Stay Calm! It’s Only The New WordPress Editor – TIM’s Experience

by theimperfectmodeller, posted in Musings, Uncategorized

When I woke up this morning I did what I always do.  I went to the toilet, got back into bed, reached for my Samsung Tablet which was on charge on the bedside cabinet and began to see what was happening in the world.  I checked the latest news and football headlines and then I took a look at my emails.  One from WordPress caught my eye.  My worst fears were confirmed.  Just like that I had been thrown into the world of the new editor function!

Suddenly my head ached and I found myself sweating.  I told myself to stay calm.  Surely it cannot be that bad?  Think logically.  Read the email, it will explain everything.  Remember, others had said you can still use the classic editor.  Cool, no problem, I can do this.  The email says there are two ways to choose the Classic Editor.  The second option doesn’t involve “Blocks” and looks easier.  Just hit the link and go to WordPress Admin.  Nothing, fuck all.  The link worked but when you get there nothing to explain how to use the Classic Editor.  Bastards.  OK it might be me there, I’m a guy, I don’t read everything and I certainly don’t look at instructions.  Even if there is something there they are still bastards.

51NeOOEG7qL

A light bulb moment!

Not the first to experience the new editor I remembered that others had provided a solution to this problem and I recall saving the tip for such a moment as this.  Now where did I save it?  Yes, yes, I book marked it!  Now what does it show?  Right, press the funny green symbol, then choose “options” and then select “Classic Editor”.  Simples!  Fuck, fuck fuckety fuck.  No Classic Editor option under Options.  Now what?

Keep calm, the email said there were two options, just take a look at the other one.  OK, it says you can choose the “Classic Block”.  I touched a few icons, a plus sign I think and then hit a few buttons, can’t recall which then scrolled down and some how found something that said “Classic”.  Is this it?  Let’s give it a try.  Wow, something I recognise at last but now I only have half a fucking screen!  How to get a full screen back?  Touch a few buttons.  No, no, no, yes, it’s gone.  What did I touch last?  Bugger, do it all again and make a note.  No, no, no, yes, hit the plus button again.  Progress.  you wont beat me you fucker. Now I’m on a role!

Let’s take a look at the Classic Editor.  Looks the same so it must be the same.  That button works, so does that one and that one.  How do I insert a photo?  OK so that works but the symbol is new but I can live with that.  Now how do I justify the text?  That looks like the button but it doesn’t do anything.  Must be another icon.  Nope, none of the others do it.  But I have to JUSTIFY!!!  Everything I do I Justify, it’s an OCD thing.  If I can’t Justify it’s the end of the Blog!  Check help.  To Justify use Shift, Alt and J.  Simples.  No fucking ALT on the Samsung Tablet keyboard!

Calm down.  Think.  Think.  Yes I remember now, I bought a Bluetooth QWERTie keyboard to use with my tablet.  Now where did I put it?  Ah, there it is.  Now why the fuck is that not working?  Needs to be charged!

Pause for 20 minutes.

Now Bluetooth enabled.  Shift, ALT, J.  Yippie I aye mother fuckers we can now justify!

Time to review where I am.  Can bring up Classic Block √.  Can insert photo √.  Can Justify √.  Can add a tick √.   Can link to Categories, not yet.  OK now I can √.  Publish, not yet.  OK now scheduled √.   Starting to look like I “might” be able make this thing work.

So what do I think of this new experience?

Let me try to be objective for a minute.  My blog, like most of those who I follow, is a relatively simple affair.  A few paragraphs and photo’s and voila.  It is a basic diary, it’s not a a newspaper or magazine and neither is it a fall blown website.  The Classic Editor, essentially a word processing tool with a few bits added to it is all I and most people need.  It seems to me that the new editor is over kill for me and I would hazard a guess and say for most people too.  I’m an old dog and happy to learn a new trick but it feels like I am being asked to learn a whole new show.  The problem with technology is just when you get the hang of something and it becomes time saving some spotty wanker on a skateboard living in California or wherever decides it’s time for a change for no other reason than they are bored.  In future please leave things alone and when you do get bored do some modelling.

So, in conclussion it gets a big thumbs up from me.

d60c266bb301928de93ef80ae19783bb

It might only be 10:30 am but I need a beer.

TIM

25 thoughts on “Stay Calm! It’s Only The New WordPress Editor – TIM’s Experience”

  1. Well if it’s got to you, Dave, it’s probably not going to be long before it gets to me! 🙂 On the plus side, I’m not doing enough to blog about at the moment, which probably means it will be more of a shock when it happens! Maybe the new one should be re-named the COVID-19 Editor – stops you doing stuff you used to do!

    Liked by 7 people

    Reply

    1. Yes it wasn’t a great experience but to be fair I was never going to be in the right frame of mind. I’m not anti change but not keen on change for the sake of change and the moment I just cannot see the benefit of this new editor at all. I looked at it a little more last night and it just seems to be a much longer and more complicated way of doing things. At some point someone will do some good stuff with it and wheh they do I may change my mind but for now I just don’t get it. They certainly chose the right year to make the change though and I love the idea of the COVID-19 Editor. 😊

      Liked by 6 people

      Reply

  2. Yup, this sounds a lot like my experience of it too. It’s great that it can do (apparently) lots of fancy, flashy things but all the basic tools that you’d want to use with every post are now a lot more complicated to access – a job that could be done with 1 or 2 clicks now takes 6 or 7. Ah well, that kid who goes to work on his skateboard and doesn’t have a chair in his office is probably a billionaire tech-revolutionary so who are we to argue…

    Liked by 7 people

    Reply

    1. You made me feel better knowing I am not a lone in my experience and conclussions but then I became depressed at the likely truism of the skateboard kid being a billionaire. Then again he could be young enough to still be at school and therefore a potential victim of another school shooting. 🤞

      Liked by 6 people

      Reply

      1. Ah if only a young Zuckerberg had fallen victim to a “tragic” school shooting … life would be so much better today.
        That happy note aside, I agree with the new look editor, it really seems geared towards marketeers making websites than old school bloggers. Sad.

        Liked by 4 people

  6. Haha, sounds like my Boss at work…except then I have to sit down and explain it to him in the middle!

    Our web site is upgrading to a new one, which also uses blocks in the UI. So it doesn’t bother me that much.

    I do totally agree with Wudu though, a lot of the simple tasks, like adding an image, are several more clicks in the new editor.

    The one change that has really annoyed me though (likely a bug), is when you go to schedule a future post, it no longer shows you if you have other posts scheduled or not. I’m sure professional bloggers would complain about that, and likely get fixed soon.

    It’s also sort of odd that the New Editor is very different from the rest of the WP interface now…so I can’t help thinking that there will be another bigger change to bridge those down the road. Happy, happy, joy, joy!

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

  8. I am so happy! Not because you and others are struggling but it kind of confirms that I’m not the only one who is struggling haha. I have persevered but only because I enjoy blogging and I enjoy the interactions with everyone here. Well done for sticking at it man. Maybe, just maybe it’s like driving a car for the first time or even dating for the first time. You know what you want but don’t exactly know how to get it BUT the reward will be well worth the effort haha. After reading this post I cracked open a beer and it’s 11am haha. Who cares, it’s beer ‘o clock somewhere in the world I’m sure.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. Have played around a little more with it but I just don’t get it. It seems like over engineering to me and with no purpose. Just as long as they keep the Classic block then I think I am OK although it does now take a lot longer and some things I used to be able to do I still cannot figure out yet. Just wondering what other fuck ups 2020 is going to bring ….

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

      1. I find the phone version of WP really bloody twitchy. I looked up reviews and the majority of people are really not liking the new Editor. Here’s hoping they revert back to the old one hehe. I really try not to complain but it’s just one of those little pleasures I have that the man is suddenly made harder haha. Bastards!

        Liked by 2 people

Leave a comment