Add "Learn WordPress" Links to the "WordPress Events and News" Dashboard Widget

[sumitsingh]

Hey Team

This ticket proposes adding links to Learn WordPress in the existing "WordPress Events and News" dashboard widget in wp-admin.

Objective:
Provide direct access to Learn WordPress resources for users via the dashboard.
Make it a quick and straightforward addition to the existing widget for now, while we explore creating a dedicated "Learn WordPress" widget in the core later.
Implementation Plan:

Quick Addition:
Extend the existing "WordPress Events and News" widget to include a link (or links) to Learn WordPress resources (e.g., Tutorials, Courses, Workshops).
This can be added in the widget footer or a prominent section, keeping the UI clean.

Future Enhancement:
In the background, we can work on designing and implementing a new, standalone dashboard widget focused entirely on Learn WordPress.

Benefits:
Encourages learning and contribution by making WordPress education resources more accessible.
Provides immediate value while a more comprehensive widget is developed.

Please share your feedback or suggestions for further improvement!

For more information see mentioned screenshot, please

[sumitsingh]

Training team thinking to add like this for now

[kaitohm]

Just noting, discussions around modifying the widget to show Learn events started in ticket:57785 and is now happening in ticket:61585. The proposal here is a separate and (hopefully) quick modification the team is proposing.

[_DorsVenabili]

+1 to this!

It's a minimal change, but it can hugely impact the traffic to learn.wordpress.org

[sumitsingh]

Thank you so much @_DorsVenabili
Replying to _DorsVenabili:

+1 to this!

It's a minimal change, but it can hugely impact the traffic to learn.wordpress.org

Trac ticket: https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/62512

### Description

This PR adds "Learn" link in Events and News dashboard widget.
### Expected behaviour

Learn link should be displayed after News link in Events and News dashboard widget.
### Screenshots/Screencasts
Before:

After:

[lakshmananphp]

+1 to this!
It will help users navigate to learn WP site quickly.

[sukhendu2002]

Test Report

Description

This report validates whether the indicated patch works as expected.

Patch tested: ​https://github.com/WordPress/wordpress-develop/pull/7870.diff

Environment

• WordPress: 6.8-alpha-59274-src
• PHP: 8.2.25
• Server: nginx/1.27.2
• Database: mysqli (Server: 8.0.40 / Client: mysqlnd 8.2.25)
• Browser: Chrome 131.0.0.0
• OS: macOS
• Theme: Twenty Twenty-Five 1.0
• MU Plugins: None activated
• Plugins:
  • Test Reports 1.2.0

Actual Results

1. ✅ Issue resolved with patch.
   • The "Learn" link is displayed correctly in the "WordPress Events and News" widget footer.
   • Links navigate to the expected resources.

Supplemental Artifacts

​https://postimg.cc/ct1cR3bd

[im3dabasia1]

Test Report

Description

This report validates whether the indicated patch works as expected.

Patch tested: ​https://github.com/WordPress/wordpress-develop/pull/7870.diff

Environment

• WordPress: 6.8-alpha-59274-src
• PHP: 8.2.25
• Server: nginx/1.27.2
• Database: mysqli (Server: 8.0.40 / Client: mysqlnd 8.2.25)
• Browser: Chrome 129.0.0.0
• OS: macOS
• Theme: Twenty Twenty-Five 1.0
• MU Plugins: None activated
• Plugins:
  • Test Reports 1.2.0

Actual Results

1. ✅ Issue resolved with patch. (Learn is now added in "WordPress Events and News" widget)

Supplemental Artifacts

Before:

After:

[ndiego]

Would this link to ​https://learn.wordpress.org, ​https://learn.wordpress.org/online-workshops/, or ​https://www.meetup.com/learn-wordpress-online-workshops?

I think it should be either the second or third option, and the title of the link should be something "Online Workshops". As this is the WordPress Events and News dashboard widget, I don't think it makes sense to just link to Learn.

[benazeer]

Thanks for the suggestion @ndiego

I will move forward with updating the 'Learn More' to 'Online Workshops' with this link ​https://learn.wordpress.org/online-workshops

[benazeer]

The link and text have been updated as per the suggestions in this PR ​https://github.com/WordPress/wordpress-develop/pull/7870.

The updated design now appears as shown in attachment. However, we may need to adjust the styles to ensure the text fits properly or consider modifying the text further.

Additional suggestions are welcome.

Please let me know if there’s anything else that needs to be addressed.

[kaitohm]

Replying to benazeer:

I will move forward with updating the 'Learn More' to 'Online Workshops' with this link ​https://learn.wordpress.org/online-workshops

This looks great!

If we were to put Online Workshops before News, would News appear on the new line as Trash does in the Activity widget shown to the left in your screenshot?

[benazeer]

Replying to kaitohm:

If we were to put Online Workshops before News, would News appear on the new line as Trash does in the Activity widget shown to the left in your screenshot?

Thanks for the suggestion! I tried placing Online Workshops before News, but unfortunately, News does not appear on a new line, as seen in the Trash placement within the Activity widget in your screenshot.

An alternative approach could be to update the other terms for better alignment and spacing. For example:

Update WordCamps to WordCamps Schedule
Update News to News & Updates

Attaching the screenshot for your reference. Let me know your thoughts!

[kaitohm]

I tested the widget in its current state. Depending on the screen resolution and site locale, the "opens in a new page" icon already drops to a new line. So maybe, we don't need to worry about this.

Once each locale translates the strings, the width will change and so what works in English may not work in other locales.

So, how about we go with your first suggestion?

[benazeer]

Thank you for testing the widget and providing detailed feedback! Considering that the icon already drops to a new line depending on the screen resolution and site locale, I agree that this behavior might naturally vary across translations.

To ensure consistency and adaptability across different locales and screen sizes, I suggest proceeding with the initial solution I proposed.

Please let me know if you have any additional preferences or concerns!

[kaitohm]

This sounds good. Let's go with the suggestion provided here:

[benazeer]

Okay, so the latest commit in this [PR]​https://github.com/WordPress/wordpress-develop/pull/7870 addresses the above suggestion. It is good to proceed with.

[kaitohm]

Wonderful. Thanks!

[alh0319]

Hey, I'm late to the party on this ticket, but this one that I created is relevant, so I wanted to make sure everyone is aware of it: https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/61585