I’m attending WordCamp London in April. Once again, I’m volunteering. So I won’t be able to attend all the sessions. These are the ones that I would choose if I were not otherwise occupied with volunteering duties.
WordCamp London bucket list – 5-7 April 2019
In previous years I’ve written a bucket list for things I want to achieve while attending WordCamp London. This year I already have 9 items. I’m sure I’ll find the 10th very soon.
- Find some coding buddies
- Implement WPCS for PhpStorm
- Run my phpUnit tests from PhpStorm
- Improved WPMS content sharing
- Runtime plugin activation based on URL visited
- Passing values to nested blocks
- Inline blocks
- Understand the select API
- Internationalisation (i18n) for blocks
- Choose from below
Item 1. Find some coding buddies
At @wppompey last month we discussed the Southampton Code Club meetup. Due to other commitments I’ve not been able to attend this meetup yet. But, from my understanding, I think it will be useful for me to get involed. That’s so long as the objective of the meetup is to share.
In the 10 years or so since I’ve been developing WordPress plugins I’ve not worked closely with anyone on any projects. I have over 100 GitHub repositories, but no collaborators. I’m sure I’m missing out. There are many things that I know I want to improve in my development process. I would like some guidance from others who have already learnt it themselves or have been taught it. And while learning I may be able to impart some of my knowledge. Since even though I may not be doing it right ( “doing it wrong” even), I do believe that, when you’ve got a problem to solve, “doing something is better than doing nothing”.
I’m looking for one or more coding buddies, preferably local, to work on projects with the following objectives:
- Improve development methods: PHP and JavaScript.
- Improve the delivered project.
- Learn from each other.
| Reference | URL |
|---|---|
| Southampton Code Club | https://www.meetup.com/Southampton-Code-Club |
| GitHub | bobbingwide |
Item 2. Implement WPCS for PhpStorm
WPCS – WordPress Coding Standards
<?php __p( "fred" );
function __p( $text
) { p( __( $text, "oik" )
) ; }PhpStorm provides full coding assistance for developing WordPress including WordPress-aware code completion, search for hook registration functions and functions specified as hook registration parameters, navigation between hook registrations and the hook invocations, callbacks, the possibility to configure the coding …
I set up the PHP Code Sniffer to run from the command line in my old PC ( aside: cs.bat file calls C:/github/squizlabs/PHP_CodeSniffer/bin/phpcs ). Now I need to configure my new PC.
Any help greatly appreciated. I need support for the Wordress coding standards for PHP and JavaScript.
| Reference | URL |
|---|---|
| WordPress Coding Standards | WordPress-Coding-Standards/WordPress-Coding-Standards |
| WordPress Specific Coding Assistance | https://www.jetbrains.com/help/phpstorm/wordpress-aware-coding-assistance.html |
Item 3. Run my PHPUnit tests from PhpStorm
A while ago I developed my PHPUnit solution to run in situ. I currently run my tests from the command line. Now I want to be able to develop and run tests within PhpStorm. I’m just a little nervous about breaking things. So I suppose I want to implement it in some safe project before applying it to my main development environment. Any help greatly appreciated.
I also need to learn how to write tests for JavaScript. And end to end tests.
| Reference | URL |
|---|---|
| PHPUnit In Situ | How to run PHPUnit tests for WordPress plugins in situ |
| Integrating PHPUnit with PhpStorm | https://www.jetbrains.com/help/phpstorm/using-phpunit-framework.html#php_test_frameworks_phpunit_integrate |
Item 4. Improved WPMS Content Sharing
wp-a2z.org is a WordPress Multi Site network with subdomains for a number of well known plugins or themes. I’ve been developing blocks.wp-a2z.org to catalogue the different blocks for the new block editor in WordPress. In the blocks sub-domain I want to duplicate the documentation for the blocks associated with WordPress core, Jetpack, WooCommerce and Yoast SEO. This will then enable visitors to search for a block in just one site.
The solution is also related to wordpress.org work to support block registration and discovery.
Building a WordPress.org directory for discovering blocks, and a way to seamlessly install them.
Item 8 – 9 Projects for 2019, Matt Mullenweg
| Reference | Count | URL |
|---|---|---|
| Core blocks | 70 | https://core.wp-a2z.org/block |
| Jetpack blocks | 18 | https://jetpack.wp-a2z.org/block |
| WooCommerce blocks | 8 | https://woocommerce.wp-a2z.org/block |
| Yoast SEO blocks | 2 | https://wordpress-seo.wp-a2z.org/block |
| WordPress Blocks reference | 200+ | https://blocks.wp-a2z.org/block |
Item 5. Runtime plugin activation based on URL visited
I estimate that by the end of 2019 there will be 500 or so WordPress plugins that implement blocks, with an average of 10 blocks per plugin. If we want to create a catalogue that can demonstrate these blocks in action then we’ll need to be able to dynamically load the required plugin(s) for the block.
I’ve started writing a Must Use plugin that determines what to load based on the request. I imagine that a more advanced solution will be needed for a generic solution, where blocks are used indiscriminately.
| Reference | URL |
|---|---|
| Load required plugins | bobbingwide/oik-loader#1 |
Item 6. Passing values to nested blocks
Most blocks expect some attributes to be set, which will define the behaviour of the block. I feel I have the requirement for a nested block to inherit values from the containing block. An example would be an Author / Person block which allows a Follow me block to be nested. Both blocks require the Author to be identified. One would expect the parent block to pass this parameter to the nested block. In this screen capture of my Person block below you’ll see I implemented a pragmatic solution by extending my [bw_user] shortcode to support a virtual field called `follow_me`.
| Reference | URL |
|---|---|
| Nested block pragmatic solution | bobbingwide/oik-blocks#6 |
Item 7. Inline blocks
I’m only aware of one inline block – the Inline image – an example of which you can see here in this paragraph block. 
You can insert it using the Inline Elements section of the Block Inserter tool ( Add Block ).
I think I have a requirement for other inline blocks, such as inline icons and inline shortcodes. Maybe you can put me right.
Item 8. Understand the select API
There’s a lot of source code in Gutenberg that I don’t understand at all. I wish someone could explain it to me. One example is the select API.
Item 9. Internationalisation (i18n) for blocks
I’m going to have to learn how to do this sometime. Where’s the best place to start?
Item 10. Choose from below
- Find a Table of Contents block.
- Find a Numbered headings block
- Demonstrate to a Designer the frustrations of using an iPad to write content with the block editor.
- Expand the WP-Pompey community
Magnetic poetry
buymilk
checktheoil
thaisilk
foilthemall
oik-blocks test
I’m testing the latest version of oik-blocks on my iPhone. The Blocklist block below is displaying a list of all the blocks with the namespace prefix oik-block. Some of these blocks were written specifically to help me to populate blocks.wp-a2z.org
- Address – oik-block/address
Displays your address - Block icon – oik-block/blockicon
Displays a Block icon - Block info – oik-block/blockinfo
Displays a Block’s information - Block list – oik-block/blocklist
Displays a list of Blocks for a chosen prefix - Contact form – oik-block/contact-form
Displays a Contact form - Countdown – oik-block/countdown
Countdown timer - CSS – oik-block/css
Inline CSS - CSV – oik-block/csv
Displays CSV content - Dashicon – oik-block/dashicon
Displays icons - Fields – oik-block/fields
Displays Fields - Follow me – oik-block/follow-me
Displays Social media links - GeSHi – oik-block/geshi
Generic Syntax Highlighting – for code examples - GitHub Issue – oik-block/github
Display a link to a GitHub issue - Google Maps – oik-block/googlemap
Displays a Google Maps map - Magnetic Poetry – oik-block/magnetic-poetry
Write magnetic poetry refrigerator messages - Nivo slider – oik-block/nivo
Nivo slider - Person – oik-block/person
Displays a person’s information - Search – oik-block/search
Displays a search form - Shortcode block – oik-block/shortcode-block
Expands oik shortcodes - UK Tides – oik-block/uk-tides
Tide times and heights - WordPress – oik-block/wp
Displays information about WordPress and PHP versions
Some of these blocks are duplicated many times by other plugins. Some of the other plugins provide better versions of the blocks. But, rather than drop my blocks, I’ll continue to enhance my versions while the Defacto standard for a particular block has not been set.
Of course, I won’t know which is the best version until I’ve catalogued them all. it’s going to take some time and i hope it’s going to be worth it.
follow my progress at the
Core RSS
Does anyone still use RSS? It’s a new block in Gutenberg 5.0
My Favourite Block
I wrote this poem, entitled “My Favourite Block”, for a lightning talk that I prepared for the February 2019 WordPress Portsmouth Meetup.
WordPress 5.0.1, Classic editor 1.3 and No Gutenberg
Here we go then. I’m in the pub and have just updated to WordPress 5.0.1.
I started writing this post on my iphone.
My own blocks didn’t seem to work properly. I investigated later. After I’d upgraded oik-blocks to the latest version, everything was fine on my laptop.
With Classic Editor v1.3 per post switching between editors can be done using the Default editor current user Meta Box.
| block | working |
|---|---|
| Csv | yes -when Gutenberg is activated |
| css | expect so |
CSS block to set table text green
table { color: Green; }WordPress 5.0, Gutenberg and the Classic Editor – what did you expect?
Well that was a fuck up!
I’ve heard reports that the Classic Editor plugin was updated just a few hours before WordPress 5.0 was released and now there’s a completely different user experience.
The ability to easily choose the editor to create your content has disappeared. For me, that was the whole reason for having the plugin. Some things don’t work in Gutenberg / 5.0 so I need the ability to use both.
I don’t think the use cases for the Classic Editor and Gutenberg and WordPress version combinations have been thought through. I know that I am going to continue to want to use both Gutenberg and the Classic editor under WordPress 5.0. And I need the ability to easily select my preferred editor. That’s how it was with 0.5. It’s how I tested my sites’ compatibility.
You don’t bugger about with something hours before a release. You give people a chance to test it.
Lessons need to be learned. WordPress 5.0 release should have been delayed until:
- v1.0 of the Classic Editor had been tested with Gutenberg 4.6.1 and WordPress 4.9.8 & 5.0-RC3.
- User documentation was ready.
- The host of issues starting with #4855 had been addressed.
Fortunately, I haven’t yet upgraded anything yet. I will be testing Classic Editor v1.1 very carefully.
oik v3.2.8 now available
I bit the bullet and published, on wordpress.org, the latest version of oik a couple of days before WordPress 5.0 is due to be released.
oik-block – Gut feel revisited
Back in April I was developing a prototype plugin called oik-block that contained a number of prototype Gutenberg blocks plus a whole load of code that helped me to form opinions regarding Gutenberg’s compatibility with my sites and to estimate the code of migrating to Gutenberg and/or WordPress 5.0. I’ve recently forked oik-block to create a new plugin called oik-blocks. Here’s an update.