Term Description (core/term-description) is broken in 6.4-RC2

[danieldudzic]

With 6.4-RC2 the core/term-description block is not registered.

6.3.2 - working correctly

• Editor: ​https://cloudup.com/cFcrg4DDyPY
• Inserter: ​https://cloudup.com/cG1_EShVyHH
• Front end: ​https://cloudup.com/carnkP-W2W6

6.4-RC2 - broken

• Editor: ​https://cloudup.com/cKfLlO3vAb4
• Inserter: ​https://cloudup.com/cVFZb3A8uvy
• Front end: ​https://cloudup.com/cJa31wewZZD

Testing instructions:

1. With a block theme, open Appearance > Editor.
2. Open Templates > All Archives.
3. Try to add the Term Description block. Notice that it's missing from the Inserter.

[swissspidy]

I think is an experimental block that is only available with the Gutenberg plugin active, as per this line: ​https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/blob/68d30bc600b85a86328f82c8e3d17780fa3e530d/packages/block-library/src/term-description/block.json#L4C3-L4C17

[danieldudzic]

@swissspidy I see.

Well, regardless of whether the block should be available with the Gutenberg plugin active only, it does work correctly without the Gutenberg plugin active in 6.3.2.

So now in 6.4, it's a regression.

[gigitux]

According to ​https://github.com/WordPress/Documentation-Issue-Tracker/issues/1205, it seems that it is expected that the block is available on WordPress 6.4.

[danieldudzic]

It seems that the ​change was made in order to hide the Term Description block from the post editor (and just have it available in the template editor).

But that's not what __experimental": "fse" was meant for.

[hellofromTonya]

I can confirm what is reported. In 6.4 within the Site Editor, the block renders as

Your site doesn’t include support for the "core/term-description" block. You can leave this block intact or remove it entirely.

Activating the Gutenberg plugin restores the Term Description block.

Reference:

• ​PR 51053 intentionally changed it to experimental to not render in the frontend, fixing ​https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/issues/38552 Gutenberg issue 38552].

Though it rendered in the frontend in 6.3, it seems intentional to not render in the frontend in 6.4, as it is experimental.

Thinking more broadly, I'm thinking experimental features and blocks should require the Gutenberg plugin and not render without the plugin. Likely a bugfix happened, though not sure what.

Exploring the differences between 6.3 and 6.4 in Core:

• The block's json file did not change between ​6.3 and ​6.4.
• ​The experimental flag is in Gutenberg's trunk.

As it did render in the frontend and Site Editor in WP 6.3, something did change in 6.4 to remove support for the experimental block without Gutenberg plugin being activated.

While IMO this is good to not expose experimental blocks/features in Core only, wondering: What changed and is it intentional?

Pinging some folks to hopefully find out @bernhard-reiter @poena.
Pinging the 6.4 editor tech leads for awareness @mikachan @siobhyb @karmatosed.

As noting, if action is required, this will likely need to be reported upstream in Gutenberg.

[huzaifaalmesbah]

I checked 6.4-RC2 the term-description block is not available without Gutenberg plugin.

[danieldudzic]

For context, this change breaks the Term Description block used in our patterns in WooCommerce Blocks: ​https://github.com/woocommerce/woocommerce-blocks/issues/11300

If this change is not reverted, 6.4 will cause breakage for users currently using those patterns but not having Gutenberg active.

[hellofromTonya]

​https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/issues/55665 is now open to report the regression and BC break.

[poena]

There seems to be some confusion about what the property __experimental does in block.json.

"__experimental": "fse" means it is included in the package updates, but the block is only available in site editing context. The Site Editor. This is because these blocks are intended for designing templates, not for content.
They do not work in the post content, this block never printed anything on the front if it was added in the post editor. The term description block has been in core sine 5.9.

"__experimental": true means it is not in Core.
Such as the new form blocks, table of content, time to read.

[swissspidy]

@poena that clearly doesn‘t seem to be working as the block is not available in the site editor in 6.4

Reference: ​https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/55583

Changes include:

• ​Patterns: fix bug with authors and contributors not seeing user pattern categories
• ​Query Loop: Disallow "enhanced pagination" with core blocks that may contain third-party blocks
• Regression: ​File block: Fix embedded PDF files in Safari
• Regression: ​Term Description block: ensure block is registered in core - fixes Core Trac 59755

Trac ticket: https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/59411

[hellofromTonya]

Update:

This regression and BC break was fixed in ​Gutenberg PR 55665 and will be included in the RC3 npm package updates being tracking in #59411.

Committed via https://core.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/57034

[hellofromTonya]

Fixed by [57033] on trunk and [57034] on the 6.4 branch.