Navigation Project Tracking Issue

[getdave]

This issue captures ongoing work for Navigation project.

Here are some suggested guiding principles for work on this project.

This isn't a tracking Issue for a specific WordPress release. Rather it is somewhere to track the high level issues that need to be addressed for Navigation within the Editor as a whole.

This Issue is based on an assessment of user feedback and community defined goals for the wider Navigation system.

Bugs should be reported with the [Type] Bug label and added directly to the Navigation Project Board.

High Priority

The following Issues are considered essential to the next iteration of block-based navigation menus.

Managing and editing menus

• Navigation block: Page List should auto-convert when inserting new blocks #73964
• Enhancing Navigation Block Dynamic URLs #72422
• Navigation Block: develop a content-only representation #65699
• NavigationLink: make the URL dynamic for links to Posts #18345
• Make it easier to create new Pages directly from Navigation block #66923
• Allow selecting from all available Pages when adding to Navigation block #66925
• Allow selecting draft Pages using the Link UI  #29395
• Navigation Sidebar as a discovery and editing surface #76037
• Provide more choice when manually creating a new Navigation Menu #56245
• Improve ability to find and insert link to Homepage within Link UI within Nav block #50171
• Better communicate which Menu is being used by the Navigation block #68177
• Dropping menu items on top of menu item should create a submenu #67821
• Consider Bulk Add Mode for Navigation #50831
• Improve relevance and ordering of search results in Link UI and Navigation block #38121
• Navigation Focus Mode: Ability to access/edit Navigation Post items in isolation #37950
• current-menu-item does not get applied to custom links in navigation block #61266

Styling & Customisation

• Ability to style current menu item #42299
• Improve Navigation block color controls #44712
• Improve theme.json support for Navigation block #39052
• Allow Submenus in Navigation Overlay to respect "Toggle on Click"  #44346
• Navigation Submenus should have better vertical display options #70832
• core/navigation-submenu: Cannot override styles via theme.json #70320
• Home link block doesn't use current-menu-item class when on front page #34770

Responsive (inc. Mobile Overlay)

• Ability to customise Navigation block "mobile" overlay  #39142
• Customise and control the Navigation block at different screen sizes ("responsive") #49156
• Allow Submenus in Navigation Overlay to respect "Toggle on Click"  #44346

Foundational work

• Add specific capability for Navigation permissions #65881
• Nav block use slug to reference Navigation Menu #45512
• Find "most suitable" Navigation Menu fallback based on Nav block insertion location context #56247
• Improve fallback behaviour
• Improve Navigation block tests #44920
• Improve Navigation block loading speed #49155
• Refactor Navigation block render function to be open for extension #52470

---

Normal Priority

The following issues are "nice to haves" but are unable to be considered for the next iteration of the block.

• Navigation block overlay does not close when using anchor # custom links #71322
• Navigation: Make 'Manage menus' button link to site-editor.php?postType=wp_navigation #62257
• Add ability to style and/or use a custom icon for responsive menu  #37930
• Add Post Type Archive variation to core/navigation-link block #31452
• Navigation on Browse Mode: Add pages #50580
• Communicate sync'd nature of Navigation blocks #49158
• Nav block accessibility improvements #38786
• Only allow a Classic Menu to be imported once (avoid duplication) #43856
• Add 'categories block' to a menu item in the 'navigation block'. Automattic/wp-calypso#65012
• Automatically insert a Page List block on insertion of Submenu block #42598
• Tidy and refactor Navigation block codebase #44921
• Auto-inserting Blocks #39439 - ability to programmatically insert blocks at run time
• Introduce "Browser" and surface main navigation UI #36667
• Navigation Block: Toolbar overlaps with submenu links when opening sidebar or using smaller viewport #40382
• Navigation block: Delay creating entities until changes are saved #40050
• Home link block doesn't use current-menu-item class when on front page #34770
• Enable Login/out block in the Navigation block #38512
• Navigation: Loading the fallback creates multiple wp_navigation CPTs #46194
• Allow selecting the default core/navigation-link variant in the core/navigation block #50982

---

Backlog

The following are issues we are aware of which may be addressed in the future.

• Need a way to produce menus with custom markup structure #56090
• [Block] Navigation: Long Menu Titles do not break-word in order to wrap within Columns block #52298
• Ability to save Nav blocks locally without creating a wp_navigation post. #38278
• Change the navigation menu add block button tooltip #39602
• Home Link: Allow setting as icon-only #31688
• Nav block/editor - can't save a post-format  #31348
• Navigation block: Hide more than N items #27131
• Only show one + at a time on link adding #34962
• Navigation Block: Make it clearer how to delete a Link Block without a link #30116
• Navigation block: Add support for separators between menu items. #23293
• Make the 'Insert Before' / 'Insert After' options work for block lists that don't allow the default block type #23603
• Improve experience of using social icons in the navigation block #35261
• Navigation block: Hide more than N items #27131
• Spacer markup could be more flexible #33018
• Navigation block: Make it easier to add a spacer block #41010
• Navigation block: Make nested menus fully customizable (Megamenus) #23745
• Navigation block: allow extending the list of allowed inner blocks #31387
• List block: allow transformation of text links lists into navigation blocks #31733
• Avoid automated behaviours in the Navigation block when in preview mode #45887

[getdave]

Update 1st Feb 2022

• We created a new tracking Issue for the Nav block. This supersedes Navigation Block Tracking Issue i2 #35521.
• Lots of great discussion ongoing including:
  • Add filter allow modification of navigation block menu items #37717
  • Navigation Focus Mode: Ability to access/edit Navigation Post items in isolation #37950
  • Introduce "Browser" and surface main navigation UI #36667
  • Ability to have different links in the "mobile" menu vs the standard menu. #38201
• @adamziel has highlighted need to preserve Navigation automatically on Theme switch.
• @jasmussen has been steadily improving the placeholder state:
  • Navigation: Remove blobs that look like a loading state #37099
  • Navigation: Try inheriting orientation in setup state. #36778
  • Navigation: Try removing "Add all pages" from placeholder. #36775
• PR to include button to revert submenu block to link block is nearly merged.
• There is renewed focus on a11y (see priorities in the tracking Issue).

[getdave]

Update 9th Feb 2022

• Exploration started on a persistent sidebar for Navigation outside of the block.
• Worked continue on refactoring the block to reduce bugs and introduce more test coverage.
• More UI/UX refinement including ability to revert Submenus back to Links when empty.
• Work ongoing on refining the Tracking Issue and preparing for what's next for WP 6.0.

[getdave]

Update 16th Feb 2022

• Exploration continues around Introduce "Browser" and surface main navigation UI #36667.
• Work continues on Make the navigation block more internally consistent #37190.
• A new Issue was created to track Nav block accessibility improvements #38786.
• A new button was added to convert Submenu blocks back to Link blocks if they are empty.
• Folk have also been iterating on various other UX/UI fixes and improvements.

[getdave]

Update 23rd Feb 2022

• Exploration continues around Introduce "Browser" and surface main navigation UI #36667.
• Select menu now filters out any currently selected Menu to avoid accidental creation of duplicate Navigation posts.
• Work continues on Make the navigation block more internally consistent #37190. Specifically
  • Refactor classic menu conversion process #38858
  • Improve Nav block loading and placeholder states #38907
• The Core Accessibility team are going to be helping with reviewing Nav block PRs for accessibility where possible. Nav block contributors are encouraged to use their time considerately and judiciously.
• We're looking for more folk to help contribute to the next iteration of the Nav block. If you're interested in working on the block please drop a message in #feature-navigation-block-editor on WordPress Core Slack.

[getdave]

Update 2nd March 2022

• Progress is currently a little slow - we're seeking more folk to help contribute. Please drop a message in #feature-navigation-block-editor if you are interested.
• A prototype of a Navigation Menu sidebar is available for feedback.
• PR refactoring Nav block loading and placeholder states is nearly ready to merge.
• Work continues on Make the navigation block more internally consistent #37190 more generally.
• Improvements continue to accessibility - specifically: Add aria label to Nav block on front of site #39161

[getdave]

Update March 9th 2022

• PRs now exploring editing Navigation menus in isolation from the Nav block would benefit from feedback and/or testing:
  • Navigation: add dedicated sidebar for managing layout of navigation menus #39290
  • Add focus mode for Navigation Menus #39286
• Work continued on making the Nav block more internally consistent - specifically: Improve create new UI feedback in Nav block #39219
• Accessibility continues to be a focus.
• Some improvements are in the works to improve integration of the block with Themes - specifically Enable navigation nesting to be filtered and manually set #38621

[getdave]

Update March 23rd 2022

• PR to add a dedicated Navigation sidebar has been simplified as far as possible so as to reduce scope. It is ready for review.
• @draganescu continues to iterate on maxNesting for the Nav block.
• A fix was needed for a block crash when toggling open the Advanced panel in the block inspector controls.
• @Trapsta is working on a solution to closing the overlay menu when the nav item is an anchor link to content on the same page.

[gziolo]

@getdave, is there any feature that you think could still land until Wednesday next week to be included in WordPress 6.0 release? To increase visibility, we can add it to the WordPress Editor 6.0 project board.

[getdave]

@gziolo realistically "feature" wise it's probably:

• Enable navigation nesting to be filtered and manually set #38621
• Navigation: add dedicated sidebar for managing layout of navigation menus #39290

[gziolo]

Awesome, thank you. We track now both PRs. The one that is merged #39290, is it behind the feature flag? Otherwise, it should be just included out of the box since it's ready.