Gutenberg 1.3 was released this week with many small tweaks and improvements to existing features. One of the most visible updates for those who are testing the Cover Image block is the addition of an opacity slider. It brings more flexibility to the feature than the previous on/off background dimming toggle provided. Users can now slide the opacity along a range snapped to percentages of 10.
Version 1.3 also introduces an option to convert a single block to an HTML block when Gutenberg detects conflicting content. This is a precursor to an open issue that proposes an HTML mode for blocks, essentially a mechanism for each block to be edited as HTML. Contributors are still discussing the best approach for implementing the UI, which we will likely see in a future release.
Gutenberg 1.3 adds a new submenu item that ramps up the potential for gathering more feedback from people who are using the plugin. The Feedback link appears in the plugin’s sidebar menu and leads to a polldaddy form that separates users’ comments into either either a feedback or support channel.
Instead of relying on testers to know where to go to offer feedback, the new link offers them an easily accessible avenue for sharing their thoughts and concerns. This option is especially helpful for those who are not as adept at using GitHub or writing meaningful bug reports. The forms guide the user to report important details of their setup, browser information, screenshots, and other useful information.
Gutenberg does not track any information about users who submit feedback via the Polldaddy forms and there is nothing to indicate that the responses will be made public. It is unrealistic to expect that the Gutenberg team will be able to respond to each submission individually, but it would be helpful if they provided summaries of trends in user feedback and how it is informing the design and development of the project. This could go a long way to prevent users from perceiving that their concerns are being buried.
Version 1.3 also adds expandable panels to the block inspector, support for pasting plain text markdown content (and converting it to blocks), and accessibility improvements to the color palette component. Check out the full changelog for more details.
This is starting to look reeeeally slick.