Add a highlight border around empty parent blocks

[heathergray]

What problem does this address?

If I add a button block and then remove it, a parent block can be left behind. If I then save the changes and leave the page, when I go back in the button comes back on its own. I can check the list view or the breadcrumbs for empty parent blocks, but knowing that I need to, in that case, is tricky.

button-issue.mp4

What is your proposed solution?

If a border or highlight is added around an empty parent block so that it's obvious that it exists, then I can know to remove it. That would help a lot.

@aurooba has been discussing the issue with me

[aurooba]

PR draft is ready ( #38337 ), for a simple fix for this situation! While a highlight or border would not follow the patterns in the Block Editor, we can add a visual cue by showing the Button Block Appender when the parent block is empty. :)

[annezazu]

Hey folks! Neat to see this discussion. I've definitely run into this a few times myself. It's come up before in this issue where you can see some wider context: #28217 On the topic if highlighting blocks, this was an intentional decision and you can see a conversation about the considerations of that here: #23892

Definitely recommend checking out the above discussions to influence possible next steps.