FSE Program Testing Call #5: Query Quest

This post is the fifth call for testing as part of the Full Site Editing Outreach Program. For more information about this experimental program, please review this FAQ for helpful details. To properly join the fun, please head to #fse-outreach-experiment in Make Slack for future testing announcements, helpful posts, and more will be shared there. 

Feature Overview

Not many blocks get an entire milestone dedicated to them but the Query Block did! As the name implies, this is a pretty powerful 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. allowing you to display posts/pages on your site and customize them as you see fit. For example, you could easily use this block to show off all of your favorite recipes by setting it up to show a specific categoryCategory The 'category' taxonomy lets you group posts / content together that share a common bond. Categories are pre-defined and broad ranging. of posts. In the long run, you can expect this to be more of a theme author tool used when building a block theme with block variations, like the Post List Block, being more of what users will interact with. For now though, let’s be adventurous and go on a Query Quest to explore what this block can do. 

If you find yourself interested in the future of this block, check out this recent GitHub issue asking for new ideas for the bundled Query Block patterns that come with the current iteration of the block and get excited about Gutenberg 10.5 which will offer more patterns to choose from.

Testing Environment 

While there’s more information below to ensure you get everything set up properly, here are the key aspects to have in place with your testing environment: 

  • Use a test site. Do not use a production/live site. You can follow these instructions to set up a local installLocal Install A local install of WordPress is a way to create a staging environment by installing a LAMP or LEMP stack on your local computer. or use a tool like this to set up a development site
  • Use the latest version of WordPress (downloadable here).
  • Use the latest version of the TT1 Blocks Theme
  • Use the latest version of 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/ (10.4 as of writing this).

Generally speaking, please use the latest versions of each part of the setup and keep in mind that versions might have changed since this post was shared.

Testing FlowFlow Flow is the path of screens and interactions taken to accomplish a task. It’s an experience vector. Flow is also a feeling. It’s being unselfconscious and in the zone. Flow is what happens when difficulties are removed and you are freed to pursue an activity without forming intentions. You just do it.
Flow is the actual user experience, in many ways. If you like, you can think of flow as a really comprehensive set of user stories. When you think about user flow, you’re thinking about exactly how a user will perform the tasks allowed by your product.Flow and Context
 

Important Note: 

While this call for testing is focused on testing a specific feature, you’ll likely find other bugs in the process of testing with such 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. feature! Please know any bugs you find are welcome in your report for testing, even if they aren’t directly applicable to the tested feature. 

Setup Instructions: 

  1. Have a test site using the latest version of WordPress. It’s important this is not a production/live site. 
  2. Install the TT1 Blocks theme by going to Appearances > Themes > Add New. Once installed, activate the theme. 
  3. Create eight posts with two different categories and featured images of your choosing. Alternatively, you can download and import the demo Gutenberg content created especially for this test via the WordPress importer under Tools >  Import.
  4. Go to the website’s admin.
  5. Install and activate the Gutenberg 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 from Plugins > Add New. If you already have it installed, make sure you are using at least Gutenberg 10.4.
  6. You should now see a navigation item titled “Site Editor (beta).” If you don’t see that in your sidebarSidebar A sidebar in WordPress is referred to a widget-ready area used by WordPress themes to display information that is not a part of the main content. It is not always a vertical column on the side. It can be a horizontal rectangle below or above the content area, footer, header, or any where in the theme., you aren’t correctly using the Site Editing experiment. From there, make sure you are in the Index template (this should be the default upon opening).

General Testing Instructions:

  1. Using the List View, select the parent Query Block and then remove this entire block. This will allow us to start fresh! Here’s a GIF that shows how to do this. 
  2. From there, where the Query Block used to be, add in a Columns Block and set up 2 columns with 50/50 spacing.
  3. In the first column, add a Heading Block with the name of one of the Categories of posts. If you used the demo content, this will be either “Hikes” or “Travel”. 
  4. Add a Query Block just below the Heading Block. During the setup, select whichever option you want from the various sizing options.
  5. Once inserted, open the Block Settings and under “Settings” turn off the “Inherit query from URLURL A specific web address of a website or web page on the Internet, such as a website’s URL www.wordpress.org”. 
  6. From there, you should see options to customize what posts this Query Block includes. Under “Filters”, please select one of the categories to display. If you used the demo content, this will be either “Hikes” or “Travel”.
  7. After the Query Block is showing the posts from just one category, proceed to customize the Query Block as you’d like! For example, you can add in additional blocks like Post Author and customize it using the Block Settings option. If you get stuck here, please jump down to the “Customization Instructions/Ideas” for help. 
  8. Follow the same process with the second column and customize the additional Query Block. Make sure to select the second category of posts to display so you see new posts there!
  9. View your site and see if what you created matches the Site Editor view. 

If you’re looking for more ways to customize the experience, try changing the width of the columns, adding in additional relevant blocks, changing colors, and more. 

Customization Instructions/Ideas:

Because this is a more advanced block, here are some additional instructions to help clarify how customization of this block works in case you’re getting stuck. To start, keep in mind that part of the beauty of the Query Block system is that any change you make to one of the posts/pages being queried will be made to the entire set being displayed. This might be confusing at first but it allows for consistency across each post. With that in mind, here are some additional ways to customize your Query Block:

Of note, each of these videos are done using the Small size option but you can choose whatever size option you’d like!

What to notice:

Remember to share a screenshot of what you created if you’re up for it!

  • Did the experience crash at any point?
  • Did the saving experience work properly? 
  • Did you find any features missing?
  • What did you find particularly confusing or frustrating about the experience?
  • What did you especially enjoy or appreciate about the experience? 
  • Did you find that what you created in the Site Editor matched what you saw on your site?
  • Did it work using Keyboard only?
  • Did it work using a screen reader?

Leave Feedback by May 5th, 2021

While other calls for testing have been open for two weeks, this is open for three weeks in order to see if it causes more feedback to come in. If you can help test, please amplify by sharing this post!

Please leave feedback in the comments of this post. If you’d prefer, you’re always welcome to create issues in this GitHub repo directly for Gutenberg and in this GitHub repo for TT1 Blocks. If you leave feedback in GitHubGitHub GitHub is a website that offers online implementation of git repositories that can 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/, please do still comment below with the link. If you see that someone else has already reported a problem, please still note your experience with it below, as it’ll help give those working on this experience more well-rounded insight into what to improve. 

#fse-outreach-program, #fse-testing-call, #full-site-editing

FSE Program Testing Call #4: Building a restaurant themed header

This post is the fourth call for testing as part of the Full Site Editing Outreach Program. For more information about this experimental program, please review this FAQ for helpful details. To properly join the fun, please head to #fse-outreach-experiment in Make Slack for future testing announcements, helpful posts, and more will be shared there. 

Feature Overview

Creating an intuitive 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. is a key piece to get right when building a site. It helps orient visitors to what your site is about and, ideally, should help them take the actions you want them to. With the Site Editor, there are now brand new opportunities to customize this to your liking! This test will explore doing exactly that by creating a slightly more complex and layered header using various FSE blocks. To better focus this test, we’re going to pretend we’re restaurant owners and try to create an experience that nudges someone to order online while still showing them the information they need. 

Like the last test, if you choose to get super creative, please share a screenshot in your comment so we can celebrate what you’ve made. For inspiration, here’s my example:

Image showing a restaurant themed header with a button to order online, a brief menu, hours of service, and the site title.

Testing Environment 

While there’s more information below to ensure you get everything set up properly, here are the key aspects to have in place with your testing environment: 

  • Use a test site. Do not use a production/live site. You can follow these instructions to set up a local installLocal Install A local install of WordPress is a way to create a staging environment by installing a LAMP or LEMP stack on your local computer. or use a tool like this to set up a development site
  • Use WordPress 5.7 (downloadable here).
  • Use the TT1 Blocks Theme
  • Use 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/ 10.2.1 (latest version)

Testing FlowFlow Flow is the path of screens and interactions taken to accomplish a task. It’s an experience vector. Flow is also a feeling. It’s being unselfconscious and in the zone. Flow is what happens when difficulties are removed and you are freed to pursue an activity without forming intentions. You just do it.
Flow is the actual user experience, in many ways. If you like, you can think of flow as a really comprehensive set of user stories. When you think about user flow, you’re thinking about exactly how a user will perform the tasks allowed by your product.Flow and Context
: Creating a restaurant header

Here’s a basic flow to follow when testing this specific feature. If anything doesn’t make sense, comment below! If you want to take the test further, know that you’re welcome to do so as the instructions are meant to help guide you, not constrain you.

Important Note: 

While this call for testing is focused on testing a specific feature, you’ll likely find other bugs in the process of testing with such 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. feature! Please know any bugs you find are welcome in your report for testing, even if they aren’t directly applicable to the tested feature. 

Known Issues:

While creating this call for testing, a few issues popped up that you too might experience as you go through this. Rest assured they have been reported. Here’s a non exhaustive list of the most serious items:

Setup Instructions: 

  1. Have a test site using WordPress 5.7. It’s important this is not a production/live site. 
  2. Install the TT1 Blocks theme by going to Appearances > Themes > Add New. Once installed, activate the theme. 
  3. Go to the website’s admin.
  4. Install and activate the Gutenberg 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 from Plugins > Add New. If you already have it installed, make sure you are using at least Gutenberg 10.2.1.
  5. You should now see a navigation item titled “Site Editor (beta).” If you don’t see that in your sidebarSidebar A sidebar in WordPress is referred to a widget-ready area used by WordPress themes to display information that is not a part of the main content. It is not always a vertical column on the side. It can be a horizontal rectangle below or above the content area, footer, header, or any where in the theme., you aren’t correctly using the Site Editing experiment. 


Testing Instructions:

Helpful Hint: As you go through this test, you might find the List View helpful while navigating between content.

Setting up your columns:

  1. Navigate to the “Site Editor (beta)” view. This will automatically open the site editor to the template powering your homepage. 
  2. Upon opening your homepage, remove the Navigation 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. found inside the Header Template Part. This is to help reset the header to add more to it later on. 
  3. Select the parent Columns Block and, using the Block Settings in the sidebar, change the columns from 2 to 3 columns. 
  4. Return to the Columns Block and using the Block Toolbar settings make sure it’s set to Full Width.
  5. In the first column, customize your Site Title and tagline as you wish! This could mean changing the text, font size, font family, and more. 
  6. In the second column, use a Paragraph Block to add in the hours of operation for your pretend restaurant and edit to your liking once more.
  7. In the third column, add a Navigation Block and select the “Start Empty” option.
  8. From there, use the Link Block to add a few links, even if they are to pages that don’t exist yet. To do this, just start typing a title that doesn’t currently exist on your site. For example, “Menu”. You’ll then see an option to create a draft page. Do this for at least one menu item. Remember to have fun with this and make it restaurant-themed!
  9. At this point, select “Update Design” to save the changes you made. 

Creating a nudge to order online:

  1. Once your three columns have the content in place, add another Columns Block above it and select two columns to show using the 70/30 option. You can do this by selecting the Columns Block using List View and using the three-dot menu to select “Insert Before.”
  2. Using the Block Toolbar, make the columns full width, so it stretches across the entire site. 
  3. In the larger column, add a Paragraph Block with text encouraging users to order online. 
  4. In the smaller column, add a Button Block that says “Order Online”. If you want to, feel free to quickly create a page to link to, but it’s okay for this test not to have a link for the purposes of this test.
  5. At this point, select “Update Design” to save the changes you made. 

Customize your colors & publish any page drafts:

  1. From here, customize your colors and anything else with your design! You can do this by selecting the entire Header Template and adjusting the color settings in the sidebar. As you do this, keep note of anything you wish you could do but can’t. 
  2. When things are satisfactory, select “Update Design” to save the changes you made. 
  3. Finally, open the Navigation Toggle > Dashboard to view your wp-admin dashboard. Head to Page > All Pages and publish any that need to be.
  4. View your site and check to make sure that what you created matches what you see there.  
  5. Share your experience in the comments below or in GitHub directly. You’re welcome to run through the experience multiple times to capture any additional feedback!

Testing Video:

This video doesn’t go into great detail in terms of customizing the colors but does walk through each step to get a sense of the major actions to take. Feel free to take the test further as you see fit!

What to notice:

Remember to share a screenshot of what you created if you’re up for it!

  • Did the experience crash at any point?
  • Did the saving experience work properly? 
  • Did you find any features missing while creating the header?
  • What did you find particularly confusing or frustrating about the experience?
  • What did you especially enjoy or appreciate about the experience? 
  • Did you find that what you created in the Site Editor matched what you saw on your site?
  • Did it work using Keyboard only?
  • Did it work using a screen reader?

Leave Feedback by April 12th, 2021 (previously April 8th)

Please leave feedback in the comments of this post. If you’d prefer, you’re always welcome to create issues in this GitHub repo directly for Gutenberg and in this GitHub repo for TT1 Blocks. If you leave feedback in GitHubGitHub GitHub is a website that offers online implementation of git repositories that can 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/, please do still comment below with the link. If you see that someone else has already reported a problem, please still note your experience with it below, as it’ll help give those working on this experience more well-rounded insight into what to improve. 

#core-editor, #fse-outreach-program, #fse-testing-call, #usability-testing

FSE Program Testing Call #3: Create a fun & custom 404 page

This is the third call for testing as part of the Full Site Editing Outreach Program. For more information about this experimental program, please review this FAQ for helpful details. To properly join the fun, please head to #fse-outreach-experiment in Make Slack for future testing announcements, helpful posts, and more will be shared there. 

Feature Overview

Have you ever experienced a particularly delightful 404 page? Maybe it made you laugh or it was built in a way that made it super easy to find your way back to where you needed to be on the site. Currently, this is a part of one’s site that can only be altered with code and provided by the theme causing many of us to be unable to add some extra joy into the universe with helpful, fun 404 pages. 

With Full Site Editing though, this is now within our grasps to make our own. This test explores doing exactly that with the option to build a simple 404 page through template editing or to really dive in to make something unique. If you choose to get super creative, please share a screenshot in your comment so we can all marvel at what you’ve made. For inspiration, here’s an example I made:

Image showing a silly 404 page that says, "Oh no! 404. Where'd you go? I miss you so" with some additional emojis and a search field.

Testing Environment 

While there’s more information below to ensure you get everything set up properly, here are the key aspects to have in place with your testing environment: 

  • Use a test site. Do not use a production/live site. You can follow these instructions to set up a local installLocal Install A local install of WordPress is a way to create a staging environment by installing a LAMP or LEMP stack on your local computer. or use a tool like this to set up a development site
  • Use WordPress 5.7 (downloadable here).
  • Use the TT1 Blocks Theme. If you followed the first call for testing, you’ll need to double-check to make sure you’re using this theme!
  • Use 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/ 10.1.1 (latest version). 

Testing FlowFlow Flow is the path of screens and interactions taken to accomplish a task. It’s an experience vector. Flow is also a feeling. It’s being unselfconscious and in the zone. Flow is what happens when difficulties are removed and you are freed to pursue an activity without forming intentions. You just do it.
Flow is the actual user experience, in many ways. If you like, you can think of flow as a really comprehensive set of user stories. When you think about user flow, you’re thinking about exactly how a user will perform the tasks allowed by your product.Flow and Context

Here’s a basic flow to follow when testing this specific feature. If anything doesn’t make sense, just comment below!

Important Note: 

While this call for testing is focused on testing a specific feature, you’ll likely find other bugs in the process of testing with such 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. feature! Please know any bugs you find are welcome in your report for testing, even if they aren’t directly applicable to the tested feature. 

Setup Instructions: 

  1. Have a test site using WordPress 5.7. It’s important this is not a production/live site. 
  2. Install the TT1 Blocks theme by going to Appearances > Themes > Add New. Once installed, activate the theme. 
  3. Go to the website’s admin.
  4. Install and activate the Gutenberg 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 from Plugins > Add New. If you already have it installed, make sure you are using at least Gutenberg 10.1.1.
  5. You should now see a navigation item titled “Site Editor (beta).” If you don’t see that in your sidebarSidebar A sidebar in WordPress is referred to a widget-ready area used by WordPress themes to display information that is not a part of the main content. It is not always a vertical column on the side. It can be a horizontal rectangle below or above the content area, footer, header, or any where in the theme., you aren’t correctly using the Site Editing experiment. 


Testing Instructions:

Helpful Hint: As you go through this test, you might find the List View helpful while navigating between content.

Exploring the 404 template

  1. Navigate to the “Site Editor (beta)” view. This will automatically open the site editor to the template powering your homepage. 
  2. Open the Navigation Toggle and head to Templates > 404. This will take you to your site’s 404 page template.
  3. Using the List View, select the 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. Template Part and, using the three-dot toolbar menu, select “Remove 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.” to delete this.  
  4. From there, select the default Header Block that says “Nothing Here” and, using the three-dot toolbar menu, use the “Insert Before” option to add a block above. 
  5. Using your preferred method to insert a block, insert a Template Part Block and select the “New Template Part” option.
  6. Open the Block Settings for the new Template Part block and, under Advanced > “Title”, add in a custom title. For example, “404 Header”.
  7. When you’re done making the changes you want, select “Update Design” and go through the saving flow to save all changes. This should cause the new Template Part to reflect the title you chose.

Adding navigation and getting creative

  1. From there, make sure your focus is still within the new Template Part and add in a Navigation Block. You can choose whether to create a new menu or re-use a previous one.
  2. Add a few links including a link to a page that doesn’t currently exist. To do this, just start typing a title that doesn’t currently exist on your site. For example, “Help”. You’ll then see an option to create a draft page. Do this for at least one menu item. Remember to have fun with this! 
  3. Outside of the Navigation Block, add any additional blocks you’d like to in this new Template Part. For example, you can use the Social Icons Block, Search Block, Site Title, and more. Try to add anything that would help orient someone who got lost on your site.
  4. From there, edit the “Nothing Found” Header Block and Search Block to whatever you’d like. You can then add in anything you’d like including images, GIFs, etc. 
  5. When you’re done making the changes you want, select “Update Design” and go through the saving flow to save all changes.
  6. View your 404 page on your site by going to yoursiteurl.com/404 (replace yoursiteurl.com with your test site URLURL A specific web address of a website or web page on the Internet, such as a website’s URL www.wordpress.org). Notice that any items you added to the Navigation Block that are page drafts appear but are broken links. You should be able to still view the drafts since you are logged in as an admin. Note: this has been logged as a bug
  7. Return to the Site Editor and open the Navigation Toggle > Dashboard to view your wp-admin dashboard. Note: there’s a current bug that makes it so you can’t view Page Drafts meaning in the future this will be easier. 

Publish, review, and share

  1. Head to Page > All Pages and publish any that need to be. 
  2. Once more, View your 404 page on your site by going to yoursiteurl.com/404 and confirm any prior draft Pages now show up properly with correct permalinks.
  3. Share your experience in the comments below or in GitHub directly. You’re welcome to run through the experience multiple times to capture any additional feedback!

If you want to take this further, here are some extra items to explore:

  • Try adding in columns to your content! Columns are a powerful tool and it would be helpful to get feedback on the experience of using them in a real life scenario with site building.
  • Create a custom footer template part to replicate the process of creating a custom header template part.
  • Deeply customize the appearance of the page with custom colors, font sizes, and more. Here’s a quick video demonstrating some of what you can try.

Testing Video:

This video shows the testing flow after the initial testing setup is in place. Of note, this video purposefully does not go into depth in building out a 404 page in order to keep it concise. Don’t let this stop you from getting creative though when you’re testing!

What to notice:

Remember to share a screenshot of what you created if you’re up for it!

  • Did the experience crash at any point?
  • Did the saving experience work properly? 
  • Did the saving experience make sense when making changes to the Template Part vs the general content? 
  • What did you find particularly confusing or frustrating about the experience?
  • What did you especially enjoy or appreciate about the experience? 
  • Did you find that what you created in the Site Editor matched what you saw when you viewed your 404 page? 
  • Did it work using Keyboard only?
  • Did it work using a screen reader?

Leave Feedback by March 23rd, 2021

Please leave feedback in the comments of this post. If you’d prefer, you’re always welcome to create issues in this GitHub repo directly for Gutenberg and in this GitHub repo for TT1 Blocks. If you leave feedback in GitHubGitHub GitHub is a website that offers online implementation of git repositories that can 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/, please do still comment below with the link. If you see that someone else has already reported a problem, please still note your experience with it below, as it’ll help give those working on this experience more well-rounded insight into what to improve. 

#core-editor, #fse-outreach-program, #fse-testing-call, #full-site-editing, #gutenberg, #usability-testing

FSE Program Testing Call #2: Build a Homepage with Site Editing Blocks

This is the second call for testing as part of the Full Site Editing Outreach Program. For more information about this experimental program, please review this FAQ for helpful details. To properly join the fun, please head to #fse-outreach-experiment in Make Slack for future testing announcements, helpful posts, and more will be shared there. 

Feature Overview

Before diving into the testing details, let’s pause to talk about the focus of this call for testing. With Full Site Editing unlocking the ability to edit all parts of your site, there comes a need for new blocks to help facilitate the experience. You might have seen some of these blocks already! For example, there’s a Site Title 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. that you can embed anywhere and update automatically any time you change your Site Title.

For this specific test, we’re going to explore using a few of these blocks to build a basic homepage with a sidebarSidebar A sidebar in WordPress is referred to a widget-ready area used by WordPress themes to display information that is not a part of the main content. It is not always a vertical column on the side. It can be a horizontal rectangle below or above the content area, footer, header, or any where in the theme.:

  • Site Title Block
  • Site Logo Block
  • Post Lists Block
  • Post Tags Block
  • Navigation Block
  • Template Part Block

Think of this as a chance to both explore what’s possible currently to build something simple and as a chance to get more familiar with these new blocks. Eventually, these blocks will specifically be categorized in the Inserter as defined for Site Editing. 

Testing Environment 

While there’s more information below to ensure you get everything set up properly, here are the key aspects to have in place with your testing environment: 

  • Use a test site. Do not use a production/live site. You can follow these instructions to set up a local installLocal Install A local install of WordPress is a way to create a staging environment by installing a LAMP or LEMP stack on your local computer. or use a tool like this to set up a development site
  • Use WordPress 5.6.1 and above (downloadable here).
  • Use the TT1 Blocks Theme. If you followed the last call for testing, you’ll need to double-check to make sure you’re using this theme!
  • Use 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/ 10.0 (latest version). 

Testing FlowFlow Flow is the path of screens and interactions taken to accomplish a task. It’s an experience vector. Flow is also a feeling. It’s being unselfconscious and in the zone. Flow is what happens when difficulties are removed and you are freed to pursue an activity without forming intentions. You just do it.
Flow is the actual user experience, in many ways. If you like, you can think of flow as a really comprehensive set of user stories. When you think about user flow, you’re thinking about exactly how a user will perform the tasks allowed by your product.Flow and Context

Here’s a basic flow to follow when testing this specific feature. If anything doesn’t make sense, just comment below!

Important Note: 

While this call for testing is focused on testing a specific feature, you’ll likely find other bugs in the process of testing with such 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. feature! Please know any bugs you find are welcome in your report for testing, even if they aren’t directly applicable to the tested feature. 

Setup Instructions: 

  1. Have a test site using WordPress 5.6.1. It’s important this is not a production/live site. 
  2. Install the TT1 Blocks theme by going to Appearances > Themes > Add New. Once installed, activate the theme. 
  3. Create either three fake posts with a few tags OR use the demo Gutenberg content found here. Here’s a short video explaining how to set up this content. 
  4. Go to the website’s admin.
  5. Install and activate the Gutenberg 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 from Plugins > Add New. If you already have it installed, make sure you are using at least Gutenberg 10.0.
  6. You should now see a navigation item titled “Site Editor (beta).” If you don’t see that in your sidebar, you aren’t correctly using the Site Editing experiment. 


Testing Instructions:

Helpful Hint: As you go through this test, you might find the List View helpful while navigating between content.

  1. Navigate to the “Site Editor (beta)” view. This will automatically open the site editor to the template powering your homepage. 
  2. Using the List View, see if the Query Block is present. If so, select and delete it. This is just a housekeeping step to keep things contained :). 

Make changes to your 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.:

  1. You’ll likely see a Header created for you that you can edit directly. Update the text in the Site Title block. Have fun with it! Some ideas to get you started: Pick a new heading size, change the content, or alter the block settings directly. 
  2. When you’re done making the changes you want, select “Update Design” and go through the saving flow to save all changes.
  3. Open the Navigation Toggle and head to Template Parts > Select “Header.” This will show you an isolated view of just the Header portion of your site. While in this view, add a Site Logo Block and configure it to your liking. 
  4. When you’re done making the changes you want, select “Update Design” and go through the saving flow to save all changes.
  5. Open the Navigation Toggle again and head to Template > Index to return to your homepage. 
  6. Once there, head to the Navigation Block that’s powering the menu in the Header (this is where you might find the List View helpful!). Explore the Navigation Block by making changes directly to the menu items or in the Block Settings to change the font, color, etc. 
  7. Using the List View, select the Header Template Part and, using the three-dot toolbar menu, use the “Insert After” option to add a block outside of the Header. 

Add your content:

  1. Add either a 70/30 or 30/70 column block. In the larger column, use the Heading Block to write “My Content.” In the smaller column, use the Heading Block to write “My Sidebar.” 
  2. In the larger column, add a Posts Lists Block and select the configuration you would like (Title & Date, Title & ExcerptExcerpt An excerpt is the description of the blog post or page that will by default show on the blog archive page, in search results (SERPs), and on social media. With an SEO plugin, the excerpt may also be in that plugin’s metabox., etc.). 
  3. From there, add a Post Tags Block to one of the posts displayed in the Posts Lists Block. Notice how if you add it to one post, it adds it to all of them!
  4. Repeat the previous step with the Post Author Block before deciding whether you’d like to keep or remove either additional block.  

Create a sidebar:

  1. In the smaller column, build out your sidebar how you’d like! For inspiration, try out the Social Icons Block, Latest Posts Block, or a simple Image block.
  2. When you’re done making the changes you want, select “Update Design” and go through the saving flow to save all changes.
  3. Share your experience in the comments below or in GitHub directly. You’re welcome to run through the experience multiple times to capture any additional feedback!

Testing Walkthrough Video:

This video shows the testing flow after the initial testing setup is in place and is using Gutenberg demo content found here. Make the flow you’re on though with your own unique changes and adjustments!

What to notice:

  • Did the experience crash at any point?
  • Did the saving experience work properly? 
  • Did you ever want to do something with a specific block that wasn’t possible? 
  • What did you find particularly confusing or frustrating about the experience?
  • What did you especially enjoy or appreciate about the experience? 
  • Did you find that what you created in the Site Editor matched what you see when you view your homepage? 
  • Did it work using Keyboard only?
  • Did it work using a screen reader?

Leave Feedback by March 5th, 2021

Please leave feedback in the comments of this post. If you’d prefer, you’re always welcome to create issues in this GitHub repo directly for Gutenberg and in this GitHub repo for TT1 Blocks. If you leave feedback in GitHubGitHub GitHub is a website that offers online implementation of git repositories that can 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/, please do still comment below with the link. If you see that someone else has already reported a problem, please still note your experience with it below, as it’ll help give those working on this experience more well-rounded insight into what to improve.

#core-editor, #fse-outreach-program, #fse-testing-call, #full-site-editing, #gutenberg, #usability-testing

FSE Program: Connecting with Local Communities

To better expand the reach of the FSE Outreach Program, I am exploring creative ways to engage the wider community. In the #fse-outreach-experiment slackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/. channel (join us!), I recently shared an idea to create better connections between the program’s work and local polyglot communities. Since then, I’ve had the chance to work with @mimi who is a part of the Japanese WordPress community. I wanted to share how our work is evolving so others can join in. 

Here are a few ways that someone who is a part of a local polyglot community can help with the FSE Outreach Program: 

  • Translate this page on “How to test FSE” into your local community language so more people can participate. 
  • Translate future Calls for Testing and share your community’s feedback in the FSE Outreach Program. 
  • Facilitate testing in your community by following the Calls for Testing and translating the feedback into English either to share on GitHubGitHub GitHub is a website that offers online implementation of git repositories that can 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/ or on the official Call for Testing post. 
  • Bonus idea: you can create content in your local language on Full Site Editing. Here’s an example from @overclokk who did a video in Italian talking about this feature

If this seems like too much, try to find someone else in your local community to work with. For example, you could divide the work so one person translates the Calls for Testing, while another person translates the feedback that’s received to share on the official Call for Testing post. 

If you’re interested in working on these ideas in your local community, please comment below or message me on slack (@annezazu). 

I want to make this easier for anyone interested in any of the above ideas so let me know if this is an area you want to help with. Feedback is always welcome so please pingPing The act of sending a very small amount of data to an end point. Ping is used in computer science to illicit a response from a target server to test it’s connection. Ping is also a term used by Slack users to @ someone or send them a direct message (DM). Users might say something along the lines of “Ping me when the meeting starts.” me or share your thoughts in the #fse-outreach-experiment

Finally, big props and thank you to @mimi who has kindly started helping here and has been giving me feedback along the way.  

#fse-outreach-program, #full-site-editing

FSE Program: Bring your questions

Currently, there are a few areas lined up for testing in the future for the FSE Outreach Program, but none are quite ready to be launched for a round of testing. Let’s use this time to dig into any general questions you all might have around Full Site Editing! 

You are welcome to submit questions using the form below or to leave them as a comment on this post by February 15th

Keep in mind that because this work is still heavily in progress, it’s likely that some answers might take the form of “people are working to figure this out and feedback is welcome here,” rather than a definitive answer. 

Where will you share the answers? 

I’ll share a recap post on this blog (Make Test). Questions will be grouped with corresponding answers for easy review. I will track down answers to every question and share my work as I go by creating a collaborative Google doc where people can help find answers or simply see how the work evolves. 

While the main result will be a lovely list of answers, this collective effort will also be useful for future documentation updates and potential tutorials. Once the post is published, I will follow up via email with everyone who left their email and a question in the form. For anyone who leaves a question as a comment on this post, I will @ your username in the recap post so you don’t miss out too!

For more information about this experimental program, please review this FAQ for helpful details. To properly join the fun, please head to #fse-outreach-experiment in Make Slack for future testing announcements, helpful posts, and more will be shared there. 

#fse-outreach-program #full-site-editing #gutenberg #core-editor #fse-testing-call

FSE Program Testing Call #1: Template Editing

This is the first call for testing as part of the Full Site Editing Outreach Program. For more information about this experimental program, please review this FAQ for helpful details. To properly join the fun, please head to #fse-outreach-experiment in Make Slack for future testing announcements, helpful posts, and more will be shared there. 

Feature Overview

To help frame what we’re going to be testing (and ideally build some excitement!), I wanted to give a brief context on the feature at the center of this call for testing. With Full Site Editing, people are able to edit both an individual post’s content and, with the release of Gutenberg 9.6, the template that an individual post uses. This call for testing is designed to explore the interaction between the two editing experiences (post vs. template editing) to make sure it’s clear when you’re editing each, granular saving works properly, etc. Ultimately, being able to edit templates like index, single, or archive directly is a huge leap forward compared to what’s been possible in the past! Unlocking this level of customization gives you far more control to build the site you want and this call for testing is to help ensure it’s as intuitive as possible. 

You can read more about the terms templates, template parts, and more here

Testing Environment 

While there’s more information below to ensure you get everything setup properly, here are the key aspects to have in place with your testing environment: 

  • Use a test site. Do not use a production/live site. You can follow these instructions to set up a local installLocal Install A local install of WordPress is a way to create a staging environment by installing a LAMP or LEMP stack on your local computer. or you can use a tool like this to set up a development site
  • Use WordPress 5.6 (downloadable here).
  • Use the TT1 Blocks Theme (formerly called Twenty Twenty-One 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 Theme) by following these instructions.
  • Use 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/ 9.6 (latest version). 

Testing FlowFlow Flow is the path of screens and interactions taken to accomplish a task. It’s an experience vector. Flow is also a feeling. It’s being unselfconscious and in the zone. Flow is what happens when difficulties are removed and you are freed to pursue an activity without forming intentions. You just do it.
Flow is the actual user experience, in many ways. If you like, you can think of flow as a really comprehensive set of user stories. When you think about user flow, you’re thinking about exactly how a user will perform the tasks allowed by your product.Flow and Context

Here’s a basic flow to follow when testing this specific feature. If anything doesn’t make sense, just comment below!

Important Note: 

While this call for testing is focused on testing a specific feature, it’s extremely likely you’ll find other bugs in the process of testing with such 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. feature! Please know any bugs you find are welcome in your report for testing, even if they aren’t directly applicable to the tested feature. 

Setup Instructions: 

  1. Have a test site using WordPress 5.6. It’s important this is not a production/live site. 
  2. Install the TT1 Blocks Theme (formerly called Twenty Twenty-One Block Based Theme) by following these instructions and activate it under Appearances > Themes. 
  3. Go to the website’s admin.
  4. Install and activate the Gutenberg 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 from Plugins > Add New. If you already have it installed, make sure you are using at least Gutenberg 9.6.
  5. You should now see a navigation item titled “Site Editor (beta)”. If you don’t see that in your sidebarSidebar A sidebar in WordPress is referred to a widget-ready area used by WordPress themes to display information that is not a part of the main content. It is not always a vertical column on the side. It can be a horizontal rectangle below or above the content area, footer, header, or any where in the theme., you aren’t properly using the Site Editing experiment. 


Testing Instructions:

  1. Create a new post by going to Posts > Add New.
  2. Add in a post title and brief content before hitting “Save Draft” or “Publish”. Either way, saving of some sort needs to happen.
  3. While in the editor for the post, navigate to the Post Tab of the Settings Sidebar (previously called Document). Under “Status & visibility,” you should see “Template” with the template name and the option to edit. 
  4. Click on “edit” to move into template editing mode. You should see a notice indicating you’ve switched to editing the template. 
  5. Make a few changes to the template wherever you like. For example, you can try out the “Site Title,” “Site Logo,” Site Tagline,” and “Navigation” blocks or changing font sizes and color settings for different blocks. Here’s a screenshot of a simple 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 an