Remove empty blocks when saving a Post

[StaggerLeee]

I decided to go for Bug report.

Please, remove empty blocks when saving a Post. What is the point of empty blocks in a Post ?

[TopCheff]

yo tambien estoy deacuerdo con esto.

gracias!

[youknowriad]

How do you consider a block empty?

[StaggerLeee]

You know what is empty block.
Inserted and nothing inside touched/added.

If it has real life uses list them here. Because I don't know them.

[youknowriad]

So If I add a "latest posts" block and I don't touch it, it's empty?

[StaggerLeee]

Listen, have no lust for verbal games. You know what I mean when I say "empty blocks". Stop playing stupid.

[youknowriad]

I'm not playing any game here. Sorry if it was misunderstood.

This was just an example, I can think of a lot of use-cases where this description of empty block doesn't work. I think it's impossible to know for sure that we can delete a block in a generic way. Plugins can extend core blocks and make them not empty by default... For these reasons, I think it's adding such behavior is impossible.

[0aveRyan]

Fair points raised here. Empty paragraphs are truly empty without characters. Image blocks are truly empty without an image set.

However, the Latest Posts Block, Spacer block and a few others can be inserted and left alone without being configured.

[StaggerLeee]

Not in the wildest dreams a plugin can, or may, edit my own content in a block. Specially when there is no content, and no business for a plugin there.
Empty block is block inserted by mistake and no plugin has anything to do with it, add/change content inside. If a plugin wants to change HTML tags, schema, etc....what is usual and often normal, it is still empty block (content).

I am talking about content, not block HTML tags, or CSS design.

Empty (0) X Empty (0) = Empty (0) = Plugin is out of the picture.

[paaljoachim]

Hey Stagger

I think you are likely talking about this:

[StaggerLeee]

Yes, about this. But not only this. Gallery can be empty and many more. Empty quote block leaves CSS styling on front-page.

All this will later cost much in expensive regex on page load.

[youknowriad]

I don't disagree with the fact that empty blocks (especially paragraphs) would be better if removed, but technically speaking, there's nothing that can allow us to know for sure that a block is really empty.

• I can imagine a plugin add a server-side rendering to blocks (even if empty) and replace them with something else.
• I can see people creating image placeholders for other users to fill (templates + content)
• I can see people changing the placeholder of empty paragraphs for other editors to fill.

While it's annoying to have empty paragraphs in the content, I think it's worse to lose content.

[ZebulanStanphill]

Technically speaking the empty blocks are not even actually empty. They still contain some HTML:

<p></p>

[youknowriad]

I'm closing as invalid, let's reopen if there's any actionable item we can tackle here

[StaggerLeee]

A so, you mean template, and possibly shared, blocks. Now it is legitimate and more clear.

You had it nailed but for some reason decided to change it. When a User clicks outside of empty block you had it so it automatically is removed.

[youknowriad]

The behavior you describe was causing Writing Flow issues and was not consistent. Depending on how you'd create/touch the paragraph, it was removed or not. It was removed in #8706 because the root issue for the existence of this behavior was fixed. (accidentally creating empty paragraphs when clicking the in-between line inserter)

[StaggerLeee]

Block revolution is your idea, not mine.

Before in TinyMce I had to use simple regex to remove empty paragraphs. Now they will be much complex and frustrating.
Don't know even if it is possible to target HTML tags this way to remove blocks from display/source code.

[ZebulanStanphill]

Disclaimer: I am not a WordPress or Gutenberg dev.

@StaggerLeee If you are adding empty paragraphs to your content, I would expect that to be your responsibility to clean up?

Also, there is a CSS selector to style empty elements, so you could make empty <p> elements use display: none, but I think you should probably just clean up your posts and use the Spacer block, Custom HTML block, or CSS classes to add spacing where it is desirable:
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/CSS/:empty

[StaggerLeee]

It is not for me, but for beginners. Those who use WordPress in at least 85% of cases.
It is not about paragraphs, but many other blocks. Paragraphs are not important here.

Still do not get it. Force plugin developers to flag if they influence/force empty blocks, and what block(s).
Gutenberg decides standards, not other way around.
So commended Facebook, and others, script. And it has no clue what is happening server side.

[paaljoachim]

Well all those empty paragraphs sure do not look nice....
#2466

[StaggerLeee]

Not related to this. Inserter is now very confusing for me. You come to the last block down, and plus icon point to insert a block as second last one.

Not logical for me. If whole philosophy of writing flow is to go down, down, down. Why to go back with block insert.

Maybe I have some script conflict on installation.

[ZebulanStanphill]

@StaggerLeee I agree that the sibling inserter should appear after the last block, and there are other issues that should be resolved. There are already existing issues that involve discussion about these kinds of issues:

• Block toolbars position counterintuitive for keyboard users #3976
• Display block tools underneath the block, instead of to the sides #6224 (see the recent discussion and mockups that include the sibling inserter)
• allowedBlocks does not prevent any block from being inserted via the “Enter” key or sibling inserter #6569
• Impossible to insert multiple blocks into Column Block using mouse #6842
• Confusing + button behavior #7271
• InnerBlocks have no inserter when core/paragraph is not in allowedBlocks #7763
• Sibling inserter doesn't appear above selected block with no toolbar #7884
• Default Appender that is not Paragraph Based #8589