Consider a user preference for "Advanced" link editing

[richtabor]

I'd like to discuss considering a preference for how one creates and edits links throughout the editor.

Based on the feedback on #50891 it's clear that no one solution works for everyone.

Current, with link preview

When you select, or insert, a link, the link's "preview" is rendered, which presents the external link, URL, and edit/unlink/copy controls. If you want to edit the link further—like, open it in a new tab—you invoke the "edit" view, which has additional link controls.

Advanced, without link preview

#50998 explores removing the "preview" from Link Control, where when you click on a link, you see the full "edit" view of the link instead—there's no preview. This could become the "Advanced" link editing experience, where when you create (or click) a link, you skip the link preview step completely.

Alternatives

This "Advanced" flow becomes the link editing experience.

I'm not sold on this, as every time you add a link, you'll see the edit view of a link, which has a substantially larger footprint. And if we add unlink and copy link controls (which are likely necessary), the view grows in complexity even further.

Thoughts? @WordPress/outreach

If we think this is a good approach, I don't love "Advanced" link editing—let's think of potential alternatives.

[unscripted]

I've ran into a few sites recently where this would be really helpful. Especially when working on sites with heavy outbound link that open in a new tab.

For clarification, when you say "user preference," would this be a setting a user could set similar to always showing the list view?

What about Link Details or Link Options instead of Advanced?

[markhowellsmead]

The process to add a link using the modal and then set it to open in a new window requires multiple clicks, which can be inconvenient and more time-consuming for users who are adding many links to a long text in this way. It would be more convenient if the user didn't have to “hunt“ for the option to open in a new window. I've received this feedback from a couple of clients before.

It would also make sense that the linking workflow is the same in all instances, be it on a text within a paragraph, on an image, or anywhere else.

[firepainting]

@richtabor

Based on the feedback on #50891 it's clear that no one solution works for everyone.

After commenting on the other thread, it's now clearer to me what the problem here is: You guys thought there was a "problem" that needed a "solution", when in fact, at least to me, it wasn't a problem, if at all!

I'm not sold on this, as every time you add a link, you'll see the edit view of a link, which has a substantially larger footprint. And if we add unlink and copy link controls (which are likely necessary), the view grows in complexity even further.

I wouldn't mind a larger footprint or some additional buttons. What I do mind is the crazy amount of clicks just to create/edit links!

If we think this is a good approach, I don't love "Advanced" link editing—let's think of potential alternatives.

This is why, for multiple times, I asked for some real-world data to back up your claim that that Advanced link editing is a PITA. And still after a long time no one shows us that. You know why? Cos it was perfectly fine.

If it's just you (or your peers) that doesn't like it and thus decided to just roll it out and affect thousands of users, then we have a bigger problem here.

Yes, I write long-form. Yes, my stuff could use a lot of external links because, hey, scientific data.

@unscripted

For clarification, when you say "user preference," would this be a setting a user could set similar to always showing the list view?

I agree with the above. Someone's (especially a WP dev) preference shouldn't affect thousands of users just like that. If it's highly debatable/crazy, make it something anyone can just set/show/hide. Problem solved. No need to push a narrative, no need to shove it down someone's throat just because you think it's better (it's not).

@markhowellsmead

The process to add a link using the modal and then set it to open in a new window requires multiple clicks, which can be inconvenient and more time-consuming for users who are adding many links to a long text in this way. It would be more convenient if the user didn't have to “hunt“ for the option to open in a new window. I've received this feedback from a couple of clients before.

THANK YOU for affirming our sentiments.

[richtabor]

I agree with the above. Someone's (especially a WP dev) preference shouldn't affect thousands of users just like that. If it's highly debatable/crazy, make it something anyone can just set/show/hide. Problem solved. No need to push a narrative, no need to shove it down someone's throat just because you think it's better (it's not).

You are misunderstanding.

A user preference that you decide on.

You either want the additional link options, or not. Perhaps it's a setting in the Preferences panel:

If it's highly debatable/crazy, make it something anyone can just set/show/hide. Problem solved. No need to push a narrative, no need to shove it down someone's throat just because you think it's better (it's not).

That's precisely what I'm proposing.

[TapiwaZvaks]

@richtabor I don't know why you would want to hide this option that's possibly used by tens of thousands of people daily. But hey, you are the developer. We are mere users. If it brings you peace and if it brings closure to this year(s) old saga, that's fine. This is not the first time that you have been challenged to bring just one person who thought the experience before 6.3 was bad. Just one.

You express worry about a large footprint. Was that the reason for bringing the link preview and hiding other useful stuff? If yes, you don't have to worry about that. Surely you know that nobody is trying to write blog posts from a mobile phone or even from a tablet, right? Our screens are big enough for the additional footprint.

In summary, the link preview is pretty useless. What we need is to be immediately presented with the open in new tab and mark and no follow options. But based on the fact that we have been debating this for a year and you are still stuck in denial, I don't hold any hope. Personally, I am rolling back to 6.2 because the many unnecessary clicks have become rather maddening.

[markhowellsmead]

I don’t know the background to the decisions which have been made to bring the interface to the stage that it’s at currently. I think that the best way ahead is to gain a range of opinions and continue to work together to find the best way ahead.

As a user, and as a recipient of feedback from other users and our own clients, user preferences are too hidden to be found easily, and usually require one-on-one training to surface. There seem to be more positives than negatives to a small increase in modal size, to allow regularly-used options to be visible. I don’t personally class “open in new window” to be an advanced function, rather a commonly-used one.

[bacoords]

From my understanding, one (not the only) motivation for this rebuild was making sure that the user flow for adding and editing links was fully accessible- which is always tricky with popups and modals that by nature interrupt inline text editing. This feature has gone through a number of iterations and has made a lot of progress- kudos to the developers here.

Re: Advanced Settings
I'm not a fan of adding additional user preferences in some settings screen- especially for something as trivial as this. What is the reason for even having an advanced tab? Can we not just show those two checkboxes at all times and eliminate the additional click? Heck you could even use Flex, put them inline and save the screen space (for English at least)

[richtabor]

I'm not a fan of adding additional user preferences in some settings screen- especially for something as trivial as this. What is the reason for even having an advanced tab? Can we not just show those two checkboxes at all times and eliminate the additional click? Heck you could even use Flex, put them inline and save the screen space (for English at least)

@bacoords I'm referring to a user preference to omit the preview entirely, not the toggle (worth a separate discussion perhaps though).

[flexseth]

In summary, the link preview is pretty useless.

In general, linking (to include "embedded" links - that largely don't work) in WordPress could use improvement.

It's going to be difficult to get broad adoption behind cases that reflect only a small population of what WordPress users need. Most WordPress users need a hyperlink to go somewhere, that's it.

That said, if someone creates some type of Advanced Linking functionality (via a block plugin) - I could see huge support behind that and people building on top of it.

I agree that links could be better. Rich previews would be great. Better UI? Sure

But I don't see that being supported as something that is required, as overhead, for the hundreds of millions of WordPress users out there. A community plugin could be perfectly suited here!

[andreawetzel]

As someone who works on a large multisite with site administrators of varying technical backgrounds, I really like the clean UI link redesign in 6.5 with the extra step to "open in new tab".

The user preference toggle described here seems to be a good option for folks who want to see all of the options all of the time -- almost like enabling a "developer mode" for editing links. I also think a site-wide filter or community plugin would be good ideas to enable seeing the advanced tab automatically if folks want to implement it site-wide.

[flexseth]

What I do mind is the crazy amount of clicks just to create/edit links!

Cmd + k or Ctrl + k with text selected is a shortcut for turning highlighted text text into a hyperlink in just about all modern software, including WordPress, Email and GitHub

Click the link to change it's behavior or URL