List view should show up after changing the preferences to "Always open list view"

[hanneslsm]

Description

One of the first things I do when explaining Gutenberg to clients is to change the preferences "Always open list view".

When changing the preferences to "Always open list view" you'd expect that this will also toggle the list view. It doesn't. After closing the preferences you have to open the view manually or reload the browser. This is an unnecessary extra step.

Considering the help text saying "Opens the block list view sidebar by default." I'd label this as a bug. Because after exiting the preferences you'd expect the editor to be in the default mode.

Step-by-step reproduction instructions

1. Open preferences
2. Enable "Always open list view".
3. You'd expect that this will also trigger to open the list view. It doesn't. You have to reload the browser.

Screenshots, screen recording, code snippet

Screen.Recording.2023-04-23.at.20.58.56.mp4

Environment info

No response

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

[jameskoster]

This seems to be more of an issue with the copy than the functionality.

"Always open list view" as the main label could be interpreted as a toggle to make list view permanently open. The help text is a bit unclear too "by default" has no context.

[hanneslsm]

This seems to be more of an issue with the copy than the functionality.

I don't understand. What should the copy say instead?

"Always open list view" as the main label could be interpreted as a toggle to make list view permanently open.

Yes, this is what I'd expect. I want to have list view open permanently, the same as I have the layers always open in Figma. And for that, I change the preferences. There might be situations where the list view is "overlayed" by something like the block inserter. But nonetheless, I want to have the list view (or let's be more generic and let's say left sidebar) always open.

[hanneslsm]

Comment deleted. I created a separate issue: #50141

[jameskoster]

What should the copy say instead?

I'm not sure, we need to figure that out :)

Thank you for opening that separate issue 👍

[hanneslsm]

I'm not sure, we need to figure that out :)

I still don't understand. Are you referring to #49837, so it's about the wording and how the left sidebar is called?
This shouldn't impact the functionality as described above that when the toggle switch in the preferences is used, the list view (or sidebar or whatever it's called) should automatically be toggled.

[jameskoster]

Perhaps it helps to give context around why this option was originally added. It simply satisfies a need to have the List View panel open automatically when the Editor was loaded. It was never intended to permanently lock the visibility of the panel, which seems to be your interpretation.

So what I am saying is that we should update the copy to better describe the resulting functionality and (hopefully) eliminate that confusion.

[richtabor]

It was never intended to permanently lock the visibility of the panel, which seems to be your interpretation.

Why's that? It does seem a bit of an odd preference to be an initial state configuration. I would expect the preference to maintain either the List or Inserter views.

[jameskoster]

Here's the original PR: #40757.

Now that I think about it, does this even need to be a preference? Could/should list view remember whether it's open or not?

[richtabor]

Could/should list view remember whether it's open or not?

Probably should.

[hanneslsm]

It was never intended to permanently lock the visibility of the panel, which seems to be your interpretation.

Absolutely - this is my interpretation.

Perhaps it helps to give context around why this option was originally added. It simply satisfies a need to have the List View panel open automatically when the Editor was loaded.

Okay, makes sense. So the copy - if there is any if it's not automatically done - should be say something like: "Have the list view open when opening the editor" or so. Not beautiful, but you get the idea. Then, though, the issue that came up above (#50141) becomes even more relevant because people will complain that their list view disappeared, because they will think the same as I did: that the opening the list view is the equivalent to always have the left sidebar open (same behaviour as right)

How to continue? Can this issue be closed then and we open another one for saving the open/close-state of the list view?