Tag Archives: call for testing

Pascal Birchler 9:23 am on September 5, 2023
Tags: call for testing, , , , ,   

Call for Testing: Performant Translations

The coreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. performance team recently conducted an in-depth i18n performance analysis. It showed that localized WordPress sites load significantly slower than a site without translations. The blogblog (versus network, site) post presented and compared multiple solutions to this problem, and now the team would like to test the most promising approach at a wider scale using a dedicated pluginPlugin A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https://wordpress.org/plugins/ or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party.

Introducing the Performant Translations plugin

What it does

The Performant Translations plugin uses a new approach to handle translationtranslation The process (or result) of changing text, words, and display formatting to support another language. Also see localization, internationalization. files in WordPress, making localization blazing fast. The primary purpose of this plugin is to allow broader testing of these enhancements, for which the goal is to eventually land in WordPress core.

This plugin helps to make localized WordPress sites faster by replacing the traditional MO translation files with PHPPHP The web scripting language in which WordPress is primarily architected. WordPress requires PHP 7.4 or higher files, which are much faster to parse. Plus, PHP files can be stored in the so-called OPcache, which provides an additional speed boost.

If your site is using a language other than English (US), you should see immediate speed improvements simply by activating this plugin. No further action is required.

The Performant Translations plugin is available for download on WordPress.orgWordPress.org The community site where WordPress code is created and shared by the users. This is where you can download the source code for WordPress core, plugins and themes as well as the central location for community conversations and organization. https://wordpress.org/ or directly from your WordPress adminadmin (and super admin).

Download the plugin

What to test and expect

Since the Performant Translations plugin requires no configuration, all that’s needed to benefit from its speed improvements is to activate the plugin.

To verify that something has changed, you could use a tool like Query Monitor or an external tool for testing server response times. In Query Monitor, the page load time and memory usage should drop quite a bit after plugin activation:

Before: Page load time: 0.27s Memory usage: 32.9MB
Page load time and memory usage before
After: Page load time: 0.22s Memory usage: 20.2MB
Page load time and memory usage after

In Query Monitor you will also see how translations are loaded from PHP files from now on:

Query Monitor development tools, showing a list of text domains

While the plugin is mostly considered to be a betaBeta A pre-release of software that is given out to a large group of users to trial under real conditions. Beta versions have gone through alpha testing in-house and are generally fairly close in look, feel and function to the final product; however, design changes often occur as part of the process. testing plugin, it has been tested and established to a degree where it should be okay to use in production. Still, as with every plugin, you are doing so at your own risk.

It’s also worth noting that the plugin has been successfully tested with common multilingual plugins, such as WPML, Weglot, TranslatePress, MultilingualPress, and Polylang. It also works fine with Loco Translate and the Preferred Languages feature pluginFeature Plugin A plugin that was created with the intention of eventually being proposed for inclusion in WordPress Core. See Features as Plugins..

Should you choose to stop testing the Performant Translation plugins, uninstalling it will remove all of its traces.

Provide your feedback

If you encounter any issues or simply have questions about the plugin, please leave a comment below or open a new support topic. In addition to that, contributions can be made on GitHub.

The performance team’s goal is to get as much feedback as possible and further refine the approach so that it can ultimately be proposed to be merged into WordPress core 6.5. That means testing will last for a few months at least.

+make.wordpress.org/test/

Untrash<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav>","mentions":[],"mentionContext":"","commentCreated":"1693907763","hasChildren":false,"userLogin":"tobifjellner","userNicename":"tobifjellner"},{"type":"comment","id":"45576","postID":"107837","postTitleRaw":"Call for Testing: Performant Translations","cssClasses":"comment byuser comment-author-mdxfr odd alt thread-odd thread-alt depth-1","parentID":"0","contentRaw":"Hello,\nWP6.3.1 + latest versions of Gutenberg\/WooCommerce\/WooBlocks\/Kadence Blocks + WP Rocket \n- Before 1.41sec\/136.5MB\/0.14s\/159Q\n- After 1.35s\/125.5MB\/0.11s\/159Q\n\nAdmin loading seems quicker also. Maybe we should ask people to mesure this side's performance also, not only front side.","contentFiltered":"

Hello,
\nWP6.3.1 + latest versions of GutenbergGutenberg<\/span> The Gutenberg project is the new Editor Interface for WordPress. The editor improves the process and experience of creating new content, making writing rich content much simpler. It uses \u2018blocks\u2019 to add richness rather than shortcodes, custom HTML etc. Untrash<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav>","mentions":[],"mentionContext":"","commentCreated":"1693909250","hasChildren":false,"userLogin":"mdxfr","userNicename":"mdxfr"},{"type":"comment","id":"45577","postID":"107837","postTitleRaw":"Call for Testing: Performant Translations","cssClasses":"comment byuser comment-author-webdados even thread-even depth-1","parentID":"0","contentRaw":"Hi and thanks for this plugin,\n\nI've carried some test on a non-optimised website (in which I will work on in a couple of weeks) that runs:\n- Custom Theme\n- WooCommerce\n- WPML (3 languages: English, Portuguese and French) + WooCommerce Multilingual + WPML String Translation + WPML Media\n- ACF Pro\n- AutomateWoo\n- Yoast SEO\nand several other minor plugins.\n\nThe tests were done logged in, in the Portuguese language (to make sure translations are loaded as the originals are in English), without page cache active in two areas:\n- Frontend: WooCommerce Shop page\n- Backend: WooCommerce Orders page\n\nHere are the results:\nhttps:\/\/snipboard.io\/xuYrPw.jpg\n\nMedian without Performant Languages\n- Frontend: 6,93s 73,60MB\n- Backend: 1,75s 88,80MB\nMedian with Performant Languages\n- Frontend: 5,48s 63,50MB \ud83d\udc4d\n- Backend: 1,60s 76,20MB \ud83d\udc4d","contentFiltered":"

Hi and thanks for this pluginPlugin<\/span> A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/ or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party<\/span><\/span><\/span>,<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve carried some test on a non-optimised website (in which I will work on in a couple of weeks) that runs:\n<\/p>\n

Andy Fragen 6:11 pm on March 28, 2023
Tags: call for testing,   

Call for Testing: Plugin Dependencies UX

We are seeking basic workflow feedback for the Plugin Dependencies feature. Testing should be very straightforward.

The testing pluginPlugin A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https://wordpress.org/plugins/ or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party was chosen because it fulfilled the following criteria:

  • Plugin is in the plugin repository.
  • Plugin has the required Requires Plugins headerHeader The header of your site is typically the first thing people will experience. The masthead or header art located across the top of your page is part of the look and feel of your website. It can influence a visitor’s opinion about your content and you/ your organization’s brand. It may also look different on different screen sizes. for Plugin Dependencies.

How to Test

  1. Install and activate the Plugin Dependencies feature plugin.
  2. Install and activate The Events Calendar CategoryCategory The 'category' taxonomy lets you group posts / content together that share a common bond. Categories are pre-defined and broad ranging. Colors plugin.

The goal is to see how intuitive the process is or might become.

Feedback

  • What did you do?
  • Did you get stuck? Where?
    • Were you able to figure out the path forward?
    • What did you do?
  • Did the experience feel “natural” to WordPress?

Thanks for testing. Testing should last for 3 weeks.

Please add your feedback in the comments.

+make.wordpress.org/test/

Untrash<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav>","mentions":[],"mentionContext":"","commentCreated":"1680027736","hasChildren":false,"userLogin":"jsmoriss","userNicename":"jsmoriss"},{"type":"comment","id":"44533","postID":"104105","postTitleRaw":"Call for Testing: Plugin Dependencies UX","cssClasses":"comment byuser comment-author-man4toman odd alt thread-even depth-1","parentID":"0","contentRaw":"First, I installed and activate \"Plugin Dependencies\", after that, I installed \"The Events Calendar Category Colors\" plugin.\n\nIn \"Plugins\", when I want to activate \"The Events Calendar Category Colors\" plugin, it shows me \"Cannot Activate\", then I clicked on \"Dependencies\", it goes to \"Add Plugins\" with \"The Events Calendar\".\n\nAfter installation of \"The Events Calendar\", I return to \"Plugins\" again and activate the \"The Events Calendar: Category Colors\".\n\nThe good point is, I couldn't deactivate the \"The Events Calendar\" until(due to) deactivation of \"The Events Calendar: Category Colors\" plugin.\n\nEverything looks fine and normal for WordPress but some suggestions:\n\n- I think \"Cannot Activate\" message needs some change to be better to show\/understand(with colors or change text or...) for newbies.\n- In first look, \"Dependencies\" item is not related to \"Cannot Activate\" message.\n- In \"Dependencies\" (Add Plugins), after plugins activation, the user must return to plugins list and it doesn't redirect itself.","contentFiltered":"

First, I installed and activate \u201cPluginPlugin<\/span> A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/ or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party<\/span><\/span><\/span> Dependencies\u201d, after that, I installed \u201cThe Events Calendar CategoryCategory<\/span> The 'category' taxonomy lets you group posts \/ content together that share a common bond. Categories are pre-defined and broad ranging.<\/span><\/span><\/span> Colors\u201d plugin.<\/p>\n

In \u201cPlugins\u201d, when I want to activate \u201cThe Events Calendar Category Colors\u201d plugin, it shows me \u201cCannot Activate\u201d, then I clicked on \u201cDependencies\u201d, it goes to \u201cAdd Plugins\u201d with \u201cThe Events Calendar\u201d.<\/p>\n

After installation of \u201cThe Events Calendar\u201d, I return to \u201cPlugins\u201d again and activate the \u201cThe Events Calendar: Category Colors\u201d.<\/p>\n

The good point is, I couldn\u2019t deactivate the \u201cThe Events Calendar\u201d until(due to) deactivation of \u201cThe Events Calendar: Category Colors\u201d plugin.<\/p>\n

Everything looks fine and normal for WordPress but some suggestions:<\/p>\n

Andy Fragen 8:21 pm on October 12, 2022
Tags: call for testing, , ,   

Call for Testing: Plugin Dependencies

The Plugin Dependencies feature plugin is available for testing.

This feature allows pluginPlugin A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https://wordpress.org/plugins/ or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party authors to identify which other plugins must be installed so that their plugin functions as expected. This is done by adding a “Requires Plugins” headerHeader The header of your site is typically the first thing people will experience. The masthead or header art located across the top of your page is part of the look and feel of your website. It can influence a visitor’s opinion about your content and you/ your organization’s brand. It may also look different on different screen sizes. to the docblockdocblock (phpdoc, xref, inline docs) of the main plugin file which contains a comma-separated list of slugs for the required plugins.

The feature is not intended to work with Must-Use plugins, nor does it impact them.

You can find out more about this feature project in the original Make post.

Test Setup

  • Install and activate the Plugin Dependencies feature plugin.
  • Delete the Hello Dolly plugin, a single file plugin cannot be a dependency
  • Copy the three test plugin files from /plugins/wp-plugin-dependencies/test-plugins to the /plugins directory.
  • Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins.

Test Instructions / Key Features

  • Confirm that a new adminadmin (and super admin) notice is displayed if there are additional plugins that must be installed if dependencies are missing.
  • Confirm that individual plugins with dependency relationships on Plugins > Installed Plugins display Requires or Required by: under the version information.
  • Add (install/activate) needed dependencies.
  • Confirm that admin notice goes away once all the dependencies have been installed. Dependencies don’t need to be activated for the admin notice to be satisfied and go away.
  • After installing all dependencies, confirm that the new admin notice disappears.
  • Confirm that the Deactivate link and checkbox are not available for plugins that are dependencies with active dependent plugins.
  • Once all dependent plugins are deactivated, confirm that plugin dependencies can then be deactivated and deleted.
  • Confirm that the Add Plugins > Dependencies page lists correct plugins, including non-WordPress.orgWordPress.org The community site where WordPress code is created and shared by the users. This is where you can download the source code for WordPress core, plugins and themes as well as the central location for community conversations and organization. https://wordpress.org/ plugins that are and aren’t supported.

Other Things to Test

  • In a test plugin, try to add a dependency using a plugin’s full name (not slug).
    • No dependency should be noted
  • Add a dependency for a non-wordpress.org plugin slug that is installed/active.
  • Hook the Plugins APIAPI An API or Application Programming Interface is a software intermediary that allows programs to interact with each other and share data in limited, clearly defined ways. to register a non-wordpress.org plugin.
    • This is done with the GitGit Git is a free and open source distributed version control system designed to handle everything from small to very large projects with speed and efficiency. Git is easy to learn and has a tiny footprint with lightning fast performance. Most modern plugin and theme development is being done with this version control system. https://git-scm.com/. Updater plugin
  • Test adding “Requires Plugins” to the DocBlock of a plugin in mu-plugins.
    • Nothing should happen as mu-plugins are not supported for this feature.

What’s New?

In the main plugin file’s docblock:

  • A Requires Plugins header has been introduced.
  • List the slugs of the dependencies in a comma separated string. For example:

Requires Plugins: hello-dolly, akismet, wp-plugin-dependencies

On the Plugins admin page:

  • An admin notice informs site owners if there are additional plugins that must be installed. It will display as long as there are uninstalled dependencies.
  • Each plugin that requires other plugins has a new line in the plugin description. For example:

Requires: <dependency-1>, <dependency-2>, <dependency-3>

Required plugins that are available on wordpress.org are linked to their plugin page.

  • Each plugin required by other plugins has a new line in the plugin description. For example:

Required by: <dependent-1>, <dependent-2>, <dependent-3>

  • Each plugin that is a dependency, and is also dependent on other plugins, has both lines above.
  • If all the dependencies of a plugin have not been installed and activated then the dependent plugin will not be able to be activated.
Plugins page

On the Plugins > Add New > Dependencies tab:

  • The above Requires and Required by data will display in the plugin card.
  • This tab shows a card for each plugin that is required for other plugins to work.
  • Familiar Install Now, Activate and Active buttons are provided so that site owners can manage these plugins.
  • If a dependency is not available on wordpress.org and does not integrate with the Plugin Dependencies feature, it will not be possible to install or activate via this tab. The plugin will display in a generic card.
  • It is possible to integrate a dependency that is not available on wordpress.org with the Plugin Dependencies feature. This requires hooking into the plugins_api_request filterFilter Filters are one of the two types of Hooks https://codex.wordpress.org/Plugin_API/Hooks. They provide a way for functions to modify data of other functions. They are the counterpart to Actions. Unlike Actions, filters are meant to work in an isolated manner, and should never have side effects such as affecting global variables and output. and returning a valid plugins_api() response. This type of code was added to the feature pluginFeature Plugin A plugin that was created with the intention of eventually being proposed for inclusion in WordPress Core. See Features as Plugins. as a composer dependency with afragen/add-plugin-dependency-api, and a filter to the endpoint returning valid plugins_api() response for the Git Updater plugin. 
Plugin > Add New page

Instructions for Reporting Issues

Please leave feedback in the comments below this post.

If you find an issue:

Thanks for testing! Testing should be completed by December 1, 2022.

Thanks @costdev and @ironprogrammer for assistance.

+make.wordpress.org/test/

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Version controlversion control<\/span> A version control system keeps track of the source code and revisions to the source code. WordPress uses Subversion (SVN) for version control, with Git mirrors for most repositories.<\/span><\/span><\/span> is out of scope for the feature as described in the original Make post referenced above. As the majority of the dependencies come from the dot org repository, the most current versions will be installed. <\/p>\n

Specifically, WordPress should automatically prompt the user to update to the current version and may use auto-updates as well.<\/p>\n","permalink":"https:\/\/make.wordpress.org\/core\/2022\/10\/12\/call-for-testing-plugin-dependencies\/#comment-43957","unixtime":1666000944,"loginRedirectURL":"https:\/\/login.wordpress.org\/?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fmake.wordpress.org%2Fcore%2F2022%2F10%2F12%2Fcall-for-testing-plugin-dependencies%2F%23comment-43957&locale=en_US","approved":true,"isTrashed":false,"prevDeleted":"","editURL":null,"depth":1,"commentDropdownActions":"","commentFooterActions":"","commentTrashedActions":"

Andrei Draganescu 10:26 am on May 12, 2021
Tags: , call for testing, , , , ,   

Help Test the Widgets Editor for WordPress 5.8

Remember the blockBlock Block is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience. based Widgets Editor? In case you missed it, this new feature had both a previous call for testing and a merge proposal ahead of WordPress 5.6. After months of hard work, it’s back and better than ever! For a quick refresher, the block based Widgets Editor is an upgrade to the widgetWidget A WordPress Widget is a small block that performs a specific function. You can add these widgets in sidebars also known as widget-ready areas on your web page. WordPress widgets were originally created to provide a simple and easy-to-use way of giving design and structure control of the WordPress theme to the user. areas provided by WordPress through themes, that enables users to add blocks right next to widgets to their headers, footers, sidebars and other widget areas.

Help test this feature

This is a call for testing for the new block based Widgets Editor. Please report your findings on GithubGitHub GitHub is a website that offers online implementation of git repositories that can easily be shared, copied and modified by other developers. Public repositories are free to host, private repositories require a paid subscription. GitHub introduced the concept of the ‘pull request’ where code changes done in branches by contributors can be reviewed and discussed before being merged be the repository owner. https://github.com/ in the Gutenberg repository as issues or in the comments below. If you have triagetriage The act of evaluating and sorting bug reports, in order to decide priority, severity, and other factors. access, labeling any issue with [Feature] Widgets Screen or [Feature] Widgets Customizer,  depending on the issue, would be very helpful. Alternatively, you can simply include “[Widgets Screen]” in the title to help those who can set the labels appropriately. Check out the instructions below for more detailed information.

What’s new?

The most important addition since the last call for testing is that the CustomizerCustomizer Tool built into WordPress core that hooks into most modern themes. You can use it to preview and modify many of your site’s appearance settings. now supports editing blocks and widgets in widget areas with live preview. Compared to the first iteration of this project, where the widget areas in the Customizer were read only, now you can add widgets and blocks with live preview, scheduling and sharing right from the Customizer.

The main benefit of upgrading the widgets functionality to blocks comes from the ability to directly edit widgets using the familiar block interaction that you use when editing a page or post on your site.  Being able to use blocks opens up tons of new creative possibilities, from no-code mini layouts to tapping into the vast library of coreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. and 3rd party blocks to create content. 

For developers, unlocking blocks in widget areas also offers a core path to upgrade widgets to blocks and get ready for the future. With more aspects of content creation and management moving to blocks, including the upcoming block based theme format, this also helps bring consistency to the user experience. 

Is it ready?

This is currently betaBeta A pre-release of software that is given out to a large group of users to trial under real conditions. Beta versions have gone through alpha testing in-house and are generally fairly close in look, feel and function to the final product; however, design changes often occur as part of the process. software and it has a host of known bugs. But it is also intended to be merged into core for the 1st beta of WordPress 5.8. As a merge candidate the goal of the testing is not to discover a bugbug A bug is an error or unexpected result. Performance improvements, code optimization, and are considered enhancements, not defects. After feature freeze, only bugs are dealt with, with regressions (adverse changes from the previous version) being the highest priority. free feature, but to observe if there are blockers for merging. During WordPress 5.8 beta releases, the bug list will be prioritized ahead of the release candidaterelease candidate One of the final stages in the version release cycle, this version signals the potential to be a final release to the public. Also see alpha (beta)..

What to test:

Please keep in mind that it’s recommended that you test this feature on a development siteDevelopment Site You can keep a copy of your live site in a separate environment. Maintaining a development site is a good practice that can let you make any changes and test them without affecting the live/production environment. rather than a production siteProduction Site A production site is a live site online meant to be viewed by your visitors, as opposed to a site that is staged for development or testing.. For information about how to set up a development site, please refer to the Setting Up a Development Environment documentation.

Test using the WordPress Beta Tester Plugin and set it to:

– Update channel to “Bleeding edgebleeding edge The latest revision of the software, generally in development and often unstable. Also known as trunk.”

– Stream options to “Beta/RCrelease candidate One of the final stages in the version release cycle, this version signals the potential to be a final release to the public. Also see alpha (beta). only”

You can install the WordPress 5.8 Beta 1 in two ways:

  • Install and activate the WordPress Beta Tester pluginPlugin A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https://wordpress.org/plugins/ or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party (select the “Bleeding edge” channel and “Beta/RC Only” stream).
  • Direct download the beta version here (zip).

For users:

Migrating from classic widgets

  1. Be on the latest version of WordPress (5.7.1)
  2. Go to Appearance > Themes
  3. Go to Plugins > Add new
    • Install and activate a plugin that provides widgets
  4. Go to Appearance > Widgets
    • Add some core widgets. For example, Search or Recent Posts.
    • Add some 3rd party widgets (aka widgets provided by a plugin)
  5. Go to Plugins > Add new
    • Install and activate the latest version of the GutenbergGutenberg The Gutenberg project is the new Editor Interface for WordPress. The editor improves the process and experience of creating new content, making writing rich content much simpler. It uses ‘blocks’ to add richness rather than shortcodes, custom HTML etc. https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/ plugin
  6. Go to Gutenberg > Experiments
    • Check “Enable Widgets screen in Customizer”
  7. Go to Appearance > Widgets
    • Are all the widgets you added there?
    • Can you customize their settings?
    • Can you drag and drop widgets to different places?
  8. Go to Appearance > Customize > Widgets
    • Are all the widgets you added there?
    • Can you customize their settings?

Adding blocks next to widgets

  1. Be on the latest version of WordPress (5.7.1)
  2. Go to Appearance > Themes
    • Install and activate a theme that has support for sidebars
  3. Go to Appearance > Widgets
    • Add some core widgets.  For example, Search or Recent Posts.
  4. Go to Plugins > Add new
    • Install and activate the latest version of the Gutenberg plugin
  5. Go to Gutenberg > Experiments
    • Check “Enable Widgets screen in Customizer”
  6. Go to Appearance > Widgets
    • Click the inserter plus button in the top bar
    • Add some blocks
      • Do they work?
    • Save
      • Are they published on the front end next to the widgets?
  7. Go to Appearance > Customize > Widgets
    • Click the inserter plus button in the top bar
    • Add some blocks
      • Do they work?
    • Edit some of the block contents
      • Does the preview update accordingly?
    • Edit some of the classic widget’s contents
      • Does the preview update accordingly?
    • Publish
      • Are they published on the front end next to the widgets?

Opting out of the new widgets screen

  1. Be on the latest version of WordPress (5.7.1)
  2. Go to Plugins > Add new
  3. Go to Appearance > Widgets
    • Is the classic interface present?
  4. Go to Appearance > Customize > Widgets
    • Is the classic interface present?

What to notice:

  • Did it crash?
  • If it worked, did the editor perform as expected?
  • Was it intuitive for you to add blocks and third party widgets (ie from other plugins)?
  • Were you able to properly customize widgets as you wanted? 
  • Did it work using Keyboard only?
  • Did it work using a screen reader?

For developers:

Make sure to go through the general “How to” documentation available in the Gutenberg codebase for specific instructions. 

Test upgrading classic widgets to blocks.

  • The new block based widget editor introduces a new filterFilter Filters are one of the two types of Hooks https://codex.wordpress.org/Plugin_API/Hooks. They provide a way for functions to modify data of other functions. They are the counterpart to Actions. Unlike Actions, filters are meant to work in an isolated manner, and should never have side effects such as affecting global variables and output. `widgets_to_exclude_from_legacy_widget_block`. It is used to hide widgets that have block equivalents.
  • We now have a documented way to upgrade widgets to blocks via block transforms.The transform may be added to the legacy widget via typical block extending. This in turn enables users to migrate widgets they already have configured to new block equivalents  provided by plugins.

Test enabling and disabling theme support

  • Test widget areas provided by themes, particularly “dynamic” sidebars, which appear depending on other factors.

Test 3rd party widgets compatibility.

  • The most common case is for widgets that work in the Customizer but not in the stand alone widgets editor. Previously, developers opted to present the widget UXUX User experience differently in the widgets screen compared to the Customizer. However, the best practices are preserved in the Customizer.
  • We’re having an audit of extension points and how well supported they are. Please add missing things that you may find.

Considerations around Opt-in vs Opt-out

Because there is not enough data and stories, a decision has not yet been made on whether the block based Widgets Editor will be opt-out by default or an option for each theme to opt into. Currently, we’re providing the following options for opting out:

  • The Classic Widgets plugin which allows users to easily opt out of the new blocks in widget areas feature and see the classic widget editor only.
  • The `widgets-block-editor` theme supports which allows theme authors to opt out of supporting blocks in widget areas. This also reverts WordPress adminadmin (and super admin) to the classic widget editor.
  • The `gutenberg_use_widgets_block_editor` filter which allows administrators to opt out of supporting blocks in widget areas in cases where this is required. Like the two above, this also reverts WordPress admin to the classic widget editor.

A recent discussion in the Core Editor chat is a good summary on why we’re opting out via a plugin for users. Briefly, it seems to be the cleanest and least prone to maintenance requirements mode possible, versus settings in other plugins or user settings.

This is a difficult decision to make since supporting blocks in widget areas is an important part of the roadmap of WordPress and it will eventually be the default experience. Today, it’s important to determine the impact and significance of the current work on backwards compatibility.

Thank you!

Thank you for helping with testing the new Widgets Editor! Since it is one of the major focuses of WordPress 5.8 any help in this early stage is immensely valuable as it will help determine how viable it is for merging.

Later updates

Monday, May 17th – updated the instruction steps for the user section and added a step to enable the Customizer widgets block editor. This is essential to test the most important addition, adding blocks to widget areas using the Customizer.

Monday, June 14th – updated the instruction steps with newer recommended versions for testing (WordPress 5.8 Beta 1 and Gutenberg Plugin 10.8). Thanks to all the testers and all the feedback below. It was instrumental in advancing the state of the editor, and it’s now better than ever.

Friday, June 25th – updated the instructions to test using the WordPress Beta Tester Plugin.

Untrash<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav>","mentions":[],"mentionContext":"","commentCreated":"1620815205","hasChildren":false,"userLogin":"andraganescu","userNicename":"andraganescu"},{"type":"comment","id":"41298","postID":"88958","postTitleRaw":"Help Test the Widgets Editor for WordPress 5.8","cssClasses":"comment byuser comment-author-suhayse even depth-2","parentID":"41296","contentRaw":"No crashes, very intuitive to use the Widget Editor. I didn't use keyboard only or a screen reader. \n\nI chose the Astra Widget plugin to add third-party widgets on the Genesis Breakthrough Pro theme. In the Widget Editor, all the customization choices for those Astra widgets are present but not easy to work with because you can't see color choices the way you can in the Customizer widget area. The core widgets worked fine and adding a block to the widget area was easy.\n\nSpecifically the Astra List Widget wouldn't let me add items to a list while working in the Widget Editor. Screenshot of Widget Editor: https:\/\/snipboard.io\/sYCp8A.jpg. Screenshot of Customizer\/Widgets: https:\/\/snipboard.io\/57OLnT.jpg.","contentFiltered":"

No crashes, very intuitive to use the WidgetWidget<\/span> A WordPress Widget is a small block that performs a specific function. You can add these widgets in sidebars also known as widget-ready areas on your web page. WordPress widgets were originally created to provide a simple and easy-to-use way of giving design and structure control of the WordPress theme to the user.<\/span><\/span><\/span> Editor. I didn\u2019t use keyboard only or a screen reader. <\/p>\n

I chose the Astra Widget pluginPlugin<\/span> A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/ or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party<\/span><\/span><\/span> to add third-party widgets on the Genesis Breakthrough Pro theme. In the Widget Editor, all the customization choices for those Astra widgets are present but not easy to work with because you can\u2019t see color choices the way you can in the CustomizerCustomizer<\/span> Tool built into WordPress core that hooks into most modern themes. You can use it to preview and modify many of your site\u2019s appearance settings.<\/span><\/span><\/span> widget area. The coreCore<\/span> Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress.<\/span><\/span><\/span> widgets worked fine and adding a blockBlock<\/span> Block is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience.<\/span><\/span><\/span> to the widget area was easy.<\/p>\n

Specifically the Astra List Widget wouldn\u2019t let me add items to a list while working in the Widget Editor. Screenshot of Widget Editor: Untrash<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav>","mentions":[],"mentionContext":"","commentCreated":"1620826418","hasChildren":false,"userLogin":"suhayse","userNicename":"suhayse"},{"type":"comment","id":"41310","postID":"88958","postTitleRaw":"Help Test the Widgets Editor for WordPress 5.8","cssClasses":"comment byuser comment-author-justinahinon odd alt thread-odd thread-alt depth-1","parentID":"0","contentRaw":"I have tested the \"users\" section. Here are what I went through as issues, or things that could benefit from clarification:\n\n- In \u00ab\u00a0Migrating from classic widgets\u00a0\u00bb section:\n - Install and activate a plugin that provides widgets<\/strong>: In future tests or documentation, we could add examples of such plugins\n\n- In \u00ab\u00a0Adding blocks next to widgets\u00a0\u00bb section\u00a0:\n - Click the inserter plus button in the top bar<\/strong> (number 6): it doesn\u2019t seem like there is this button in the customizer. See https:\/\/cln.sh\/Q9ZhSV\n\nExcept for these, all the users tests work as expected.","contentFiltered":"

I have tested the \u201cusers\u201d section. Here are what I went through as issues, or things that could benefit from clarification:<\/p>\n

Sheri Grey 10:47 pm on June 27, 2015
Tags: call for testing, , ,   

Call for Testing: Customizer Menus

First, thank you so much if you help out by taking the time to test new features!

Customize > Menus will be one of the new features in WordPress 4.3. It is being added in addition to the Appearance > Menus page and the Appearance > Menus page will not be changed as part of the new feature.

How to Setup for Testing

  1. Always backup first or test on a site that was made for testing (see warnings below).
  2. Go to Plugins > Add New and search for “WordPress BetaBeta A pre-release of software that is given out to a large group of users to trial under real conditions. Beta versions have gone through alpha testing in-house and are generally fairly close in look, feel and function to the final product; however, design changes often occur as part of the process. Tester”
  3. Click the “Install Now” button for the WordPress Beta Tester pluginPlugin A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https://wordpress.org/plugins/ or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party
  4. Go to Tools > Beta Testing
  5. Select the “Bleeding edgebleeding edge The latest revision of the software, generally in development and often unstable. Also known as trunk. nightlies” option
  6. Click the “Save Changes” button
  7. Go to Dashboard > Updates
  8. Click the “Update Now” button

You should see the a message similar to this in the footer in wp-adminadmin (and super admin) pages:
“You are using a development version (4.3-alpha-123456).”

Warning!

  • Do not use the WordPress Beta Tester plugin with a production siteProduction Site A production site is a live site online meant to be viewed by your visitors, as opposed to a site that is staged for development or testing..
  • To test locally on your computer, install a local server, and then install WordPress.

How to Test CustomizerCustomizer Tool built into WordPress core that hooks into most modern themes. You can use it to preview and modify many of your site’s appearance settings. Menus

Test creating menus including adding, removing, and editing menus. You may just poke around and test on your own to see if you can find any bugs, or you can use the following checklist as a guide:

Before you begin:

Sample testing checklist (time estimate: ~20 minutes for new users):

  1. Make sure you have installed the latest nightly WordPress release (see setup steps above).
  2. Go to Appearance > Customize and then click on Menus.
  3. Add a new menu named “Main Menu.”
  4. Add all of the pages already saved on the site to the menu.
  5. Save the changes you’ve made so far, exit the Customizer, then navigate back to the menu you just created in the previous step.
  6. Set the “Main Menu” as the primary menu so it shows in the live preview.
  7. Reverse the order of the menu items.
  8. Add the “Travel” categoryCategory The 'category' taxonomy lets you group posts / content together that share a common bond. Categories are pre-defined and broad ranging. to the menu.
  9. Move “Travel” so it is a child of the first item in the list.
  10. Add a link to Twitter and make it a submenu item next to Travel.
  11. Move Travel and Twitter from the first item so they are submenu items under the About page. Save changes.
  12. Create a new menu for social media with at least one social media link in it and find a way to make it show up in the live preview on the right.
  13. There is a way to use advanced menu settings to enable descriptions for menu items. Try to find it and add a description for the “About” page.

Other testing ideas:

  1. Test using a very large menu with a lot of items. (Also see #32769.)
  2. Test using a menu that is 10 levels deep.
  3. Test with various themes and other types of menus.
  4. Comment on this post with any other testing ideas!

If you want to dig in deeper and get involved with usability testing with others, that would be so cool! Please comment on this post or in the #core-customize Slack channel if you’re interested in doing more.

What to Look For

Look for blockers! A blockerblocker A bug which is so severe that it blocks a release. is a very bad bugbug A bug is an error or unexpected result. Performance improvements, code optimization, and are considered enhancements, not defects. After feature freeze, only bugs are dealt with, with regressions (adverse changes from the previous version) being the highest priority. that blocks people from using the feature. At this stage, the biggest problems are the top priority and you should look for those first and foremost. Be aware of the known issues (see below).

If you do find a bug, report it in Trac or ask about it in the #core-customize Slack channel.

Known Issues

Here are a few key issues still being worked on:

/cc @jimmysmutek @lisaleague @kevinwhoffman @dinamiko
(because you expressed interest in helping with testing somewhere along the way) 🙂

Untrash<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav>","mentions":[],"mentionContext":"","commentCreated":1435513368,"hasChildren":false,"userLogin":"kidsguide","userNicename":"kidsguide"},{"type":"comment","id":"26168","postID":"13406","postTitleRaw":"Call for Testing: Customizer Menus","cssClasses":"comment byuser comment-author-designsimply bypostauthor even depth-2","parentID":"26167","contentRaw":"Thanks! Whenever you get to it would be awesome. Please say hello in #core-customize on Slack if you have any questions.","contentFiltered":"

Thanks! Whenever you get to it would be awesome. Please say hello in #coreCore<\/span> Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress.<\/span><\/span><\/span>-customize on SlackSlack<\/span> Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform Untrash<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav>","mentions":[],"mentionContext":"","commentCreated":1435538776,"hasChildren":false,"userLogin":"designsimply","userNicename":"designsimply"},{"type":"comment","id":"26169","postID":"13406","postTitleRaw":"Call for Testing: Customizer Menus","cssClasses":"comment byuser comment-author-simplysaru odd alt depth-3","parentID":"26168","contentRaw":"@designsimply.\nI tested the menu customiser on safari today using the alpha (4.3-alpha-32991). Every thing worked as expected. I am not sure this is a bug, but just though it worth mentioning. In the twenty thirteen theme, while customising and after setting the menu, the sub levels seem to be not wrapping into the window, it just keeps extending the window with a horizontal scroll. This happened only with the twenty thirteen theme, so I am guessing it is normal. Here is a screenshot.\nhttps:\/\/cloudup.com\/cYiwyR3QZwZ","contentFiltered":"

Untrash<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav>","mentions":["designsimply"],"mentionContext":"","commentCreated":1435591186,"hasChildren":false,"userLogin":"simplysaru","userNicename":"simplysaru"},{"type":"comment","id":"26188","postID":"13406","postTitleRaw":"Call for Testing: Customizer Menus","cssClasses":"comment byuser comment-author-designsimply bypostauthor even depth-4","parentID":"26169","contentRaw":"Thanks for testing! Very cool.\n\nThanks for Twenty Thirteen note and screenshot. Screenshots rock!\n\nIn your screenshot, it looks like you are using some testing data with submenus that are actually 10 levels deep. Submenu items that are siblings (so, all on the same level) should appear stacked vertically in the dropdown in Twenty Thirteen, but if they are not on the same level they will display horizontally and that's what's happening here. Basically, Customize > Menus supports menus 10 levels deep, but the theme itself doesn't support that many menu levels (which is typical since most people don't create menus with that many levels).\n\n\nSeen at http:\/\/whatisinfinity.com\/wp-admin\/customize.php?return=%2Fwp-admin%2F with WP 4.3-alpha-33000 on Firefox 38.0.5 on Mac OSX 10.10.3.<\/sup>","contentFiltered":"

Thanks for testing! Very cool.<\/p>\n

Thanks for Twenty Thirteen note and screenshot. Screenshots rock!<\/p>\n

In your screenshot, it looks like you are using some testing data with submenus that are actually 10 levels deep. Submenu items that are siblings (so, all on the same level) should appear stacked vertically in the dropdown in Twenty Thirteen, but if they are not on the same level they will display horizontally and that\u2019s what\u2019s happening here. Basically, Customize > Menus supports menus 10 levels deep, but the theme itself doesn\u2019t support that many menu levels (which is typical since most people don\u2019t create menus with that many levels).<\/p>\n


\nSeen at Untrash<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav>","mentions":[],"mentionContext":"","commentCreated":1435698544,"hasChildren":false,"userLogin":"designsimply","userNicename":"designsimply"},{"type":"comment","id":"26191","postID":"13406","postTitleRaw":"Call for Testing: Customizer Menus","cssClasses":"comment byuser comment-author-simplysaru odd alt thread-odd thread-alt depth-1","parentID":"0","contentRaw":"Thanks for the explanation. The test data is from wptest.io on VVV and the submenu's are ten levels deep. I am not sure what more screenshots I can help out with. If there is any thing I can help out with, please let me know.","contentFiltered":"

Thanks for the explanation. The test data is from wptest.io on VVV and the submenu\u2019s are ten levels deep. I am not sure what more screenshots I can help out with. If there is any thing I can help out with, please let me know.<\/p>\n","permalink":"https:\/\/make.wordpress.org\/core\/2015\/06\/27\/customizer-menus-call-for-testing\/#comment-26191","unixtime":1435719033,"loginRedirectURL":"https:\/\/login.wordpress.org\/?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fmake.wordpress.org%2Fcore%2F2015%2F06%2F27%2Fcustomizer-menus-call-for-testing%2F%23comment-26191&locale=en_US","approved":true,"isTrashed":false,"prevDeleted":"","editURL":null,"depth":1,"commentDropdownActions":"","commentFooterActions":"","commentTrashedActions":"