[wp-trac] [WordPress Trac] #40951: New Text Widget - Switching Between Visual/Text Editor Strips Out Code

[WordPress Trac]

#40951: New Text Widget - Switching Between Visual/Text Editor Strips Out Code
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 Reporter:  dwrippe       |       Owner:
     Type:  defect (bug)  |      Status:  reopened
 Priority:  normal        |   Milestone:  4.8.1
Component:  Widgets       |     Version:  4.8
 Severity:  minor         |  Resolution:
 Keywords:  needs-patch   |     Focuses:
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Comment (by synavista):

 The more I think about (and deal with) this situation on the sites I
 manage, the more I'm convinced that it was (unfortunately) poor planning
 to take an existing widget that openly allowed "Arbitrary Text and HTML"
 (whether "proper" HTML or not) and then alter it's functionality such that
 people could no longer use it as it was previously available to be used.

 The Text Widget is what should have been converted to the HTML Code
 widget, and something like a "Rich Text Editor" should have been added. A
 note to the user to "Check out the new Rich Text Editor" could be present
 on the original widget, notifying users to the newly available
 functionality. This way everyone who has existing content (no matter what)
 in a widget won't be affected, and people who wanted to use the new widget
 could do so on their own accord.

 Additionally, based on the discussion in both #40907 and #core, it seemed
 like the decision to get the new Text Widget released was more important
 than, at a minimum, simultaneously releasing an HTML Code alternative and,
 at best, developing a solution that, while maybe not the absolute best
 user experience, at least didn't affect actual content and functionality
 and a root user level.

 The best course of action at this point, it would seem, would be to admit
 the error, convert the text editor back to the way it was, and
 simultaneously release the updated HTML Code widget along with a new Rich
 Text Editor. If that is completely impossible, at least figure out a way
 for the TinyMCE Text Editor to both default to the text editor AND
 remember the selected editor type (which I would hope would stop the
 system from stripping out existing content). That makes it a pain in the
 butt for developers to go in and convert to the new HTML Code widget, but
 '''at least it makes it possible.'''

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Ticket URL: <https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/40951#comment:37>
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