How to Fix WordPress Gutenberg!

Brian Coords and me discuss how we would improve Gutenberg. But we want you to join in and let us know what you would like to see in Gutenberg.

[graphnicmedia]

This video articulates pretty much everything that frustrates me with modern block-based WP. I'm convinced it's largely responsible for both the slow uptake of Block Themes and the general mixed feeling about the wider project. If these items were the entire core roadmap for the next 12 months I would be more than delighted! It would put WP in a much place, and is, in my opinion, far more important than collaboration features and data liberation at this point in time.

[pmmueller]

Jamies comments on "WP using developer language" (at about 22:00 minutes) are a kind of summary of the Gutenberg dilemma:

In a block theme the Site Editor let's you edit the full site and change styles and templates without code.

In a classic theme in the Customizer you can edit part of the site, but you don’t even have to know that concepts like styles and templates exist.

So block themes and Site Editor are great tools for non-coders like me who know WP and its basic concepts.
For beginners, aclassic theme with Customizer is probably still a better bet.

[Perchpole]

In recent months I've become very positive about the block editor. I made a concious effort (and time) to sit down and absorb myself in it. I've been designing websites since the 90s - before CSS was in common use - so I learnt all about creating layouts with HTML the old fashioned way (tables!). I moved to WordPres about 5 years ago and although it's made my life a lot easier, it's also made me lazy. I feel like I've lost touch with those core skills that I used years ago. Now, by becoming more familiar with the Block Editor, I find I'm using those old skills again.

I acknowledge it isn't for everyone. Some people will find it a very steep learning curve. But let's not make good the enemy of perfect. Automatic will iron out the wrinkles in time. Also I don't think WordPress should be about levelling down all the time. We shouldn't expect everyone to be able to sit down and start creating without first putting some hours in.

[carbonrich]

Excellent vid, so much more constructive than so many similar videos.

Is there a compilation of the various Github issues cited by Brian?

I'd love to get in there and start upvoting/coding/mocking-up things where I can...

[derek-hanson]

Agree 100% on navigation editing location. In the site editor panel! It would fell closer to classic menus. But show the design of it in the editor canvas.

[Infinatummedia]

I think the thing that galls me as a developer dealing with gutenberg is that i can't apply a css style directly to a block without creating a whole class in the main css or dealing with the rediculously overcomplicated block backend. If wordpress has decided for arbitrary reasons that a specific block isn't going to center correctly, i cant apply justify-content: center without creating a new justify-content-center class. The ability to add a custom property on a per-block basis and it work the same way that the rest of the UI does (in a field on the styling tab, i would click "custom properties" type in "justify-content" which would add a selector to the panel with a dropdown for the available options) would solve a signifigant amount of friction for me.

[PaulPrevoo-jq]

I have completely devoted myself to Gutenberg. The block theme idea is really better.
But I also quickly noticed that the editor is a maze. You click your mouse to pieces to get to the right spot.
I really hope this will improve soon.

[stuartmorley]

I think one of the main things why they aren't being used as much is simple. I know you guys are constantly looking at new themes etc but the real world is much different. As someone who actually creates a large website (or two) for real business the last thing I want to do is keep changing themes. So much of my time is actually getting Wordpress to work properly and managing plugins rather than adding and editing content. In nutshell what we want is an install a theme and get on with it rather than keep on pushing new themes and plugins. It's great to see that the simple stuff in Gutenberg which now several years on isn't working properly is getting scrutinised. It's great that reusable blocks for example now works properly. I still find it clunky to use after all this time and it should be more refined than this by now. Just a FYI I had wanted to download the video to watch whilst travelling but Youtube doesn't allow this for this video (another example of tech failing where it shouldn't) :)

[justin_hall]

i agree with pretty much all of this, and can only assume it's very slow and incremental due to the simple fact that they don't want to break millions of websites with the UI and feature updates we all want. Wordpress is a long way from being amateur friendly and I guess the page builders can try to fill that gap - but even with them you still have to be savvy. wouldn't it be great if there was a product that genuinely sat on top of wordpress and replaced the entire backend - more than just a page builder plugin?

[derek-hanson]

Yeah, why couldn’t they just keep the name Menus instead of navigation. Another very technical term.

[richardstenlund]

I totally agree about the interface. The idea with block themes is brilliant, but every time I am in the interface I´m constantly lost so I´ll stick to page builders like Elementor until the block editor is at least close in usability

[JonathanCampDesigner]

My comments relating to your comments about 'templates' and 'pages' and they way they are intrinsically connected in all versions of WordPress:

Navigation

Reason for the navigation variable places is to do with templates. 'Templates' have been core to WordPress long before Gutenberg (as I'm sure you know). You could / can have a completely different template per 'page' if you want to (not many people do this unless they are are using ACF). So the main issue when they created templates functionality in FSE was to be able to have the same functionality. E.g. have different menus, headers, footers, etc on a "page by page" basis if required. Or simply put there is not just one menu (for example) that is site wide.

This created a problem. How were they to create a UI/UX effectively to be able to use the FSE BUT have different templates for different pages? This is why it looks a bit of a mess. The header and footer (if that template has one) is associated with the template; the template is used on a per page basis OR area (e.g. posts summary pages, Archive page, 404 page, etc etc.)

**Header and footer, etc links to the "TEMPLATE"… the template links to the "PAGE" (e.g. not ALL pages but the page you are editing and template combination you have chosen).

Not everyone realises, you can also change templates in the Block editor when editing the page (PAGE area on the block editor on the right hand side) and select to:

1. EDIT the template being used
2. SWAP the template for another template, and
3. CREATE a NEW template plus preview just the template.

This area on the RHS is very often missed and overlooked and people assume that there is ONE template for the page they are editing - this is incorrect - hence the somewhat convoluted FSE interface. Of course people who use ACF are used to having multiple PAGE TEMPLATES.

[adriandolling]

Is there too much focus on the designer persona, and too little on the content editor persona? My content editors keep wanting to change design elements (e.g. heading colour or size or font).
It reminds me of the WordPerfect vs MS Word debates of old.

[adriandolling]

Is there any demand for curvilinear layouts? The square block tetris look is limiting in itself.

[JAMcRae]

im half-way through this video and feel seen. the frustrating maze. ive been building sites since 3.2, and have been able to learn my way through each big jump in the classic templating best practices. but i am not inspired by this experience. (trudge, trudge, trudge)

[leokerr]

There's some way to go before we have a 'finished' product that's user friendly - it's cooking but still half baked.

[Mentrix-Websolution]

They are more question marks than answer how to use Gutenberg.

[steveiws]

Blocks are great, block themes are not. You really can't beat the Customiser.