[wp-trac] [WordPress Trac] #50699: Fix and improve arranging metaboxes

[WordPress Trac]

#50699: Fix and improve arranging metaboxes
-------------------------------------------------+-------------------------
 Reporter:  azaozz                               |       Owner:  azaozz
     Type:  task (blessed)                       |      Status:  assigned
 Priority:  normal                               |   Milestone:  5.6
Component:  Administration                       |     Version:
 Severity:  normal                               |  Resolution:
 Keywords:  has-patch needs-testing needs-dev-   |     Focuses:  ui,
  note                                           |  accessibility
-------------------------------------------------+-------------------------

Comment (by azaozz):

 Replying to [comment:43 margaretschneider]:
 > No, I would not say this should be considered a screen option. If I had
 to describe what screen options are now, I'd say they're set-it-and-
 forget-it rules for which columns or boxes should even appear on a page...

 Hmm, okay, if arranging of screen elements is not a "screen option", then
 what is it? It's definitely not a "primary application feature" as in you
 need to do it or the app won't work properly. It affects setting how this
 particular screen looks only for the current user (it's not a "global"
 setting). It's perfectly okay to never touch it/change it, in fact none of
 the users I interviewed has even done that.

 The fact that none of them has arranged the screen elements wasn't really
 a surprise. It is a well known fact that most users, as many as 95%, never
 change the default options/settings of an app unless they really have to.
 This also explains why the users "just glance over" the Screen Options tab
 and never use it.

 > To address the second point in this paragraph, yeah, arranging boxes on
 the dashboard isn't the same as arranging menu items or widgets, but it's
 really important to remember that to everyday users, ''those things work
 the same way''.

 Yeah, perhaps some users may misunderstand this when using the old widgets
 screen. It would be pretty hard to misunderstand what dragging menu items
 on the old menu screen does though. However when setting widgets and menus
 in the customizer it is pretty impossible to make this mistake, there's
 instant preview, etc.

 Looking for examples, in most apps dragging is used to set what buttons to
 show on the toolbar, and (optionally) the order they are shown. This is
 done from a dedicated settings screen. Selecting what you see on the
 screen, and in what order you see it are closely related, and are...
 screen options? :)

-- 
Ticket URL: <https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/50699#comment:45>
WordPress Trac <https://core.trac.wordpress.org/>
WordPress publishing platform