Information on Gutenberg implementation

  • efpunter · Member ·

    As a WordPress.org user I have been tinkering with Gutenberg, the proposed new editor, for the best part of a year. We have now moved into September, and therefore closer to the time when WordPress 5.0 will be released with the new Gutenberg editor in core (November anybody?).

    I am also a WordPress.com user where my main website lives. I have helped various other small organisations, clubs and individuals to create their own WordPress.com sites, and I assist them if they subsequently have any problems. I have been making them aware that Gutenberg is on the horizon via periodic newsletters.

    What disturbs me is the lack of information on how Gutenberg will be implemented in WordPress.com. There is the odd bit of information on Gutenberg for the VIP users but nothing (that I can see) for the rest of us.

    To be clear, I am not talking about the features of Gutenberg. I have no doubt that we will eventually get that information in full technicolour.

    My principal concern is that users do not screw up their sites by falling into Gutenberg accidently. So, I have some obvious, possibly naïve, questions ..

    Will there be recommendations on backing up posts / pages just in case of problems?

    Which editor will be invoked when a user opens a post or page for the first time in WordPress 5.0?

    Will there be a default editor setting which the user can change?

    Will the user be able to change editor on a per post or page basis, e.g. in a scenario where they may be converting to Gutenberg gradually, not all in one go?

    Will the user be able to revert a post / page from Gutenberg back to Classic if problems are encountered?

    Will the classic block in Gutenberg have exactly the same facilities as in the current TinyMCE implementation? I ask because I see no sign of adding media.

    I am not looking for a reply to this stuff. I hope that it is all in hand and that WordPress.com users will be well-informed BEFORE WordPress 5.0 is launched, and that I have just wasted my time in penning this piece.

    All I ask is that you do not shoot yourselves in the foot by simply presenting WordPress.com users with this major change without adequate notice and satisfactory information.

    Thanks for taking the time to read this.

    The blog I need help with is: (visible only to logged in users)

  • kokkieh · Staff ·

    Hi there,

    We are currently testing the implementation of Gutenberg on WordPress.com and working out how and when it will be enabled. Once we start rolling it out for use, there will be posts and support pages explaining how everything is going to work.

    But for now I can tell you no one is going be stumbling into Gutenberg by accident, and there’s not going to be an instant switch the moment it launches in Core.

    Initially Gutenberg on WordPress.com will be opt-in only, and the opt-in option will not be available for someone until we’ve added support for blocks to the theme they are using.

    The classic editor should also still be available, and it should be possible to edit a Gutenberg post in the classic editor, just like it currently is in Core, and will be via the Classic Editor plugin once Gutenberg becomes the default there.

    Eventually Gutenberg on WordPress.com will become opt-out rather than opt-in, but details around that are still being discussed internally.

    If you’ve been keeping up with Gutenberg, as it sounds you have, you’ll know Automattic is heavily invested in it, and it’s also very important for us that it’s a success on WordPress.com, so we’re not rushing things and will make very sure the transition for WordPress.com users are as smooth as possible.

    As for your questions above regarding how Gutenberg will work in WordPress 5.0, those are better to ask the Core team directly at https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/gutenberg. You can also see the detailed documentation, which includes an FAQ, at https://wordpress.org/gutenberg

  • efpunter · Member ·

    Thank you kokkieh.

  • milnathort · Member ·

    Thank you kokkieh. I too am interested on how Gutenberg will be rolled out on the free version of WordPress.

  • torres126 · Member ·

    Hi,

    I just want to quickly ask two questions about Gutenberg:

    1) Sounds silly, but has there recently been a rollout of Gutenberg on WordPress.com? I’ve seen more than one forum threads on it today.
    2) Will Gutenberg be supported on retired themes, specifically Harmonic?

    Thank you! :)

  • themagicrobot · Member ·

    @torres126 Gutenberg has appeared in my /wp-admin dashboard today……..and my theme is so retired it is in a care home……..

  • torres126 · Member ·

    @themagicrobot Thanks very much, I see it too! Can’t wait to try it!

  • ertmedias · Member ·

    Hi there.

    I have to free websites hosted on WordPress.com, and in one of them I was succeed to keep the classic editor. But in my other one, there’s no options to ruled out the Gutemberg.

    The reasons I want back to classic are these:

    1- even when we inform’em, the tags are missing when I publish the post
    2- too many steps to publish the post, once in classic was simplier

    So… how can I roll back to classic editor without select manually?

    Here’s my situations:

    Where I could not disable the Gutemberg (ERTV Plus – http://ertvc.wordpress.com):

    </img>

    And where I did it, remaining the classic one (ERTV Music – http://ertvm.wordpress.com):

    </img>

  • themagicrobot · Member ·

    Thanks for that. I see you can now toggle between Gutenberg and the classic editor in “All posts” “Add new” top left. Clicking “Classic editor” takes you to:

    /post-new.php?classic-editor

    However, if you click on “Add new” in the wp-admin black lefthand menu bar you end up at what seems to be a version of the “My sites/Calypso” post editor:

    /post-new.php

  • ertmedias · Member ·

    Thanks for your quick reply.

    The option to turn between versions I know that, but unfortunately every new post I want to create, turns automatically to Gutenberg (and selecting manually to Classic, it’s a step that delays my editions).

    On the another website that I’ve succeed to keep only the classic editor, and for me it’s more effective to create new posts.

    There’s any option to definitely turn off the Gutenberg? In my options, there’s these ones:

    On sidebar:

    On ‘Writing’

    Thanks in advance

  • themagicrobot · Member ·

    In wp-admin have you tried clicking “Home” top left, “Screen options” top right, and making sure “New editor” is unticked.

  • ertmedias · Member ·

    Thank you so much! It worked!

  • maidiebike · Member ·

    It’s super important for Automattic to recognize there are a lot of organizations and small businesses who simply consider wordpress.com as a tool to support their core organizational mandate, activities/services. All the techie changes, it like changing some fundamentals how a car should operate. They aren’t interested in the car itself, per say. They are more interested in getting to their destination to do stuff at the destination which has very little to do with design of the tool.

    As long as the tool performs some basic functions: search, easily post, accept payment/comments and contact points for further information…. that’s it. The changes here seem to suggest more geeky, techie major changes which some of us have other lives/things to do in life.

  • maidiebike · Member ·

    I would suggest strongly that the skill of writing well, visual/artistic design for an attractive, easy navigation experience for viewers/readers and developing reciprocal positive dialogue with readers, are far more important skills, than fundamental changes to blog technical design.

  • supernovia · Staff ·

    Thanks for the feedback, @maidiebike. If you can let us know specifically which changes are giving you a hard time, we’ll note the feedback for you.

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