Add command palette trigger button to admin bar (Left-aligned search bar version) by t-hamano · Pull Request #11108 · WordPress/wordpress-develop

t-hamano · 2026-03-02T10:41:00Z

Trac ticket: https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/64672

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This Pull Request is for code review only. Please keep all other discussion in the Trac ticket. Do not merge this Pull Request. See GitHub Pull Requests for Code Review in the Core Handbook for more details.

…bar version)

github-actions · 2026-03-02T10:41:15Z

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Props wildworks, mcsf, joedolson, ellatrix.

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github-actions · 2026-03-02T10:49:51Z

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ellatrix · 2026-03-03T13:41:29Z

In my opinion, we should move ahead with whatever we have now for Beta 3, even if there's still design changes needed. We can always do some CSS tweaks in follow-ups and have people attempt to centre it, and at least the main functionality is in.

t-hamano · 2026-03-04T14:04:08Z

In my opinion, we should move ahead with whatever we have now for Beta 3, even if there's still design changes needed. We can always do some CSS tweaks in follow-ups and have people attempt to centre it, and at least the main functionality is in.

I agree. If we start small, I think a button would have less impact than a search bar. What do you think?

#11063

mcsf · 2026-03-04T17:01:13Z

src/wp-includes/admin-bar.php

+			'href'  => '#',
+			'meta'  => array(
+				'class'   => 'hide-if-no-js',
+				'onclick' => 'wp.data.dispatch( "core/commands" ).open(); return false;',


I assume return false is the preventDefault signal. If so, can we comment to make it clear?

A behaviour I'm noticing:

Go to a WP-Admin that's taller than the viewport (e.g. Themes, User > Profile)

Click on the element to bring up the search bar/dialog

Click anywhere else to dismiss it

Observed: browser scrolls to bottom

Go to a WP-Admin that's taller than the viewport (e.g. Themes, User > Profile)

Click on the element to bring up the search bar/dialog

Click anywhere else to dismiss it

Observed: browser scrolls to bottom

I can't confirm this behavior in my environment 🤔

c68bdd8b9d2a1e020d1f748df8cbefd3.mp4

mcsf · 2026-03-04T17:02:24Z

src/wp-includes/admin-bar.php

+		return;
+	}
+
+	$is_apple_os    = (bool) preg_match( '/Macintosh|Mac OS X|Mac_PowerPC/i', $_SERVER['HTTP_USER_AGENT'] ?? '' );


Where was this pattern sourced? From WP itself? I'm trying to determine how reliable it is and whether the source should be cited.

Neither WordPress nor Gutenberg has any code to detect the OS on the server side. I used this source as a reference to come up with the logic. There may be a better approach.

mcsf · 2026-03-04T17:33:00Z

src/wp-includes/css/admin-bar.css

+}
+
+#wpadminbar #wp-admin-bar-command-palette .ab-item {
+	width: 200px;


Given the layout constraints (use of floats, etc.) of the admin bar, what would it take to achieve a button that tries to take up 443px unless there isn't enough room for other items?

To achieve this, we'll probably need to flex the entire admin bar.

I suspect that shifting the admin bar to a fully flex layout would cause a lot of extender issues. Feels pretty risky this late.

That's true, switching to flex layout now is risky and requires more careful discussion. Related discussions can be found here: https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/28983

Yeah, Flex was my instinct too, and I share all those concerns.

t-hamano · 2026-03-05T06:29:47Z

One concern with this PR approach might be the duplication of the search bar that triggers the command palette when the editor is opened.

ellatrix · 2026-03-05T06:41:24Z

src/wp-includes/admin-bar.php

+		/* translators: Hidden accessibility text. */
+		__( 'Open command palette' ),
+	);
+	$wp_admin_bar->add_node(


Posted this comment on the wrong PR:

Rather than adding this as a new node, maybe it should be added natively to the wp admin bar as something fundamentally different than a node? That way it's not constrained to the current structure and maybe makes it easier to centre with CSS.

You say that's difficult, but why? I'm saying that this could be a built-in feature of the admin bar rather than having to be constrained to the current API.

I believe all the core menus are added via WP_Admin_Bar::add_menus(). Is there a way to add controls to the admin bar without using this API?

Add command palette trigger button to admin bar (Left-aligned search …

9ac1e70

…bar version)

t-hamano marked this pull request as ready for review March 2, 2026 10:41

mcsf reviewed Mar 4, 2026

View reviewed changes

Merge branch 'trunk' into 64672-command-palette-admin-bar-searchbar

72b011e

ellatrix reviewed Mar 5, 2026

View reviewed changes

ellatrix mentioned this pull request Mar 5, 2026

Command Palette: Make admin bar trigger a native group element #11171

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t-hamano commented Mar 5, 2026

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t-hamano commented Mar 2, 2026 •

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