DataForm Inspector: revisions

[oandregal]

Part of #76076

What

We need to look at ways of accessing revisions from the DataForm-based Inspector panel. This is how it works currently in the inspector:

Screen.Recording.2026-03-06.at.14.17.05.mov

Why

See #76076

How

Alternatives:

• One option is to render the Template field with the DataForm regular layout. Its Edit method would be a button that opens the revisions screen.
  • The problem with this approach is that mixing panel and regular layouts is at odds (labels: color & textcase, interaction: panel uses the whole row vs. regular uses only the Edit component).
• Convert revisions to an action.

[oandregal]

@jameskoster @jasmussen I've been creating more concrete issues for #76076 and this is another one that needs some design feedback.

[jameskoster]

For me, "View revisions" is an action, not a setting, so it should be grouped with other actions.

[fcoveram]

+1 to @jameskoster. It should not belong to the form context.

[jasmussen]

I don't disagree, but that needs a bit of a design. I feel like we have a few QuickEdit designs spread across Figma files. Does something come to mind? E.g. is it a new panel, something else? Just making sure the feedback doesn't block momentum.

[jameskoster]

I would group it with the existing actions in this menu:

This would be aligned with Dataviews:

[jameskoster]

I don't know that these actions need to be duplicated in the quick edit panel given they're already accessible in DataViews.

[jasmussen]

That's an option. Hmm, to me personally this feels buried.

[jameskoster]

I think it's appropriate, but that's based on how often I access revisions, which isn't very often at all. Obviously this is going to be quite subjective.

Another option, as you say, is to explore a different design for document actions. Could they be consolidated with the document title? Ideally they appear in some fashion when interacting with that element, which could feel quite natural.

One other idea could be a collapsible 'Revisions' panel that contains revisions history (using DataViews Activity layout).

[jasmussen]

Revisions is one of the strongest features of WordPress, specifically because the block syntax is so solid, we can actually preview in multiples of ways of which we're only scratching the surface. So I think they're a feature to advertise in a way that suggests "your changes are safe with WordPress", even if you never engage with them, it's useful to know they're there. For that reason alone, a revisions panel resonates, especially if in its collapsed state it can show something on the panel-bar itself. I feel like we had something like this in the past too, though right?

[jameskoster]

Oh yes, I think there was a Revisons "panel" in a past iteration, but it was effectively a link to revision.php styled to look like a panel. Something like that, conceptualised as "featured actions" could work. Are there any other actions we'd consider grouping here? "Move to trash" currently features prominently in the Inspector...

[jasmussen]

"Move to trash" currently features prominently in the Inspector...

— and I personally use that one all the time, so I wouldn't want it less prominent :D

But to not be anecdotal, there's a pretty nice connection between DataView quick actions (of which Trash is one) and unified inspector/dataform footer actions. I think they should be the same, ideally. With View and Trash as footer actions in a unified DataForm inspector.