Navigation blocks doesn't update when adding, renaming pages

[base-creme]

Description

Navigation blocks are not working properly.
When I add, rename, remove pages, the block doesn't update its content.

Step-by-step reproduction instructions

1. Create a menu with Gut in site editor
2. Add pages (for instance : home, service)
3. Modify the name + slug of a page (for instance : service to services)
4. Save your changes

--> The menu isn't updated

1. Create a classic menu
2. Add pages
3. Add the menu to the header with site editor
4. Modify the name + slug of a page
5. Save your changes

--> The menu isn't updated

Screenshots, screen recording, code snippet

No response

Environment info

Wordpress 5.8.2
Gutenberg 12.2.0

Please confirm that you have searched existing issues in the repo.

Yes

Please confirm that you have tested with all plugins deactivated except Gutenberg.

Yes

[base-creme]

The only way I found to update is the following one :

1. go to site editor, select the navigation block and hit "manage menus"
2. delete the navigation block
3. make changes in the classic navigation and save changes
4. go back to site editor when you now have an error
5. hit "create new menu" and select the modified one

[coreyworrell]

@base-creme That only works once. As soon as you select the already created menu in the navigation block, it duplicates it as a new menu in the database and does not sync with the original classic navigation menu.

[pattyok]

Wondering if there are plans to fix this? This issue prevents me from even considering Full Site Editing.

[draganescu]

Howdy! So far the navigation block is not synchronized with classic menus, it only imports them, transforming a classic menu into a block menu. After the import the two things are not connected.

The navigation block supports synchronized navigation with pages, via the page list block. You can create a navigation block and add a page list block in it. As long as it is not transformed into a list of links (via the edit button) the page list block should be synced, in the sense that updates to page titles, links and hierarchy is immediately reflected.

There is still work to do on the abilities of the navigation block. For one links to posts and pages should auto update in terms of titles and links, similar to how the pages list block works - the user should be able to opt in at least on a per link basis or something.

However synchronization between classic menus and block menus is unlikely to become a feature as the import utility fulfills most of the use cases. It's not impossible for classic menu syncing to become at some point something that makes sense, depending on block theme adoption and the feedback on theme switching, but that is mostly projection.

[t-hamano]

Maybe this issue should be tracked by #38275.
Also, I think "Needs Testing" label is no longer needed

[mrfoxtalbot]

Many long-time users will expect the navigation block to work similarly to the way classic menus work. At the same time, this is not a bug in the sense that the navigation block is working as expected. I have replaced the "bug" label with the "enhancement" one.

Do you think it makes sense to add this to the backlog of the tracking post at #38275, @getdave, or is this still too distant at this point?

Thank you!

[getdave]

Do you think it makes sense to add this to the backlog of the tracking post at #38275, @getdave, or is this still too distant at this point?

@mrfoxtalbot I think it's one of the items we should be tackling. Please do add to the tracking issue 🙏

[mrfoxtalbot]

I cannot edit the issue itself, but I added a comment. Would this make sense? Were you referring to this @getdave? Thank you!

[abcmoritz]

Holy shit, this is driving me nuts. I was wondering why this is not syncing. It would be really helpful if the navigation block syncs with the menu. The page list is absolutely no solution. The case that I need a whole list of the pages and not some specific pages is rarer than me finishing code without bugs.

[amigoow]

Menu is not even syncing when you change the slug of category. So weird!

[getdave]

This appears to be a duplicate of #18345. I'm going to close out in favour of that canonical issue and we'll go from there.

Whilst contributors are focused elsewhere, I have started a exploration of this in #46891.

[Simbaclaws]

I would like the ability to disable the full site editor for a client so that they can't change the look and feel of their site (not giving them the ability to break things). If I want to do this, I'm forced to use the classical menu way of defining menu's for the client. Since they want the ability to alter the menu. This means that whatever they put in the classical menu, should be synced with what is displayed in the navigation block that has that menu selected.

But since this is not the case, I have to create my own menu post type (which means we'd have another custom post type, purely for the menu system, just to circumvent having to do it all in the site editor.)

What would be a good workaround to this solution in the current use case? Maybe creating a block for each menu that goes over the classical menu system?

I'm quite lost how I should implement this, knowing that gutenberg doesn't have full support for a menu system that is easily editable by a client. Instead of having to jump into the site editor for them to change it.

[getdave]

Hi @Simbaclaws. Thank you for your question. This Issue is closed and so it's unlikely you will get much input on your question.

I would recommend you re-post it over at https://wordpress.stackexchange.com which is a preferred solution for development related queries.

Many thanks.