craftcms / craftcms/cms

[5.x]: General UI improvements for Craft 5

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#16,646 2 comments 2 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub

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bug
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PHP
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Description

What happened?

Since the release of Craft 5, I've noticed that some accessibility features and shortcuts are either missing or have changed. Additionally, there are some general UI improvements that could enhance the user experience. Below is a list the issues I've encountered:

  1. Missing Keyboard Shortcut (CMD+A) to Select All Elements
    This applies to entries, categories, assets, or pretty much any element. Previously, CMD+A would select all elements in the current view, but this no longer works as expected.

  2. Two Clicks Required to Remove Related Elements
    We now have to open the menu and select delete, whereas it used to be a single click by simply pressing the 'x'.

  3. Confusing Folder Navigation in the Assets View
    When clicking a folder, the URL visibly changes, but nothing is pushed through the browser history. One might expect to use the back button on their mouse, only to be redirected to the page they were on before they started working in the asset section.

  4. Inconsistent Slideout Window Buttons
    Some slideout windows (like "Element settings") have a gray "Apply" button, while others (like "Field settings") have a red "Save" button. The red "Save" button can be triggered using a shortcut (CMD+S), but the "Apply" button cannot. This often leads to the browser’s "Save this webpage" window popping up.

  5. Field Label Changes Don't Automatically Update the Handle
    When changing the field label in the "Field settings" slideouts, you have to manually edit the handle. It would be nice if after changing the label, a message appeared saying "Create handle," and automatically filled in the handle field for you.

  6. No Easy Way to Revert "Sign in as Other User"
    When signed in as another user, there’s no easy option to revert back to your own admin account. Currently, you have to log out and log back in.

  7. Lack of Duplicate Option for Entry Types
    On the section settings screen, when choosing an Entry Type, it would be helpful to have a "Duplicate" option. We often repurpose entry types, but when they become too unique, we need to split them apart. This option would speed up that process.

  8. No Option to Enable Drafts in Section Settings
    While you can enable versioning for entries in a section, it would be great to also have the option to specifically enable drafts. Not all sections need draft functionality.

Craft CMS version

5.x

PHP version

No response

Operating system and version

No response

Database type and version

No response

Image driver and version

No response

Installed plugins and versions

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

No files, tests, or entry points are named. Start by reviewing the listed Craft 5 admin workflows and reproducing each behavior: element selection, related-element removal, asset navigation, slideout actions, field handles, user switching, entry type settings, and drafts. Done would require an agreed scope and separate, testable changes for the selected improvements.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
php
Domain
frontend
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Needs clarification
Newbie friendliness
20/100

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