Workflows ![rw-book-cover](https://make.wordpress.org/core/files/2023/07/collaboration-comments.png) ## Metadata - Author: [[Make WordPress Core]] - Full Title: Workflows - Category: #articles - Document Note: --- tags: - #wordpress - #gutenberg - #workflows Author: Make WordPress Core Source: Make WordPress (Core blog) Reference: https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/04/workflows/ date created: 2025-08-22 00:00 --- # Title: WordPress Phase 3 Workflows: Collaboration, Review, and Publishing Flow ## Table of Contents: - [🧭 Introduction](#-introduction) - [🎯 Scope Overview](#-scope-overview) - [💬 Inline Comments & Review States](#-inline-comments--review-states) - [🧩 Tasks in the Publish Flow](#-tasks-in-the-publish-flow) - [🔗 Sharing Drafts, Previews, and Design Changes](#-sharing-drafts-previews-and-design-changes) - [🧱 Extension Points for In‑App Previews](#-extension-points-for-in-app-previews) - [🗂️ Multi-Entity Saving, Scheduling, and Snapshots](#-multi-entity-saving-scheduling-and-snapshots) - [🔧 Version Control Hook Points](#-version-control-hook-points) - [🔐 Granular Permissions for Patterns & Templates](#-granular-permissions-for-patterns--templates) - [👥 Multi-Author Representation](#-multi-author-representation) - [🤝 Get Involved](#-get-involved) - [📝 Summary](#-summary) - [📖 Main Content](#-main-content) - [🗒️ Notes](#-notes) - [📖 References](#-references) - [🗣️ Paraphrase](#-paraphrase) - [📰 Newsletter](#-newsletter) - [✅ Action Items](#-action-items) - [🧪 Hypotheses](#-hypotheses) - [📊 Methodology](#-methodology) - [❓ Questions](#-questions) - [🔮 Future Research](#-future-research) - [💡 Implications](#-implications) - [🧠 Learning Styles Assessment](#-learning-styles-assessment) - [📊 Accessibility Assessment](#-accessibility-assessment) - [🌍 DEIB Assessment](#-deib-assessment) - [✅ Logical validity](#-logical-validity) - [🔍 DARVO Analysis](#-darvo-analysis) - [🔍 SEO Evaluation](#-seo-evaluation) - [🎯 Conclusion](#-conclusion) ### References: Include a list of sources consulted and cited in the article. - Make WordPress Core: Workflows — https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/04/workflows/ ## 🧭 Introduction “Provide seamless collaboration during the entire editorial process, from draft to publication. Allow users to add comments, suggest edits, and tag other users for peer review. Ensure the interface remains focused on a smooth experience for writers and editors.” (0%) The article outlines goals for Phase 3 workflows in WordPress, focusing on collaborative editing, structured review, permissions, previews, revisions clarity, and support from solo creators to large editorial teams. It also notes the importance of workflows for both unpublished and already-published content. (0%) ## 🎯 Scope Overview “This is a summary of the broad tasks we need to look into:” (25%) - Inline block comments with resolution states and tie-ins to revisions and “pending review.” - “Tasks” integrated into publish flow to block or guide publication readiness. - Shareable draft links with permission controls and revision browsing; extend to Site Editor design changes. - Extension points for in‑app previews so plugins can render role-based or context-based versions. (25%) ## 💬 Inline Comments & Review States - Introduce inline comments on blocks. - Use comment types; allow resolved/unresolved states. - Comment status folds within revisions so comments map to specific edit states. - Connect with “pending review” to gate publication. (25%) ## 🧩 Tasks in the Publish Flow - Add configurable “tasks” to highlight missing actions (e.g., word count, empty media, fields). - Attach tasks to statuses like “pending review,” including for already-published content. - Extensible by plugins and applicable beyond posts (e.g., WooCommerce order fulfillment). (25%) ## 🔗 Sharing Drafts, Previews, and Design Changes - Share draft links with permissions and clear revision browsing. - Extend previewing and sharing to Site Editor design changes across styles, templates, patterns. (25%) ## 🧱 Extension Points for In‑App Previews - Provide hooks so plugins can show variants: subscriber vs. non-subscriber, with/without ads, RSS vs. email rendering, etc. - Unified mechanics across editors for seamless integration. (25%) ## 🗂️ Multi-Entity Saving, Scheduling, and Snapshots - Improve multi-entity saving to schedule design changes across styles, templates, patterns, pages, and posts. - Possibly name future revisions to orchestrate site-wide changes. - Provide preview snapshots before going live. (50%) ## 🔧 Version Control Hook Points - Explore hook points allowing external VCS to take over internal revisions when desired. (50%) ## 🔐 Granular Permissions for Patterns & Templates - Control at a granular level rather than blanket locks. - Example: lock patterns to “content only” for authors while leaving full control for admins. (50%) ## 👥 Multi-Author Representation - Consider multi-author support on posts or improve representation via real-time collaboration and revision authorship. (50%) ## 🤝 Get Involved “There’s been a lot of interest… Let’s capture and highlight feedback to ensure all use cases are represented.” (75%) ## 📝 Summary: The article proposes Phase 3 workflow enhancements to make WordPress a first-class collaborative CMS. Core themes: inline block-level comments tied to revisions; task-based publish gating; shareable, permissioned previews for content and design; plugin extension points for context-aware previews; robust multi-entity scheduling and named future revisions; optional VCS integration; granular permissions at the pattern/template level; and better multi-author representation. The initiative aims to support everyone from solo creators to complex editorial teams and invites community participation. ## 📖 Main Content: The roadmap emphasizes end-to-end editorial collaboration: - Comments become first-class citizens at the block level, with resolution states persisted per revision state for historical clarity. This means reviewers can contextualize feedback against specific edits and authors can manage feedback lifecycles. - Tasks in the publish flow function like guardrails and checklists. They can block publication until criteria are met (e.g., empty media placeholders filled, min/max word counts, required fields). Because tasks are status-aware and extensible, plugins can introduce domain-specific checks (e.g., compliance, accessibility, eCommerce readiness). - Sharing is broadened beyond posts to site-wide design artifacts. Permissioned links allow stakeholders to preview and comment on both content and design changes without full access. - Extension points enable side-by-side experiences: subscriber vs. public views, ad vs. ad-free, or rendering modes like RSS/email to support editorial QA across channels. - Multi-entity saving and scheduling unify rollouts across styles, templates, patterns, posts, and pages—critical for coordinating campaigns or seasonal redesigns. Named future revisions and preview snapshots support change management and approvals. - Hook points for version control pave the way for Git-based workflows to optionally supersede WordPress revisions—attractive for engineering-heavy teams. - Granular permissions replace blunt locking, allowing authors to edit content within patterns while preserving design integrity for administrators. - Multi-author representation acknowledges complex authorship and real-time collaboration, clarifying who did what and when. - The post closes by inviting community feedback and contributions. ### 🗒️ Notes - Collaboration goals (0%): - Seamless draft-to-publication collaboration. - Add comments, suggest edits, tag users. - Keep UI writer/editor friendly. - Review and gating (0%/25%): - Tasks/checklists prevent premature publishing. - Handle placeholders, word count, required fields. - Apply to unpublished and published content. - Inline block comments (25%): - Use comment types. - Resolved state tracking. - Comments tied to specific revisions. - Integrate with “pending review.” - Sharing and previews (25%): - Permissioned draft links. - Revision browsing clarity. - Extend to Site Editor design changes. - In‑app preview extensions (25%): - Role/context-based renders (subscribers, ads, RSS/email). - Unified hooks for plugin integration. - Multi-entity scheduling (50%): - Document Tags: [[gutenberg]] [[phase 3]] [[wordpress]] - Summary: This document discusses the workflows in the Phase 3: Collaboration roadmap. It focuses on improving collaboration during the editorial process by allowing users to add comments, suggest edits, and tag other users for peer review. It also aims to customize the review process and control access through permissions. The document highlights various tasks that need to be addressed, such as introducing inline comments, supporting "tasks" in the publish flow, and improving multi-entity saving. Additionally, it calls for user feedback to ensure that all use cases are represented. - URL: https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/04/workflows/ This is part of the **Phase 3: Collaboration** roadmap. The main projects are [Real-Time Collaboration](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/03/real-time-collaboration/), [Workflows](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/04/workflows/), [Revisions](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/05/revisions/), [Media Library](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/07/media-library/), [Block Library](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/10/block-library/), and [Admin Design](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/12/admin-design/). #### Introduction Provide seamless collaboration during the entire editorial process, from draft to publication. Allow users to add comments, suggest edits, and tag other users for peer review. Ensure the interface remains focused on a smooth experience for writers and editors. [![Mockup showing a new cursor / tool option in the editor for adding "comments" to blocks.](https://make.wordpress.org/core/files/2023/07/collaboration-comments.png)](https://make.wordpress.org/core/files/2023/07/collaboration-comments.png) Improve the publishing flow by customizing the review process, establishing what needs to be done before a publication is ready. For example, an author could leave empty media blocks in a story they are writing and mark them to be completed by another team member, ensuring the post cannot be published while empty placeholders are still there. This could also include other types of requirements, like word count, fields to be completed, and so on. Make it straightforward to share different types of content, from posts to design changes, while controlling access through permissions. Connect with the admin notifications project to capture comment reviews and mentions. Build upon improvements to the post revisions interface to provide clarity over edit history. The tools and infrastructure developed need to support simpler use cases (one author sharing previews with friends for feedback) all the way to larger editorial teams, managing deadlines, handoffs, and more sophisticated review processes. Plugins should be able to take it further. While a lot of this work naturally aligns with unpublished content, it’s also important to consider workflows around already published content and pages. #### Scope This is a summary of the broad tasks we need to look into: * Introduce inline comments on blocks within the editor experience. Explore using comment types to store them. Allow marking comments as resolved. Status of comments also need to fold within individual revisions, so that it’s easy to see what specific edit state a comment refers to. Possible connection with “pending review” functionality. * Explore introducing support for “tasks” in publish flow. These would allow highlighting missing actions before a post is to be published. It can be connected to various post statuses (such as going from “pending review” to “publish” readiness, ability to have pending review status over already published content, or other custom statuses). Individual actions should be highly configurable by users and extensible by plugins. Tasks can also go beyond publishing and be relevant for other plugins (like marking fulfilled orders in WooCommerce data structures). * Ability to share draft links with permission controls and clear revision browsing. This also extends to previewing and sharing design changes across the entire collection of features of the site editor. * Introduce extension points for in-app previewing. For example, a plugin might want to show how a post looks for subscribers and non-subscribers; with or without ad units; on an RSS feed or an email; etc. Core should provide good mechanics for plugins to hook, control, and modify these views across editors in a way that integrates seamlessly with the editing flows. * Improve multi-entity saving to allow scheduling design changes on block themes that can be managed through the various revisions systems (styles, templates, patterns, pages, posts). Possibly allow naming future revisions to better manage and orchestrate changes throughout a site. Preview snapshots of a site before they go live. * Explore hook points for version control systems to smoothly take over internal revision systems if desired. * Control access with granular permissions for patterns and templates rather than general locking. For example, lock patterns to “content only” for author roles but leave it open for admins. * Consider multi-author support on posts or improve how it can be represented as a side effect of real-time collaboration and revision authorship. #### Get Involved! There’s been a lot of interest from users, developers, agencies, etc, about these set of features. Many have already reached out over the last year and months to share experiences, insights, or existing plugin work to reference. Let’s capture and highlight feedback to ensure all use cases are represented., Workflows, Make WordPress Core, 01h5jn2x1pwx2b5hscy8s6ztby.