[wp-trac] [WordPress Trac] #27404: Widget Customizer: Allow adding inactive widgets to widget areas

[WordPress Trac]

#27404: Widget Customizer: Allow adding inactive widgets to widget areas
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 Reporter:  westonruter              |       Owner:
     Type:  feature request          |      Status:  new
 Priority:  normal                   |   Milestone:  4.5
Component:  Widgets                  |     Version:  3.9
 Severity:  normal                   |  Resolution:
 Keywords:  needs-patch ux-feedback  |     Focuses:  ui, javascript
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Comment (by Joel MMCC):

 I think we should reconsider whether the Customizer should even have the
 ''ability'' to outright delete a Widget (or anything else for that matter,
 with the possible exception of simple Menu items [and that only because
 there’s currently no equivalent to a Menu Trash / Inactive Menu Items]) at
 all.

 The Customizer’s purpose, as I see it, is to affect the ''appearance'' of
 the site ''without'' altering its ''content.'' Allowing it to delete
 things trespasses on content (or at least structure) management territory
 instead of appearance / theming territory.

 We wouldn’t want the ability to delete Pages or Posts or Media Items or
 Users from within the Customizer, would we? WP goes out of its way to make
 at least Pages and Posts somewhat difficult to completely delete
 permanently. You first have to move it to the Trash, then delete it from
 the Trash, and there’s a confirmation prompt.

 Now, granted, most Widgets are pretty simple. Type in a Title, set some
 simple parameters such as numeric entries, checkboxes, radio buttons,
 ''etc.'' (usually only a very few for any given Widget), but then there’s
 the Text Widget which can have custom text or HTML or even script. Imagine
 how frustrating it could be to delete an important one of those by
 accident while merely trying to tweak the appearance of the site.

 The Inactive Widgets area exists for just this purpose: to allow a Widget
 to be removed from view ''without'' deleting it. I think that fully
 deleting a Widget should only be doable from the legacy Appearance ⇒
 Widgets area, not from within Customizer.

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Ticket URL: <https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/27404#comment:16>
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