[wp-trac] [WordPress Trac] #28093: Backbonify widgets admin UI

[WordPress Trac]

#28093: Backbonify widgets admin UI
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 Reporter:  westonruter  |       Owner:
     Type:  enhancement  |      Status:  new
 Priority:  normal       |   Milestone:  Awaiting Review
Component:  Widgets      |     Version:
 Severity:  normal       |  Resolution:
 Keywords:  needs-patch  |     Focuses:  javascript
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Comment (by westonruter):

 Replying to [comment:2 DrewAPicture]:
 > > The widgets admin UI needs a rewrite to utilize Backbone.
 >
 > What justification is there for rewriting this workflow other than just
 to use Backbone? Are there user tests showing that this workflow needs to
 be rethought? Is the workflow broken?
 >
 > Or is this simply rewriting to rewrite with Backbone? If it's the
 latter, I don't think that's ample justification.
 >
 > Don't get me wrong, I'm all in favor of kaizen when it comes to our code
 base, I'd just like to hear more about why a complete overhaul is
 necessary and justified.

 Absolutely. Yeah, it's not just to rewrite for rewrites sake. There are a
 few reasons for doing this, which I need to flesh out more fully (and will
 need to be done in the description here).

 For example: The addition of the `widget-added` and `widget-updated` hooks
 (#19675, #27491) required them to be added to be three separate areas of
 the codebase because there is duplicated logic, making maintenance a
 headache. Introducing widget management in other areas, for example in a
 TinyMCE view or in a frontend editor, would require yet more duplications
 of the widget control form logic.

 Another example: Currently when a widget gets added to a widget area, a
 hidden "template" widget control element gets cloned and then injected
 into the widget area. This causes all kinds of problems with event
 listeners and dynamically-built controls (e.g. via jQuery UI) since the
 cloned element don't come with the template's event listeners and bound
 data. Widgets controls should instead follow the Backbone model of having
 an underlying template string which gets constructed into a view.

 There is no JS API (or PHP API for that matter) for manipulating widgets.
 Using Backbone for a standard JS Widget API would allow core (and plugins)
 to have a unified interface for managing widgets, and allow them to be
 easily used in many more contexts. Adding widgets to the customizer would
 have been much easier if there was such a Backbone API for managing
 widgets.

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Ticket URL: <https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/28093#comment:3>
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