Must save change to reusable block to be able to publish page.

[paaljoachim]

Description

One must save changes to a reusable block to be able to publish the page.

Step-by-step reproduction instructions

1. Add some content to the page.
2. Click save draft.
3. Create a reusable block. Give it a name in the right Reusable block sidebar settings.
4. Click Publish.
5. Uncheck the Reusable block. Notice the Save button is greyed out and it not clickable.
6. Click X.
7. Notice the post/page can not be published.

Expected behaviour

When unchecking the Reusable block checkbox I expected to be able to move onward in the Publish page process. But the Save button is not clickable so that I am not able to move onward to publish.

I would suggest adding a disregard/undo/do not save changes checkbox.
Perhaps something like this mockup:

Forcing the user to either Save (update changes made to) reusable block(s) or to click a checkbox to disregard changes.
The Save button in the top can become active again when the user has clicked the save or not save checkbox.
So one can move back to the Publish panel again and see the button without the dot in it.
One can then go ahead and publish the page.

Actual behaviour

I became stuck in the Save panel when I unchecked the checkbox for Reusable block. I was not able to publish the page.

Screenshots or screen recording (optional)

Must-save-reusable-block-to-publish-page.mp4

WordPress information

• WordPress version: 5.7 beta 3
• Gutenberg version: 10.0.2
• Are you using a default theme (e.g. Twenty Twenty-One)? Twenty Twenty One

Tracking issue: #27890

@youknowriad

[mtias]

If there are no changes to the post you cannot publish it. If there are changes it shows up:

[paaljoachim]

The problem is that the Publish page check box does not show in the save panel screen right after having clicked Save draft and modified the reusable block.

[paaljoachim]

This might be unique to how I am just focusing on testing reusable blocks. It seems that clicking save draft, modifying reusable block, clicking publish to enter save panel that the publish page checkbox is not able to catch up.

[mtias]

Right, the condition seems to be:

• Create a draft.
• Have all changes saved for the post / page.
• Have unsaved changes on a reusable block in the content.
• The save / publish flow only lists the reusable block so if you uncheck saving for the reusable block the main save function also gets disabled.

It seems the multi-entity flow should account for a case where you want to go from draft to published even if there are no changes to be pushed.

[paaljoachim]

Here is one fix.

When all options have been unchecked the Save button should become a Discard button.
As in this comment:
Improving multi-entity saving UI method.
#31456 (comment)

[ramonjd]

I ran into (what I think is) something similar with the Site Logo Block. Created an issue: #36096

[paaljoachim]

Associated issue being worked on these days by Bernie @ockham
Improving multi-entity saving UI method.
#31456

[kirstenschelper]

Same here. I can't save the post (page in my case) properly.
The editor keeps indicating the Update button with a dot (screenshot) even when there were no changes on the page. In addition to that I have to save the reusable block every time even when I didn't touch it. Looks like the screenshot @mtias posted above.

[smksky]

i have same problem, nobody else have solution of this problem?

[Giorgos-pl]

I have converted to a regular block. Well, i can't understand why the reusable block must be saved at all.

[youknowriad]

Noting that things have changed, now reusable blocks changes need to be made separately in the focus mode, if you leave some unsaved and you go back, the behavior is still the same but you also have the possibility to explicitly switch the post status to "publish" in the sidebar of the post.