Unnecessary vertical space appears on Tags screen when no tags exist

[sainathpoojary]

On the Tags admin page (wp-admin/edit-tags.php?taxonomy=post_tag), when no tags exist, a container element intended for bulk actions and pagination is still rendered. Although its child elements are hidden via display: none, the container itself still occupies vertical space.

This results in a visible but functionally empty gap between the tags table and the “Tags can be selectively converted to categories using the tag to category converter.” message, creating a layout inconsistency and an impression that something is missing in that space.

Steps to Reproduce:

1. Navigate to Posts > Tags in the admin dashboard.
2. Ensure no tags exist.
3. Observe the spacing between the table and the “No tags found.” paragraph.

Environment

• WordPress: 6.9-alpha-60093-src
• PHP: 8.2.28
• Server: nginx/1.27.5
• Database: mysqli (Server: 8.4.5 / Client: mysqlnd 8.2.28)
• Browser: Chrome 135.0.0.0
• OS: macOS
• Theme: Twenty Twenty-Five 1.2
• MU Plugins: None activated
• Plugins: Test Reports 1.2.0

Screenshot

Hides the bottom tablenav container on taxonomy term list screens when it contains a hidden .tablenav-pages.no-pages element. This prevents unnecessary vertical spacing when no tags exist and improves layout consistency in the admin UI.

Before:

After:

Trac ticket: #63369

[dilipbheda]

We remove the bottom table navbar section directly within the PHP script instead of simply hiding it with CSS.

[dilipbheda]

@sainathpoojary I've attached the patch. Please review it and apply it to your PR.

[sainathpoojary]

Thanks for the patch @dilipbheda, I’ve reviewed it and it looks great. It handles the issue more cleanly by skipping the bottom tablenav at the DOM level, which avoids relying on CSS to hide unused markup. I’ll apply it to my PR and update the description accordingly.

Appreciate the contribution!

I tested the patch and it works fine for me. I can see there is no extra DOM element even after the removal of the tags -

However, I found this was the immediate state after removing the tags -

Which does not look ideal. Can you maybe create another ticket and handle this issue separately?

Agreed @himanshupathak95, I was able to reproduce the issue as well. I’ll open a separate ticket for it.

[dhruvang21]

Test Report

Description

This report validates the patch works as expected.

Patch tested: https://core.trac.wordpress.org/attachment/ticket/63369/63369.patch

Environment

• WordPress: 6.9-alpha-60093-src
• PHP: 8.2.22
• Server: nginx/1.27.0
• Database: mysqli (Server: 8.0.39 / Client: mysqlnd 8.2.22)
• Browser: Chrome 135.0.0.0
• OS: Linux
• Theme: Twenty Ten 4.4
• MU Plugins: None activated
• Plugins:
  • Test Reports 1.2.0

Actual Results

1. ✅ Issue resolved with patch.

[SirLouen]

@sainathpoojary check reviews when possible.

Agreed @himanshupathak95, I was able to reproduce the issue as well. I’ll open a separate ticket for it.

Which is the other ticket you have opened?

Hey @SirLouen, The other ticket I’ve opened is: #63547

Hey @SirLouen, The other ticket I’ve opened is: #63547

@SainathPoojary I'm not sure that this ticket is related with this issue. And you are not participating there. Double check it please.

Sorry for the inconvenience caused, @SirLouen. I’ve updated the comment to point to the correct ticket

[SirLouen]

6.9.0 Milestone proposed during today's <bug-scrub>
​More information

[audrasjb]

Moving to 6.9 as per previous scrub.

[audrasjb]

In 60613:

Administration: Avoid rendering empty bottom tablenav container when pagination is hidden.

This changeset removes the bottom tablenav container on taxonomy term list screens when it contains a hidden .tablenav-pages.no-pages element, to prevent unnecessary vertical spacing when no tags exist.

Props sainathpoojary, dilipbheda, audrasjb, abcd95, dhruvang21, SirLouen.
Fixes #63369.