Add ability to add single new-line when typing Shift + Enter

[iamthomasbishop]

Current Behavior

Currently when I'm focused on a text block (paragraph, heading) and type Shift + Enter, a new block is created – which is the same behavior as typing Enter.

Expected Behavior

I expect that if I type Shift + Enter in a block, it should simply add a single new-line instead of creating a new block.

Implementation coverage

• Android
• iOS

[SergioEstevao]

@iamthomasbishop I tested this on iOS and it works if you apply Shift+Enter in the middle of the paragraph/block.

That said I did found a bug when you try to do this and the end of the paragraph that makes the system crash.

[iamthomasbishop]

Hmm, that's not what I'm seeing – maybe this was fixed in a more recent build than the beta I'm testing on (HockeyApp). Here's what I'm seeing, for reference:

[SergioEstevao]

@iamthomasbishop you are right the Shift+Enter it's only working when using a my laptop keyboard to do it, if I use the device touch keyboard I get the block split.

[koke]

@diegoreymendez may confirm but IIRC we tried something similar on aztec and this was impossible to detect on iOS on the screen keyboard

[diegoreymendez]

This isn't supported in iOS. It's only possible through a hardware keyboard.

[diegoreymendez]

Sorry, I closed this by mistake and reopened it.

[iamthomasbishop]

This isn't supported in iOS. It's only possible through a hardware keyboard.

@diegoreymendez Fair enough. Just tested on Google Docs and Dropbox Paper and it's the same thing. So we can ax this issue for now if we need to.

[hypest]

Shift-Enter with external keyboards would still be useful and perhaps even more when on tablets so, I'd leave this ticket open.

@iamthomasbishop Is it OK with you to just rename it to "... on external keyboards"?

[SergioEstevao]

FYI: Shift+Enter using external keyboards works correctly in iOS.

…

On Thu, 14 Mar 2019 at 15:30, Stefanos Togoulidis ***@***.***> wrote: Shift-Enter with external keyboards would still be useful and perhaps even more when on tablets so, I'd leave this ticket open. @iamthomasbishop <https://github.com/iamthomasbishop> Is it OK with you to just rename it to "... on external keyboards"? — You are receiving this because you were assigned. Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#559 (comment)>, or mute the thread <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AAnxUVKVPfOM_KiSipHVDuSXVDhbX0Npks5vWmr9gaJpZM4anaTJ> .

[hypest]

Let's find a workaround to enable users to input line breaks without paragraph split. It's really frustrating to do it when one really wants it, to nicely format small paragraphs like the following (think: a small poem. h/t @madeincosmos):

Soft line breaks
Within a
Single block

Followed by
Another
Block underneath

[mchowning]

I noticed something that probably isn't directly helpful but might point the way for some possible solutions...

On both Android and iOS it seems we can get soft-enter-like behavior sometimes if you type very quickly (not swipe) and then hit enter. The video below is from an Android release build not connected to the bundler (so I don't think it was just the result of a bundler delay, although I suspect it may still be related to the asynchronous communication across the bridge). I wasn't able to tell why it would sometimes give me a soft enter and sometimes not.

[mchowning]

Currently, pressing enter on image captions does create a new line instead of adding a new empty paragraph block. When addressing this, it would be good to give consistent behavior to the image caption as well.

[designsimply]

Noting that this came up in Slack and that Eli suggested possibly adding a button to the toolbar as a potential solution.

^{(internal reference: p1602473723029700-slack-cellular-happiness)}

[azollafox]

From an app review on Google Play

Block Editor: Would be great if there was a way to break a line ( ) Because with an Enter on the smartphone keyboard there is always a new block and "Shift + Enter" none of my keyboards know (3 different installed)

[reginabally]

Another request in an app review on Google Play:

It would be helpful to have line breaks within the block.

[reginabally]

Requested in 3642791-zen.

As a matter of fact, it is not possible in WP app, to easily begin a new line within a block. Hitting RETURN will begin a new block, and Shift-RETURN as known from former times in simple editors, doesn't work.
Adressing this "feature" before, I was told a workaround by going to HTML-modus and filling in
at the wanted position. Which of course is very anoying, doing this lots of times in a posting.

[mdrockwell]

3827600-zen

I can't press enter to go down to the next line without it opening in a separate text block. I'm trying to have two lines of text right beneath each other in the same block.

[guarani]

Another request in an app review on Google Play:

And I hate to see a new block created EVERYTIME I hit enter.

[guarani]

And another request in an app review on Google Play:

Every time I press the Enter key, a new writing box is opened, although I actually only wanted to make a line break instead of starting a new paragraph.

[mchowning]

@iamthomasbishop tested and confirmed that shift+enter behavior works for both iPad and iPhones when accessing Gutenberg on the web. Combined with the fact that shift+enter works in the iOS notes app, this gives some hope that maybe something changed and maybe this is now possible. 🤞

[guarani]

It looks like it isn't currently possible to support Shift+Enter on iOS, more info below.

@iamthomasbishop tested and confirmed that shift+enter behavior works for both iPad and iPhones when accessing Gutenberg on the web. Combined with the fact that shift+enter works in the iOS notes app, this gives some hope that maybe something changed and maybe this is now possible. 🤞

After a bit of investigation and collaboration on the team, we found that iOS only provides a public API for Shift key events when using an external (physical) keyboard via the pressesBegan functions. This API doesn't work with the on-screen virtual keyboard. The iOS Notes app is likely using a private API that we can't use in the WPiOS app (see code here) (h/t @koke).

Regarding mobile Safari, using JavaScript it's possible to detect the Shift key being pressed (although it doesn't seem possible to differentiate between it being held and being "on"). This won't help us here though, since Gutenberg Mobile uses something completely different, an Aztec (UITextView) instance.

---

An alternative here could be to invert the app's behavior and make soft new-lines the default when pressing Enter. That way, users could add a new Paragraph block when needed, otherwise they can press Enter to create a new line.

[reginabally]

Feedback from a user in 4410487-zd-woothemes:

There’s no reason to make a text block each time you hit Enter!

[thabotswana]

3-star iOS app review

I have tried to use shift+return but it always create new paragraph instead of new line

[reginabally]

Another request in 4715088-zd-woothemes:

Can you tell me how to start a new line rather than a new paragraph when writing text? I am using the Wordpress app on an iPad so shift+enter doesnt work.

[erricgunawan]

4745458-zen (translated):

Please tell me how to start a new line on the edit screen in visual mode.

If you press the line feed button, the block will change.

[eduardozulian]

4860430-zen

User's idea: Hit Enter once for next line, twice for new block.

[igotdes]

Also mentioned in #4856871-zen:

[...] When I am creating a post and writing a textual entry, perhaps in prose, perhaps in verse, if I press return, it always skips a line and creates an irritating space where none is required.

[reginabally]

Asked in 4940586-zd-woothemes:

How do I enter a carriage return (soft return) in a paragraph block. I’m on the iOS app. Is that format not supported?

[igotdes]

From 1-star Google Play review:

I do have a problem. Whenever, I want to go to the next line and I click enter, a new paragraph is launched

[erricgunawan]

3-star Google Play review:

The big problem is that I don't want to switch to the next block immediately with Enter on the Android keyboard.

[rinazrina]

Another user expecting this works on phone: #37318217-hc

[SiobhyB]

From a recent one star review:

Disastrous experience. I think the developer lacks a basic understanding that in a paragraph, when U seperate the content from its heading that doesn't mean we want to create a totally new block. Imagine a para having its Heading and Content in seperate blocks with wide space between them. Its make their appearance awful. Developer needs to improve that by clicking ENTER key, we don't mean to create extra block but to give the para an effect like that of a content written just under its heading.

[alinclamba]

Another user reported this 8567227-zd-a8c