.

Other uses

The media query-manipulating hook, useSimulatedMediaQuery, takes a string to be used as a marker, so it can be used in other contexts, with different makers, for different styles.

Discussion around further features can be found in #19082

[noisysocks]

Block API: Add Block Context support #21467 (see https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/blob/master/docs/designers-developers/developers/block-api/block-context.md)

I came here to write a dev note for block context, but I don't think I can do better than what @aduth wrote in the documentation that's linked there, so I suggest we just use that! 🙂

[gziolo]

Blocks: Update default block categories

@aduth shared a proposed dev note for a new list of block categories in #19279 (comment):

Block API: Allow block registration without category

The Block category is no longer mandatory or doesn't have to match an existing category slug during block's registration. When that happens then a block is rendered in the inserter under the Uncategorized section.

[gziolo]

Block API: Add new utility to register block types from metadata in PHP #20794

I opened PR #23832 that convert Block Registration RFC into a documentation page for Block Metadata that should serve as a source for dev note (it might need some refinements):

https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/blob/c5d28282538838aefa37a2a7c570dbfd4b00fff4/docs/designers-developers/developers/block-api/block-metadata.md

[TimothyBJacobs]

Dev notes have been drafted for all the REST API changes. Most related to Gutenberg is https://make.wordpress.org/core/?p=82418&preview=true

[nerrad]

Dev notes are drafted for createInterpolateElement: https://make.wordpress.org/core/?p=82449&preview=1&_ppp=0942283df4

If there are no suggested edits by Friday, I'll publish then.

[youknowriad]

I think we should write a dev note about the new opt-in features for blocks: line-height, padding comes to my mind but maybe there are other block tools I'm missing. cc @ellatrix @ItsJonQ