WordPress 5.5 problems, part 2

Here is a list of problems I have found with WordPress 5.5. Can you tell me if any of these are due to incompatibility with Newspaper (I am using 10.3.6.1) or WP problems? Does everyone else see these problems?

(1) “Settings” closes when Blocks Library is opened.

(2) Paragraph no longer automatically recognises HTML if you paste in HTML – you have to search for and load the block Custom HTML template.

(3) Default Block colours are changed. To get the grey I have used for months I have to execute about 12 keystrokes in typing in a custom colour

(4) Preview: Mobile and Tablet previews don’t work, only Desktop preview loads.

(5) Block library at + at right of new paragraph no longer just scrolls. Need to do a click to open.

(6) In Options:

(a) Enable the Most Used Blocks category in the block library doesn’t work.
(b) Advanced Panels don’t appear, except for Featured Video and Feature Audio. Custom Fields, Yoast SEO, Post Settings and (in my case) Leaky Paywall are missing after checking their boxes.

WP 5.5 has created far more work for me. I have to use many more keystrokes to get the same result as before I updated to 5.5.

Thanks
MG

Thanks, Calin

1) – for me, I cannot have both Blocks Library and Settings open at the same time. I am on a MacBook, but I think the same applied on my iMac

2) Yes – so one has to work harder, more clicks. Before, I could paste code into a block and the html is immediately recognised – WordPress have created more work for editors.

3) I am referring to WordPress wp-admin/post.php. Under Settings/Block/Colour settings, WordPress have arbitrarily changed the default colours. I used to select a light grey background, around #ededed. WP has changed this to dark grey, perhaps never considering that some users might be using the previous light grey. Consequently I have now to select custom colour and enter #ededed – more keystrokes for the editor

4) Mobile and tablet show reduced column size in the editor but if you select mobile or tablet then hit Preview, you always get a desktop preview, not mobile or tablet.

5) Yes, a retrograde step by WP – makes more work for the editor.

6a) It doesn’t work for me except within a single post. It won’t retain Most Used when I begin a new post. WP used to retain Most Used for new posts. But that stopped working for me long before 5.5, in an earlier version.

6b) Ok, thanks – I didn’t know WP had moved them.

Overall, I find 5.5, so far, to be worse than the previous but perhaps this will be resolved in an update.

But please do check none of these problems result from incompatibility between Newspaper and WP 5.5…

Mark

Thanks, Simion – I see my WP has updated to 5.5.1. I look forward to seeing fixes.

I won’t know if any issues are only with NP as NP is the only theme I use…

Regards
Mark Gilbert

Just for the record, I see no improvements in WP 5.5.1.

1) Still can’t have both Settings and Blocks Library open at the same time (using MacBook Pro 15″)
2) Paragraph still doesn’t automatically recognise pasted HTML code. Elaborate steps are needed to achieve what used to take one pasting keystroke.
3) Default block colours remain changed, arbitrarily.
4) Still only previews in desktop mode, though it shows tablet and mobile views in editor, which is pointless. And of course takes 3 clicks (open dropdown, select open in new tab, click elsewhere to close dropdown). Can’t they at least make dropdown close automatically?
5) No change
6a) No change, doesn’t preserve Most Used Blocks outside current edit
6b) Ok, though can’t see point of design change.

Still, overall with 5.5 WP have created a lot more work for users. Not Newspaper’s problem, of course! Unless there are compatibility issues.

Thanks
MG

Another thing – when you put your cursor at the front of paragraph one, then select a block from the library it deposits it at the beginning of paragraph two. More work, moving it to top of p1…

In the short term, before WordPress might fix or ditch this misconceived update:

1) does anyone else find that WordPress no longer saves Most Used blocks list beyond one post and has anyone found a fix, and

2) does anyone else find that despite putting the cursor before first word of a post, Most Used blocks places any Reusable block selected at the top of the second paragraph?

Thanks
MG

Thanks, Calin – I updated to 5.5.1 the day it launched. As I say, these problems for me go back a long time, perhaps a year or so. Any other ideas?

Hi Calin – thanks. Unfortunately I don’t know how to create subdomain or staging.

Now I find that Post Settings in WordPress are appearing at the bottom of the right-hand column, visible but the column is too narrow, making text entry very difficult and many fields obscured. Very inconvenient. Why has it moved from beneath the post? WP 5.5.1 for me gets worse and worse. I haven’t had time to create subdomain yet. I just need software that works. A year ago NP and WP worked fine.

Here’s what I’m seeing: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aB4b2OyAl-83NSYjIQrxo9eFJHU2Uhrk/view?usp=sharing

Leaky Paywall parameters have also moved back there after moving to below the post for a while.

For me the up arrow is greyed out and does not return Post Settings to the bottom of the post. See here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zUfFRP1m8bFMyrhOoBwmIbisxSgyzvX2/view?usp=sharing

The only thing the arrows do is move Post Settings (or any other field) up and down in the side panel. They don’t move anything out of the side panel.

I hope there’s a fix of this. Work with 5.5 just gets harder and harder…

Thanks
MG

Ah now I see it – perhaps you forgot to say you have to have Custom Fields selected in Options. Then side panels can be moved to bottom of the post. Solved!