Editor: Introducing the "Library" section

[priethor]

WordPress 6.3 ​aims to introduce an admin section or “library” for managing blocks, patterns, styles, and fonts. This includes ​renaming Reusable Blocks to (Synced) Patterns, as well as a new flow to create them. Therefore, it's crucial to polish this feature to deliver a great experience to users and add appropriate guidance to users about the Reusable blocks renaming, even if some of that polishing needs to be done during the Beta period.

cc @mikeschroder @azaozz @isabel_brison @ramonopoly

[audrasjb]

I personally think "Synced patterns" makes more sense than "Reusable blocks", so that is probably an interesting change.

However, this is called "Reusable blocks" since WP 5.0 and this terminology is massively present in the ecosystem. I think we must communicate widely on this change and as soon as possible, so the ecosystem can catch up and prepare in time for 6.3.

Adding needs-dev-note, needs-doc, needs-user-doc.

[hellofromTonya]

Related #46370 which may be required to support the Font Library and font management.

[Joen]

From design and having worked on the Library, I think it's important we bless it. The code is solid, and the main concern leveraged is the name change itself, which I believe will be easy to mitigate as tiny followups (see notice attachments).

The question then is: why rename them?

One of the features I anticipate will play a big role in 6.4 and later, is the wp:pattern block: ​https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/issues/48458. It is a big feature gap in the block editor allowing a sectional design to live in one place, but its content to be edited locally, then updated across. There is a massive overlap with reusable blocks functionality, which is why the name change is intended to reduce long term confusion around the two. As mentioned in the GH issue, reusable blocks might even be absorbed as a type of sync property of the pattern block.

In that light, making the name change now is going to mitigate future headaches that we will have to tackle regardless, and through careful notice of the change, we can limit those headaches further (see mockups).

[Joen]

Menu rename notice

[Joen]

Library rename notice

[glendaviesnz]

@Joen I have added the hints as you suggest here ​https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/51771

[annezazu]

This is an important chunk of work to both get in and get right for 6.3 as we wrap phase 2. Can this be blessed for the release?

[azaozz]

Replying to annezazu:

Of course.

[poena]

Hi @priethor, @Joen @annezazu The menu item has been implemented, and the reusable blocks have been renamed (https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/58577).
Are there any necessary steps left to complete before this ticket can be closed?
Are we waiting for the dev note to be published first?