Site Editor: Update the order of the sidebar items #56430
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scruffian
added
[Type] Enhancement
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I'd argue that on theme activation, Styles would probably be the first thing you'd want to change or at least check, to see if the options the theme includes are what you like. The problem with this is once you are done with that, it's no longer relevant for you and get's stuck at the top never to be used again. Complicated. |
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Size Change: +1.75 kB (0%) Total Size: 1.7 MB
ℹ️ View Unchanged
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I think putting pages 1st is the thing that has to go through. Ideally the sidebar item order should be a reflection of what we think users do most. I doubt template updates, managing patterns and style switching and often used after setup. But incoming updates will make this more complicated (with new content management features available) so not sure we can land on the best ordering now. Maybe even Navigation can go under patterns who knows. But putting Pages 1st makes a lot of sense. |
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I like this; the only change I'd make is moving Patterns above Templates. After pages, patterns are the next most composable units at this level in the site editor. You're more likely to create and manage patterns than you are templates. |
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It's a bit odd having Navigation all the way at the bottom too; maybe it's fine to have Styles at the end - as it's the most different. |
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I updated this so that the new order is:
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Thank you for your quick action, @scruffian! In the context of block theme previews, it seems that users often prefer to adjust Styles. This tendency is because many users are inclined to explore variations in the look and feel of their site rather than delving into detailed setups while initially trying out a theme preview. Maybe we can add a condition to address this situation? |
Or perhaps styles is the initial active view when previewing a theme. |
I like it. |
100% Can we move Styles to the top? Or second following Pages? |
@scruffian Why do you think users won't be frequently using Styles? Do you have data on that? IMO, particularly for new sites or anyone looking to do a refresh of fonts or colors, Styles is a very important feature. |
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Based on watching users in usability testing, paired with my own conception of themes I'd suggest the following order.
The list starts at the top with the broadest global means of previewing things: global fonts, colours, and other design details. Then moves on to the "big pages" of templates, most notably with the "big" template for your home page. Then down to more granular and smaller as you go. |
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I don't have any data, and I don't feel strongly about the order except that I think Navigation should not be the top. I updated it to:
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Flaky tests detected in 67a83e8. 🔍 Workflow run URL: https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/actions/runs/7007026114
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Just noting that as part of the admin redesign work there are plans to allow customisation of menus. See the first video here: #53322 (around 7:20). This can happen automatically in different flows too, for instance when previewing a theme Styles might be given increased prominence. |
draganescu
requested changes
Nov 28, 2023
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This PR evolved approximatively like this:
- navigation, styles, pages, templates, patterns
- pages, templates, patterns, styles, navigation
- pages, patterns, templates, navigation, styles
- styles, templates, pages, patterns, navigation
This shows a relative lack of consensus on what we're doing here. The goal of the PR was to move Navigation from being 1st item. Now we're reordering all the items :) and with conflicting views:
- are styles somethig that should be 1st all the time?
- is navigation something that should be last all the time?
- is the site editor a place where you'll eventually go to edit content, if so, then pages are likely lost in the middle
I just want to make sure we note these differences in approach and views before this just lands.
@jameskoster thanks for mentioning the incoming customisation features - nevertheless the default is probably gona be at least 7 out of 10 sidebars.
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I'm not convinced that reorder these items makes a huge amount of difference. People scan lists. We're adept at doing so. Once we find the right item we can easily recall it's location within the list for next time. Moreover, this list of menu items has changed several times over the past few releases. I would tend to agree with Andrei that it's difficult to agree on a consensus when there is this amount of flux. |
That could be correct, but it's quite a bold assumption, would you say only 3 out of 10 users customise their home screens/desktops? The point was more that we don't really know how much of a problem this is currently, or how much impact customisability will have. So while I don't totally oppose it, changing the order feels a little arbitrary to me, especially as it has already changed a few times already as noted above. |
I am saying this exact thing, with the metaphoric 7 out of 10, that many people rely on the default so "changing the order feels a little arbitrary to me" and it's not made easier to commit just because people will be able to customise :) |
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What?
Reorders the items in the sidebar of the Site Editor, in Site View.
Why?
Users are much more likely to want to edit pages and templates than Navigation or Styles, so we should raise these up. We would also prefer that they begin by working on their pages than their navigation, as its an easier place to start.
How?
Simply reorder the code
Testing Instructions
Go to the Site Editor and check the order of the items in the sidebar.
Screenshots or screencast
Before
After
