[wp-trac] [WordPress Trac] #19912: Add Widget Groups and Locations

[WordPress Trac]

#19912: Add Widget Groups and Locations
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 Reporter:  koopersmith                          |       Owner:
     Type:  feature request                      |      Status:  new
 Priority:  normal                               |   Milestone:  Future
Component:  Widgets                              |  Release
 Severity:  normal                               |     Version:  3.3.1
 Keywords:  dev-feedback needs-patch ux-         |  Resolution:
  feedback                                       |     Focuses:  ui
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Changes (by azaozz):

 * keywords:  dev-feedback needs-patch => dev-feedback needs-patch ux-
               feedback
 * focuses:   => ui


Comment:

 Replying to [comment:23 westonruter]:
 > Implementing widget groups could facilitate the migration (and backwards
 compatibility) of widgets from being stored in options to a custom post
 type. Per #35669:

 Don't think it makes any difference. Widgets can be stored in many
 different ways without changing the UI.

 > Introducing widget groups to be analogous to nav menus (as sidebars are
 to nav menu locations) is one way they can be more aligned.

 Perhaps, but only from a coding point of view :) However the menu settings
 are probably the worst UX in WordPress, in large part due to the "menu
 locations". Pretty much all people I've helped to set WordPress never ever
 get that right. Adding something similar for widgets wouldn't be good.

 From [https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/19912#comment:21 comment 21]
 >> In many cases adding consistency can add clarity. In this case, I don't
 think so because the menus interface is particularly difficult to use and
 understand. Part of that comes from the amount of flexibility it has
 including the ability to have menus separate from menu locations.

 Also, we used to have something similar on the stand-alone widgets screen.
 When switching from a theme with several sidebars to a theme with just
 one, it used to create several "Inactive widgets" areas, each
 corresponding to one old sidebar. I just tried to trigger it and it didn't
 work, so maybe it's broken or it has been removed. There were quite
 negative reactions to that as far as I remember, being too confusing.

 For this to go ahead I'd very much like to get the designers/UX experts
 opinions first. IMHO we need to improve the menus settings first, not add
 similar things to the widgets settings.

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Ticket URL: <https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/19912#comment:24>
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