[wp-trac] [WordPress Trac] #39910: Customizer: Add widgets drag and drop ability

[WordPress Trac]

#39910: Customizer: Add widgets drag and drop ability
--------------------------+------------------------------
 Reporter:  lukecavanagh  |       Owner:
     Type:  enhancement   |      Status:  new
 Priority:  normal        |   Milestone:  Awaiting Review
Component:  Customize     |     Version:  4.7.2
 Severity:  normal        |  Resolution:
 Keywords:                |     Focuses:  ui
--------------------------+------------------------------

Comment (by folletto):

 > Eventually I could see it take the same form as the block insertion UI
 being worked on for the editor, and that there could be a + icon or
 something [...]

 This is an excellent intuition, but can be reframed to be both a proper
 translation of the editor UI, as well as express its full power. It's a
 bit OT for this ticket, but let me elaborate and we can progress the
 discussion at some point later.

 The idea that the editor is current pursuing can be synthesized as the
 "Universal Insert", a specific area in an application that is the one and
 only one area in the UI that allows for items to be inserted. This can be
 found in many modern applications in the form of toolbars or sidebars.
 These types of UI are incredible effective if they follow specifically two
 principles:

 1. They are unique on the screen
 2. They provide all the possible items that can be added

 In the current editor exploration, you see it's following these two rules
 to the letter. It might change in the future, but that's why it's so
 appealing right now.

 Thus, a proper "conversion" of the same concept to the editor is a single
 UI on the screen that is able to add... anything that can be added. This
 means that clicking there makes the user then able to add both menu items
 and widgets... and in the future anything that can be added.


 ----

 Back to the ticket...

 Excellent suggestion and very rich discussion. I'll add a few of
 considerations for the discussion:

 1. Drag'n'drop should be a way to augment existing features, not replace
 them as it's an advanced feature. As such, doesn't inherently have to be
 highly discoverable because the discoverability is already satisfied by
 the alternative (non-drag'n'drop) way to do things. Which means that
 changing the cursor might be the only thing we need to do.
 2. I agree any enhancement here should happen for every analogous UI, such
 as menus. Both will benefit by the ability of drag'n'dropping elements
 directly in the right position.

--
Ticket URL: <https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/39910#comment:6>
WordPress Trac <https://core.trac.wordpress.org/>
WordPress publishing platform