Add a contextual link to add a block to a region

Dependant issue has been committed.

Do we want to add a contextual link for all possible regions? Or just the ones that are currently available on the page?

@legolasbo

Do we want to add a contextual link for all possible regions? Or just the ones that are currently available on the page?

Since there are other ways to accomplish the same task I would say only regions that are displayed. By analogy, in Quick Edit module we do not provide a way to "quick edit" fields that are not rendered.

By analogy, in Quick Edit module we do not provide a way to "quick edit" fields that are not rendered.

That's an invalid analogy. Some fields cannot be rendered, because they're metadata. OTOH, all regions can be rendered, because that is their entire purpose.

I would say every region should have a contextual link, including ones that currently don't have blocks. Because that's the point: you want to put blocks in certain locations, so shouldn't we give the user the ability to add blocks to currently empty regions?
(And yes, I'm well aware that this is not without consequences. I'm playing the devil's advocate here: I'm trying to channel what users want to be able to do.)

By analogy, in Quick Edit module we do not provide a way to "quick edit" fields that are not rendered.

That's an invalid analogy. Some fields cannot be rendered, because they're metadata. OTOH, all regions can be rendered, because that is their entire purpose.

I would say every region should have a contextual link, including ones that currently don't have blocks. Because that's the point: you want to put blocks in certain locations, so shouldn't we give the user the ability to add blocks to currently empty regions?
(And yes, I'm well aware that this is not without consequences. I'm playing the devil's advocate here: I'm trying to channel what users want to be able to do.)

I fully concur with Wim,

If we are able to find a way for the user to add blocks from the front end we could hit two birds with one stone.

1. Improve block placement UX a great deal
2. Remove the "Block layout" page (or at least make it a sub-section of the theme settings) which fixes some concerns raised in #2512456-210

Couldn't we use AJAX to "enable" the regions when they are needed for block placement and then "disable" them again after a block was placed and/or settings were saved.

What is going to trigger that? Any contextual link on the page would make all regions suddenly appear?

This is why the Panels IPE has buttons at the bottom to trigger the mode where all regions are shown.

This is why the Panels IPE has buttons at the bottom to trigger the mode where all regions are shown.

That's what I was thinking of.

I can't imagine how that would be in scope for 8.0.x

Couldn't we use AJAX to "enable" the regions when they are needed for block placement and then "disable" them again after a block was placed and/or settings were saved.

This is a good idea, but as Tim suggested, it feels out of scope for 8.0. The purpose of this issue is to make an immediate fix to a usability issue by leveraging an existing interaction pattern to behave as the user expected it would, not to introduce a new interaction pattern which s what some comments here are creeping towards.

I fully expect that there will be several competing solutions in Drupal 8 contrib for dragging and dropping blocks around on the page in a Panels IPE-like fashion (there are already two that I know of, edit UI, and better blocks ). IMO this issue should take the simplest approach possible and leave the more complex functionality to contrib.

This functionality it seems would be included in this issue #2724819: Create experimental module for place block on any page feature

adding to this issue from #2724819: Create experimental module for place block on any page feature
in mixing these issues https://www.drupal.org/project/bud has some good progressive ideals in-line with this ticket.

of course, further down the trail of (progressive) enhancement would be https://www.drupal.org/project/feadmin -- for drop 'n drag & cross region dropping.

Duplicate of functionality in: #2724819: Create experimental module for place block on any page feature