Post featured image block: Allow using "first image" as a fallback

[davipontesblog]

What problem does this address?

One feature that is available in the classic WordPress Customizer experience for many themes is the option to “Automatically use the first image in post” as a fallback for featured images. Bringing this option into the new Post Featured Image block would also shorten the product gap in the editing experience with block themes today.

What is your proposed solution?

To expose a setting in the UI (Block settings sidebar) to allow users to select this option as a fallback when no featured image is selected in the post.

[skorasaurus]

Thanks for making this issue; I've used this feature in some classic themes as well.

related #34865 which requests inserting a default specified image as a fallback.

[paaljoachim]

Thinking out loud...

What if we added an option to preferences giving the user the opportunity to turn on "Use first image as featured"?
Or as @carolinan suggested here #39170 adding an option to Global Styles regarding a fallback image.

@draganescu @jasmussen

[jasmussen]

I like this feature, I used to implement it in my decades-old WordPress themes, and it could be neat. I think we need to evolve and mature the "Use featured image" interface first, however, so that the experience of assigning that across all media blocks (like Cover, Media & Text and others) feels intuitive and natural. Once that flow is solid it seems like it would be a smaller order to add "Use first uploaded image" to the list of options.

[gaambo]

For anyone searching for this: The attribute useFirstImageFromPost was introduced in Gutenberg 17.5.0: #56573
The UI is just not there, but for building patterns/block-themes, it's already usable :)

[liviopv]

This really should be a user-facing feature!

[mrfoxtalbot]

This would be really convenient and intuitive if we added as a Global Styles fallback option.

[paaljoachim]

This might be the wrong place to add the following comment as I believe there is an issue for this somewhere in the Gutenberg repo.

I am watched Jamie Marsland's video on WordPress.com Youtube channel here:
https://youtu.be/5WR5aFp0i5g?si=HfsSacV-72QWfEWf

One comment mentioned:
"I wish there was a way to set a default featured image site wide. That would be super helpful as a blogger."

Setting first image and/or featured image as a Global setting will be very helpful.

[mrfoxtalbot]

"I wish there was a way to set a default featured image site wide. That would be super helpful as a blogger."

Not only that, but if the homepage is set to "Recent Posts", there is no way to set a featured image at all, see:

• Featured Images for front page and home templates #55978