jetpack 🚀 - Settings UI: no way to enable some modules that were previously disabled

This was a design decision. You can only access it via CLI, Filter, or the fallback module page at /wp-admin/admin.php?page=jetpack_modules

cc @MichaelArestad maybe wants to explain the decision further

dereksmart on 28 Mar 2017

Okay. So we are removing the option to disable several modules that really aren't super necessary to turn off. This is an attempt to simplify the interface down into just the most useful essentials. In other words, it should just work without having to dig through a bunch of scary-sounding stuff.

This creates the problem you highlighted of turning them back on for previous users. As @dereksmart has pointed out in the past, just enabling them could be dangerous for certain users depending on them being off. So, we're left with a couple of options for things like this:

We could show a notice/banner/whatever somewhere that allows activation (but not deactivation) of items like this. Basically, it would be something like "You have the JSON API off. In order to get _____, you'll need to activate it. Activate"
We could point users looking for it to the old module manager.
We could turn them all on and hold our breath for several months.

MichaelArestad on 28 Mar 2017

Maybe It would be great to provide an escape hatch to wp-admin/admin.php?page=jetpack_modules
that is hidden somewhere just in case.

enejb on 28 Mar 2017

@enejb yes, we had the same idea, thus it's already there in wp-admin/admin.php?page=jetpack-debugger

zinigor on 28 Mar 2017

We could solve that problem exactly with the search, showing those modules to the users only when they search for them. I imagine most users trust us with having a good secure and functional baseline, but for those looking for granular stuff we can display the why contextually.

Some of the features could simply say “this module is turned on by default”, while others could allow you to switch them on/off (don't know if we even want this, though). Adding some micro copy about how we turn on the base features by default might be useful as well, for when the user is looking for one specific feature. Just a tiny bit of context, but be transparent about it.

This could work for features that are somewhat technical or has a strong default, but it’s non-essential to the average user or regular working site.

keoshi on 28 Mar 2017

We could solve that problem exactly with the search

@keoshi I think that might be too buried. For example, I have seen several people disable the JSON API without really knowing what it is. Would they even remember what to search for?

Some of the features could simply say “this module is turned on by default”,

But then we would need UI for those cards and could just add toggles which takes us back to square one in simplifying the UI.

MichaelArestad on 28 Mar 2017

We could solve that problem exactly with the search
I tried doing exactly that but it didn't work.

Would they even remember what to search for?
We could ask them in the documentation. To search for the module and activate it.

For some reason I am not able to visit the help tab when I have Hello Dolly enabled s
screen shot 2017-03-28 at 09 42 03
ee

enejb on 28 Mar 2017

I have seen several people disable the JSON API without really knowing what it is. Would they even remember what to search for?

From what I got we're i) turning on certain modules by default and ii) hiding those from the settings UI. Wouldn't this prevent people from disabling the JSON API module, for instance? And if the case is that someone _does_ disable it, they have to specifically look for it, which means we can assume they have confidence in what they're doing _and_ they know how to get there again to enable it back.

But then we would need UI for those cards and could just add toggles which takes us back to square one in simplifying the UI.

I meant that as a standard message for all enabled-by-default-and-locked modules, which wouldn't have a toggle at all.

keoshi on 28 Mar 2017

Wouldn't this prevent people from disabling the JSON API module, for instance?

Yes. It's pretty (extremely) few and far that need to disable the ones on by default. They can do it with filters or with the old module manager (for now).

And if the case is that someone does disable it, they have to specifically look for it, which means we can assume they have confidence in what they're doing and they know how to get there again to enable it back.

I wish that was the case. Often people disable stuff thinking their site will get faster and JP has alot of stuff.

MichaelArestad on 28 Mar 2017

It seems like Michael's (1) is a solid option. To consider other options, it might be helpful to know where any of those proposals potentially fail to meet user needs.

The other option is added those items back in under a sort of "advanced" area that can be linked to directly in such cases. Being led a bit in this comment though by a @jeherve post last week. :)

ashleighaxios on 28 Mar 2017

I'd like us to take a stab at implementing One Way Activation™ for 4.9. This means we would allow those who previously disabled modules that no longer are disable-able or have UI to enable them, but not disable them.

I propose a Banner component with a Gridicon, no plan level, a single line of copy that explains a bit about the module, and an Enable button. Once clicked, it goes away. It will work fairly well in places like the XML sitemaps.

sitemaps

For those modules that have no UI at all now, I think we should show the banners in a Search, but nowhere else. For example, if someone searched for the JSON API and it was disabled, we could show a One Way Activation™ Banner right at the top of the search results.

search-result

MichaelArestad on 19 Apr 2017

More feedback from users in the following issues and threads:

jeherve on 24 Apr 2017

Moving this here as it's relevant:

A user in my local WordPress meetup group was looking for a recipe plugin, so I suggested she try Jetpack's recipe shortcode, since it's built right in and very handy and easy to use.

The user came back to say that she couldn't figure out how to activate the shortcodes module within Jetpack, as it wasn't listed anywhere in the settings. I took a look myself, and after about _10 minutes_ of searching around the new settings interface, I absolutely could not find it, either. I also then noticed that many other popular modules are also missing, like the contact form. I searched the Jetpack documentation in vain as well - the Shortcodes Embed page makes no special mention of any special steps to activate it.

I then headed to the Jetpack page at WordPress.org, planning to search the forums and see if I could figure out where the heck all those modules had gone. Lo and behold, a 2-star review right on the first Jetpack page on wp.org gave me the answer:

jetpack by wordpress com wordpress plugins-1

This is how I discovered that many modules are now accessible only by clicking a tiny "Debug" link all the way at the very bottom of the settings page:

jetpack wp engine test site wordpress-1

...and then buried within the next page full of text, in very small writing that says "Access the full list of Jetpack modules available on your site."

wp engine test site wordpress

There is almost no chance a regular user would find these missing modules on their own. Heck, three developers and tech-support staff very familiar with Jetpack were unable to find it on their own.

I do understand wanting to simplify the options within Jetpack, but the current iteration makes it impossible for users to find hidden features they may be looking for. (To say nothing of making it difficult for users to "discover" features they may find useful but didn't know Jetpack offered. I can see many users installing a separate contact-form plugin now, not realizing that Jetpack comes with one built in.)

As a temporary workaround for now, could we please consider adding something like this to each settings screen, maybe just above the "We're here to help" section:

Looking for more features? See all modules

...with a link to all the modules?

This will prevent a lot of frustration.

zoonini on 24 Apr 2017

👍12

From 3168642-t:

I think long-time users like me are a bit confused by the UI changes when they obscure access to certain settings.

aheckler on 25 Apr 2017

@zoonini These are only issues that arise for users that have previously disabled those modules. New users won't run into this since they'll be enabled by default. That said, we're working on making it much easier for those users to re-enable the modules.

MichaelArestad on 25 Apr 2017

Thanks @MichaelArestad - thanks for clarifying, and I do understand that. However, with millions of Jetpack users, that base is pretty significant and I hope we can do something to reduce confusion, such as add a simple link as I suggested above, and/or make the modules searchable as was suggested elsewhere. Those suggestions would not overly complicate the current UI but prevent a lot of hair-pulling and frustration.

(p.s. sorry, I was logged in from a different account earlier by accident, I'm zoonini)

kathrynwp on 25 Apr 2017

I'll echo Kathryn's statement: just because they're "new users" doesn't mean they're new to Jetpack. If they're trying to find the setting to turn something off, that's well within their right to do so regardless of how we've set up the current UX - a search should pull up a result and corresponding "on/off" switch.

csonnek on 25 Apr 2017

👍2

My situation was that I wanted to "re-disable" :-P Photon while keeping Tiled Galleries active. I knew that the two can be separated, and thought I was going crazy until I contacted support and Adam gave me the direct link for the individual modules.

So in a nutshell, I'd like to add my vote that there should be an easier way to access "Advanced" settings or whatever you want to call it.

And forcing users into features with a "One way activation" for the sake of UI simplification is not a solution. Add a warning: "Attention: xyz relies on JSON API (or whatever) and disabling it will also disable xyz - are you sure you want to proceed?" - educate users, don't treat them like dummies.

antermoia on 25 Apr 2017

👍2

@antermoia The problem in your situation is that Tiled Galleries automatically uses Photon even when Photon is "off." I believe there's an issue to separate them so that it doesn't require photon. In that case, we'll unpair them in the UI.

EDIT: To elaborate, I ran into an issue with one of my hosts where photon breaks the site because the host is slower. I disabled it, but kept trying to use tiled galleries. Unfortunately, they were still busted because of Photon.

MichaelArestad on 25 Apr 2017

@csonnek We're trying to reduce the number of on/off switches to help future-proof our plugin a bit more against situations like these. At least that's one of the goals. The transition could have been better and there is a solution worked up for re-enabling these. I don't think we should make it convenient to disable certain modules as we have done in the past.

If they're trying to find the setting to turn something off, that's well within their right to do so regardless of how we've set up the current UX

I would also challenge this assumption. While it is within their right to figure out how to disable something one way or another, we don't have to provide a setting for that and in some cases, it's probably not a good idea to.

MichaelArestad on 25 Apr 2017

@MichaelArestad I know that Tiled Galleries always uses Photon - but only to render the gallery grid, not for the full size images. So that's fine with me.

(background: as a photographer, I try to stay in control of my images as much as I can - Photon would take away the ability to at least block the most offensive hotlinkers who steal my photos and embed them on their "get free wallpapers here!" sites that are laced with questionable ads.)

antermoia on 25 Apr 2017

👍2

I don't think we should make it convenient to disable modules as we have done in the past.

Just wanted to point out that in my real-world example from this weekend, the current UI actually made it impossible for a user to enable a module. (Shortcode Embeds.) A user may have disabled something a long time ago that they decided they didn't need. Making it extremely hard for them to turn it back on (because it's impossible to find) is super frustrating for them -- and means one less person using that JP module.

kathrynwp on 25 Apr 2017

👍3

@kathrynwp I am aware. I'm as concerned as you are. This has been something we've been struggling to find a good option for because we definitely don't want to frustrate any of our users. We also didn't quite get a proposal in for the release. We now have a design that solves this in a one way fashion (can enable, but not disable) and it's up to our devs to implement it.

MichaelArestad on 25 Apr 2017

3178737-t

I am unable to find a settings page option to disable the Contact Form module.

tmmbecker on 26 Apr 2017

Also in https://wordpress.org/support/topic/stop-hiding-the-deactivation-options/

I understand that automattic wants people to use the stats module, but the deactivation option shouldn’t be hidden in the debug link.

jeherve on 28 Apr 2017

3181752-t

Is it possible to disable the contact form module? Neither the Jetpack settings
page nor removing it in the 'jetpack_get_available_modules' filter seem to work

richardmtl on 28 Apr 2017

https://wordpress.org/support/topic/googleapps-shortcode/

where we can find documentation on it and the other shortcodes the current version of Jetpack (4.8.2) supports, and whether they are enabled by activating a Jetpack module.

jeherve on 28 Apr 2017

182685-h

couldn't find where to deactivate JSON

tmmbecker on 30 Apr 2017

https://wordpress.org/support/topic/are-shortlinks-gone/

I used to use the shortlinks a long time ago. Today when I tried to turn them back on I was unable to find where to turn them on. Is this something that has been removed or am I just not seeing it?

jeherve on 1 May 2017

Hi everyone,

I've been using Jetpack for a long time now (since the first version maybe) and I can confirm that this is very frustrating and confusing to not have a list of modules. Quick example: one of my friend last day asked me how to to disable JP Stats because she prefers to use GA. After looking everywhere and firstly in the official documentation, I had to ask @jeherve on Slack to get a solution.

Something has to be done. I'm using WordPress since 2007 as a professional and I was not able to find the solution... so believe me: non tech user won't too...

Thanks for your attention and let me know if I can help. ;)

wpchannel on 1 May 2017

👍1

Also in https://wordpress.org/support/topic/widgets-not-displaying-multisite-primary-site/

this one has me stumped

WP multisite – the primary site is not displaying widgets while subsites are.

I went through debugging, cache, disabled plugins… complete mystery.

jeherve on 1 May 2017

Hi there!

I wanted to point out another real world example I experienced with this. My wife (also a front end developer and Jetpack user) needed to debug something. She needed to turn off the contact form module to help dig deeper into the problem. We both couldn't figure out how to do it.

I understand moving items and redesigning to make the interface better and simpler. But maybe there's a way to let longtime users know where functionality has moved, especially since it was a huge part of the interface for so long.

davidakennedy on 1 May 2017

👍1

Some more feedback.

shouldn’t it be possible to enable/disable a feature without entering in a URL manually? This seems like something that should be part of the settings page.

How can we find this menu without knowing the “admin.php?page=jetpack_modules” URL?

why is this page hidden to us? I missed it since few updates?

-- https://jetpack.com/2017/05/02/jetpack-4-9-widgets-and-improvements/#comment-21345

jeherve on 4 May 2017

👍1

Followed your suggestion and yes, now I am able to add the widgets. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: please don’t go all Microsoft on your users by oversimplifying the user interface. A large part of your userbase pretty much knows what they are doing.

-- https://jetpack.com/2017/05/02/jetpack-4-9-widgets-and-improvements/#comment-21361

jeherve on 4 May 2017

Updated three sites to the latest version, however the new EU Cookie Law Banner, Flickr and IDL widgets are nowhere to be found.

-- https://wordpress.org/support/topic/new-widgets-not-available/

jeherve on 4 May 2017

Contact Form module:

I'm feeling like an idiot... I need some help. I have two Wordpress sites, one with the following button and one site that is missing the button.

-- 3178175-t

I have no Add Contact Form button when editing a page to add a form. Any hints on what to check first?

-- 3189456-t

I followed the same steps for my other websites and the 'Contact Form' button (usually visible above the body of each page) is not visible.

-- 3188925-t

I'm not able to see any way about how to set and activate Jetpack contact form in my site.

-- 3180313-t

The 'Add Contact Form' button option is not displaying within the text editor.

-- 3179730-t

Earlier I could activate the module for the contact form, but in the new version, I don't see that option anymore.

-- 3178270-t

I would like to use the Jackpack Contact form - but I don't have a button to insert it into my page.

-- 3171487-t

Has the Contact Form feature of JetPack now been discontinued? I can't seem to find/activate it in my plugin settings.

-- 3194889-t

I want to turn on Contact form module. I am not getting option in Text editor to add contact form.

-- 3194827-t

Widget Visibility module:

Has the widget visibility been removed from jetpack? If not, where is it?

-- 3177223-t

When updating to the newest version of Jetpack we have noticed that the widget visibility module is gone.

-- 3173088-t

I tried looking for the visibility option, but it's not there anymore, what happened?

-- 3194313-t

I can not find the place to activate the widget visibility function.

-- 3191081-t

Extra Sidebar Widgets module:

I don't see any of the extra sidebar widgets and I don't see any option in jetpack settings to enable it.

-- 3190326-t

I installed and activated Jetpack but all of the standard extra sidebar widgets are missing?

-- 3177489-t

With Jetpack 4.8 the Jetpack's widgets are disappeared. I tried to reinstall jetpack with zero results.

-- 3191174-t

macmanx2 on 4 May 2017

👍3

I'm trying to add a contact form to my contact page, but the button to add one isn't there. I didn't find any setting to turn the form on or off either. Do I need to install the form functionality separately?

-- 3195948-t

macmanx2 on 5 May 2017

I just installed JetPack. I cannot find the contact form module. Where is it?
I found lots of online tutorials for older versions of JetPack that are useless now because JetPack is different

This was very non-intuitive but I found it by enabling “Debugging” at the bottom of the jetpack page.

-- https://wordpress.org/support/topic/cannot-find-contact-form-module/

jeherve on 5 May 2017

Tiled Galleries:

The mosaic galleries module was removed, looked everywhere to turn it on, jetpack 4.8.2.

-- 3172780-t

Before my last update I regularly made galleries using Jetpack. It was in my posts toolbar. Now it is gone and I can't figure out where it is.

-- 3197022-t

It has been over 24 hours and those options have not appeared. How do I get the other gallery types to appear like square tiles, circles, etc?

-- 3181265-t

How do I navigate to the place in Jetpack where I can activate Tiled Gallery? It is nowhere to be found.

-- 3171390-t

macmanx2 on 5 May 2017

3201950-t

Can you please add a function to entirely disable stats?

tmmbecker on 8 May 2017

3201512-t

where do I go to enable or disable Jetpack contact form. I just
loaded Jetpack on a new site and on my other sites this is easy to find. No
clue where to look.

3201512-t

I've been through the settings and your documentation, but I don't see how to do
this. Can you advise?

dromero20 on 10 May 2017

If I search for “Omnisearch” or “Search” nothing comes up. I look at every single tab, nothing there. So where the heck is the setting?

The removal of the old Modules page–with everything in one place–was a terrible decision, IMHO. It’s extremely difficult to find anything. Waaay too much upselling noise! Ugh.

-- https://wordpress.org/support/topic/why-was-omnisearch-removed/

jeherve on 10 May 2017

Poor decision-making on this new UI. It is a hostile move towards longtime Jetpack users: "we're going to hide the familiar module management system that we've used for years, and instead serve up a confusing mishmash of screens bloated with upsells and adverts for our apps. And oh yeah, even if you know that a module exists, we won't let you find it by searching for it. HA HA!"

Jetpack is bringing the WP.com design attitude to self-hosted, and I'm _not at all happy about it._ Over at dotcom, users have to put up with the daily anxiety of "what did they change today?" Unannounced major UI changes, endless "iterations," and a generally arrogant attitude towards the users... That's why I no longer recommend WP.com to my clients: it's an unstable and unpredictable environment. Self-hosted WP is [should be] a different animal: here, the user is in charge. We get to set things up the way we like, have full control, and are generally assumed to be reasonably competent. UI changes are gradual and unobtrusive, and once something changes it isn't endlessly tweaked and mucked about with annoying and confusing "iterations."

But alas, Jetpack is firmly of the WP.com world, pushing out a heavy-handed UI change that is fundamentally broken for longtime users. If Jetpack does not consider returning to a more respectful approach to its customers, I'm afraid I'll have to bail and go back to finding individual plugins.

ghost on 10 May 2017

👍4

Same feeling...

wpchannel on 10 May 2017

@jeherve you asked me to make a comment about specific changes. I don't have the time or energy to dig into specific UI mods, but here are a few principles that I would like to see applied:

Don't hide controls. Just don't. If it's controllable, make the control visible.
Yeah, there's lots of modules. You added them tho, so there must be a reason for them, right? If new users need more help deciding what modules to use, design a set-up assistant. Don't dumb down the UI at the expense of seasoned users.
Don't remove the ability to control each module individually, unless there's a dependency--in which case, make that dependency crystal-clear.
Test. Please don't fall into the WP.com mode of treating all your customers as beta testers. We have work to do, we don't need to waste time trying to find stuff that was there yesterday.
De-clutter. Really, do you need to insert the gigantic ad for apps on every card? The "yes I already use this app" "setting" is confusing. Why is this a "setting?"

Thanks.

ghost on 10 May 2017

👍7

I have no problem with a simplified UI but I share @AdrienneAdams concerns. Hiding controls altogether is a terrible idea. Dumbing down the UI of a plugin to a product (self-hosted WordPress) that appeals to more tech-savvy users in general seems like running a fool's errand.

If for the sake of simplicity it is deemed necessary to de-clutter the interface, then create setting groups (in the fashion of Windows' grouping of the Control Panel; previous versions of Jetpack already had that), but always let users switch back to the full list - with a clearly visible "Advanced" or whatever, to show all modules.

Thanks.

antermoia on 10 May 2017

👍1

@AdrienneAdams Thanks! This is all good feedback.

While I don't have answers to the main problem mentioned in this issue (some modules can't be accessed from the new Settings UI), I believe I may be able to shed some light on one of your remarks:

Test. Please don't fall into the WP.com mode of treating all your customers as beta testers. We have work to do, we don't need to waste time trying to find stuff that was there yesterday.

You'll be happy to hear that we thoroughly test all changes internally before each release. We also have a public Beta testing group. Anyone can sign up here:
https://jetpack.com/beta/

Once you sign up, you will then receive emails when a new Beta is available and when we need your help with testing. You'll also be able to install the Beta plugin on one of your test sites, and the plugin gives you access to the Bleeding Edge version of the plugin as well as the Beta releases, along with testing instructions for each one of the new features available in the Beta.

If you work with Jetpack to build client sites, I would recommend that you join the Beta group and use the Beta plugin on your test sites to follow the development of Jetpack, and give your feedback on those new features!

jeherve on 10 May 2017

There used to be a concise list of features that could be easily activated, deactivated singularly or in bulk.
[...]
Now you have to sift through tabs to hunt down settings.
-- https://twitter.com/mikemcalister/status/862373164487245829
-- https://twitter.com/mikemcalister/status/862373946271952896

jeherve on 10 May 2017

adding my 2 cents to this tidal wave:

We run a bunch of news sites - none of them use Jetpack. After the announcement for the google docs integration, there's been a lot of interest in the plugin. Yay!

Problem is, every site we install it on, it breaks something. Photon strips out an image width declaration and the publisher wonders why their images are suddenly blown out. The mobile enhancements totally break site styles, and people wonder why there are suddenly an extra row of related posts showing up on their articles. All they want is to use the Google Docs integration they tell us.

Okay, so certain parts of Jetpack have mixed results. And other parts might be duplicating functionality you've already built into your site using other tools. I think to myself - why not just make a curated list for clients of recommended features, and let people select what they need?

But that's not possible anymore - at least not to the extent it needs to be. The design decision you're making is narrowing the user experience to a specific set of parameters that you're hoping will maximize user success and adoption of the plugin. The problem is, those parameters have to be perfect for that to work - and they're not.

When jetpack had a module selector, I had the option to choose my own adventure. That could be a good or a bad adventure - but that was up to me. Now you've decided what type of adventure Jetpack will be when I install it - and at least in my experience, that adventure involves messing up my sites. That leaves me out of options besides telling people to avoid Jetpack.

It's a shame because you have a lot of awesome tools and features here. It's a shame because there's a lot of great people working on the product. It's a shame because you release something like the gdocs integration that could fuel a ton of new signups for you, and then you lose that momentum by breaking things the second someone tries to turn on your product.

rclations on 12 May 2017

@rclations Thanks for the feedback!

If I may, I'd like to try to address some of your questions and concerns that are not directly related to this issue.

Photon strips out an image width declaration and the publisher wonders why their images are suddenly blown out.

Don't hesitate to reach out to us with some examples via this contact form; we should be able to help you get this fixed!

The mobile enhancements totally break site styles

It does indeed introduce a brand new theme for mobile readers, completely replacing the desktop theme. If your desktop theme is already responsive, you probably don't need Jetpack's Mobile Theme at all.

As more themes out there are responsive, Jetpack's Mobile Theme becomes less and less useful. It's consequently not one of our recommended features and won't get activated if you click on this button when first setting up Jetpack:

screen shot 2017-05-12 at 13 58 38

Photon and Related Posts, on the other hand, are. If you skip this step, none of the features will be activated.

When jetpack had a module selector, I had the option to choose my own adventure. That could be a good or a bad adventure - but that was up to me. Now you've decided what type of adventure Jetpack will be when I install it

To clarify, we haven't made any changes to the list of features that are activated on your site when you install Jetpack. It is, however, more difficult to then go back and quickly activate or deactivate specific features. That's what this issue aims to fix.

One option would be to allow you to search for all the features and activate them from the new UI, as suggested here:
https://github.com/Automattic/jetpack/issues/6788#issuecomment-295406086
Another alternative would be to make the full module list more accessible, as I suggested here:
https://github.com/jeherve/advanced-settings-for-jetpack

If you have other ideas, don't hesitate to let us know!

In the meantime, as a site developer, you also have other ways to stay in total control of the Jetpack features available and enabled on the sites you develop. If you already use other plugins to achieve some of Jetpack's features, or if you know your users won't need a specific feature and will in fact be more confused if they enable it (like with the Mobile Theme option), I don't think you should allow your users to even see that option in the first place. They should not see or be able to activate that feature. Jetpack offers you multiple hooks allowing you to customize the Jetpack experience you offer to your clients. They're all listed here. You can also find tutorials helping you get more familiar with the filters you can use to customize the list of features available on each site you develop. Here is one. The advantage of those filters is that they allow you to save some time (you won't have to configure Jetpack manually for every new site you create), and control the interface itself.
In your example, you could for example make it so only the JSON API is available to your users, and activated by default when they connect Jetpack to WordPress.com. Every other option would be gone from the options available to them when they install Jetpack, they wouldn't be able to use those other features you don't want them to use. Here is a quick example of how you could go about doing that:

/**
 * Build a whitelist of Jetpack modules to be available on a site.
 *
 * @see https://github.com/Automattic/jetpack/issues/6788#issuecomment-300936722
 * @see https://jeremy.hu/customize-the-list-of-modules-available-in-jetpack/
 * @see https://developer.jetpack.com/hooks/jetpack_get_available_modules/
 *
 * @param array  $modules     Array of available modules.
 * @param string $min_version Minimum version number required to use modules.
 * @param string $max_version Maximum version number required to use modules.
 */
function jeherve_whitelist_jetpack_modules( $modules, $min_version, $max_version ) {

    /**
     * Array of the only modules we want to keep.
     * Since you install Jetpack for folks to use Google Docs' add-on,
     * you need the JSON API module.
     *
     * You can find a full module list by running something like `Jetpack::get_available_modules();`
     * Here is the full module list as of today:
     * https://gist.github.com/jeherve/993738868b0fe941b32d4f65654cb6b9
     */
    $my_modules = array(
        'json-api',
    );

    // Let's loop through the available and remove everything that doesn't belong in our array.
    foreach ( $modules as $name => $intro_version ) {
        if ( ! in_array( $name, $my_modules ) ) {
            // If the module is not in our list, let's remove it.
            unset( $modules[ $name ] );
        }
    }

    // Let's return our list of available modules.
    return $modules;
}
add_filter( 'jetpack_get_available_modules', 'jeherve_whitelist_jetpack_modules', 20, 3 );

/**
 * Automatically activate the JSON API module when Jetpack is connected to WordPress.com.
 *
 * @see https://github.com/Automattic/jetpack/issues/6788#issuecomment-300936722
 * @see https://developer.jetpack.com/hooks/jetpack_get_default_modules/
 */
function jeherve_auto_activate_jsonapi() {
    return array( 'json-api' );
}
add_filter( 'jetpack_get_default_modules', 'jeherve_auto_activate_jsonapi' );

I hope this helps!

jeherve on 12 May 2017

❤3

thanks @jeherve :)

To clarify, we haven't made any changes to the list of features that are activated on your site when you install Jetpack. It is, however, more difficult to then go back and quickly activate or deactivate specific features. That's what this issue aims to fix.

I wasn't trying to hijack the conversation with unrelated issues as much as provide a broad context for why this design choice is so detrimental to the user experience.

I can totally get behind what you're trying to accomplish here. But the design choices you're making are predicated on 2 absolutely necessary things:

All jetpack modules work out-of-box as expected without unexpected / unintended results (they don't)
Auto-enabled features are only those so basic and core to the function of jetpack that the only way someone would want to turn them off is in a fringe use case (this is not the case - related posts is one example)

The best I can guess is that there's an assumption that the 2 points above are being satisfied. Please know that they are not, which is why this thread is so long.

Re: ideas for how to fix this, the search idea is a good start. In fact, that was already advertised as a feature last month:

https://jetpack.com/2017/04/04/settings-overhaul-redesign/

If you’re having a hard time finding a setting, you can just search for it.

In terms of filters, I think that's a great example of the disconnect with the above 2 points not being met. You're suggesting if I want to customize the UX of Jetpack for my unique users in a fringe use case, I can just use filters. That makes complete sense, and follows the normal filter/hook methodology used everywhere in WordPress.

However, with both of the 2 points above _not_ being met, what you're actually telling me is that to make Jetpack work normally on a site, I should be using filters. How many plugins do you use regularly that require hooks just to make the plugin function properly on a basic level? I'm guessing probably none.

Thanks for the link to your plugin - I have that installed on the sites that want Jetpack, but really I think that would be better just as a part of Jetpack. I don't know of and haven't seen a good argument for why that shouldn't be included in the background somwhere - it certainly wouldn't mean abandoning the current design. Even if it's tucked away in a gear icon in settings next to the search icon - at least give people a parachute somwhere ;)

rclations on 12 May 2017

👍1

Thanks for the extra details!

All jetpack modules work out-of-box as expected without unexpected / unintended results (they don't)

They should, though. If you find conflicts, please let us know so we can fix them!

ideas for how to fix this, the search idea is a good start. In fact, that was already advertised as a feature last month

Indeed. However, the current searchform doesn't return results for all modules. Only the modules already available in the interface can be searched. The suggestion above would be to make all modules available via the searchform.

Related Posts, for instance, do appear in the new interface and you can also deactivate them from the customizer, in the Related Posts section. In that regard, Jetpack's approach to related posts hasn't changed with the new Settings interface we're discussing here.

Other modules, however, can't be found at all in the new interface, and that's problematic in my opinion. Here is the list of modules that currently can't be activated / deactivated via the new interface:

Beautiful Math
Contact form
Custom CSS
Enhanced Distribution
Extra Sidebar Widgets
JSON API
Monitor
Notifications
Omnisearch
Shortlinks
Shortcode embeds
Widget visibility

what you're actually telling me is that to make Jetpack work normally on a site, I should be using filters.

Not at all. The filters are only there so you can save time when setting up Jetpack on multiple sites, or when you want to customize the interface to fit your needs. Jetpack should still work normally on any site, without the need for filters. Folks should be able to activate or deactivate the features they want in my opinion. I believe that's where not all of us agree here:
https://github.com/Automattic/jetpack/issues/6788#issuecomment-297138997

Thanks for the link to your plugin - I have that installed on the sites that want Jetpack, but really I think that would be better just as a part of Jetpack. I don't know of and haven't seen a good argument for why that shouldn't be included in the background somwhere - it certainly wouldn't mean abandoning the current design. Even if it's tucked away in a gear icon in settings next to the search icon - at least give people a parachute somwhere ;)

That's been my suggestion as well. 👍

jeherve on 12 May 2017

👍1

using that path you supply, I can see the modules again and can activate Custom CSS. Seems like I should be able to get there via the menus though. Is that possible? Since recent updates, all I see is this.

-- https://wordpress.org/support/topic/jetpack-custom-css-2/

jeherve on 12 May 2017

👍1

I noticed I cannot find any of the Jetpack widgets in my appearence->widgets menu. I have wordpress and all of my plugins up-to-date including jetpack, I can see all other widgets (including my jiggoshop widgets) But I just can’t find the Jetpack widgets. I tried to deactivate and activate the Jetpack plugin, but this was also no use.

-- https://wordpress.org/support/topic/no-jetpack-widgets/

jeherve on 12 May 2017

I applaud attempt to make Jetpack simpler to use and understand, however, suddenly hiding many modules was disconcerting to this longtime user. I wanted to enable Custom CSS, but it was nowhere to be found. Checking documentation offered no help either. Please at least offer an explanation or FAQ for those who may be trying to figure out what's going on during the transition.

mizejewski on 12 May 2017

I understand the necessity to simplify, but, the design decision doesn't make anysense from user experience perspective. I have read the thread and I don't understand how you get to hide the modules and put the link in the debug. When you sketch the logic in a paper doesn't make any sense.

For me the only solution is to put a visible link.

I haven't done research on this specific UI, but in my experience this UI is far more complicated and take much more time to digest.
scary time consuming confusing

While this is easy, you activate and deactivate as a game, don't even think that you're gonna break something:
easy friendly

kevinmamaqi on 13 May 2017

https://www.facebook.com/jetpackme/posts/1386284271453155?comment_id=1391992504215665&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R%22%7D

Hello, I have a problem with jetpack I hope they can help me
Install your free version and I can not find where to activate the contact forms

richardmtl on 13 May 2017

I was interested to get rid of my extra EU cookie law plugin.
However, the new widget doesn’t appear anywhere in the widget section of WordPress.
-- https://wordpress.org/support/topic/eu-cookie-law-4/

jeherve on 18 May 2017

We recently updated the theme and reconnected jetpack. Now the 'add contact form' button doesn't appear on post/page editor and all the forms in pages are broken. Can you please suggest a fix? I can't see a place on the Jetpack settings to activate the forms.

-- 3220208-t

I cannot find where to activate the contact form in the newest build of Jetpack. Am I missing something?

-- 3219022-t

I don't understand where I can enable or disable the jetpack's contact form utility.

-- 3218808-t

macmanx2 on 19 May 2017

How can I disable the feedback (contact form) feature in version 4.9? The contact form module option is no where to be found??
-- https://wordpress.org/support/topic/contact-form-and-feedback-menu/

jeherve on 19 May 2017

I needed to find out if the Tiled and Carousel modules were enabled. I tried to locate the modules on the settings page but experienced difficulty as it’s filled with toggles and sub-menus. It’s not clear which module or modules are activated when a menu item is turned on.
I prefer this interface [the old module list] over the new one as I know which modules are on or off. Modules are also easier to find as they’re listed in alphabetical order
-- https://wptavern.com/quick-tip-how-to-access-jetpacks-alternative-module-interface

jeherve on 20 May 2017

I wan't to add the Jetpack contact form to my page. But when I click on settings I can't find the button to activate it.

-- 3220765-t

working on a new site and can't find the links in settings for carousel and tiled galleries anymore. IF you still have them, you've made navigating your features VERY counterintuitive and very obtuse. I liked the old version with the long list of options.

-- 3221295-t

macmanx2 on 20 May 2017

It would be really helpful if there was a link to wp-admin/admin.php?page=jetpack_modules somewhere in the jetpack plugin
I could not find one anywhere and eventually chanced upon this post.
Yes one could get to the page if one types the url in, but surely one should have a link to it somewhere – either in the plugins page or the jetpack menu?
-- https://wordpress.org/support/topic/feedback-custom-post-type-what-to-do-with-it/#post-9152978

jeherve on 22 May 2017

Is Widget Visibility setting gone?
Widget Visibility was previously disabled, because I disable everything that’s not currently in use. Now that I’d like to enable it in one of the sites, I find it’s gone. Did I miss something here and it’s really gone? Or is there a way to get Widget Visibility back?

I can’t seem to find the setting to turn on or off Widget Visibility anywhere.
-- https://wordpress.org/support/topic/is-widget-visibility-setting-gone/

jeherve on 22 May 2017

i want to fix top post or pages in sidebar but in dashboard i am not seeing any jetpack widget.

-- 3224680-t

I want to activate the facebook box (user is referring to Facebook Page Plugin widget) but this option no longer available from my settings.

-- 3225714-t

Where are the Jetpack widgets? They are present on my site that uses Hemingway theme. They are missing from a third site. I don't know even where to look for them because they are not on the widgets page.

-- 3224672-t

macmanx2 on 23 May 2017

3209337-t

What are the stranded modules that should be activated on install? I want to activate everything that is normally activated with a fresh jetpack install.

How was this deactivated in the first place?

tmmbecker on 23 May 2017

I worked through the troubleshooting tips and the contact forms module still does not appear in my jetpack settings page.

-- 3227289-t

I can't find the widget visibility module anywhere in the settings and it's not enabled by default. How do I enable it?

-- 3227100-t

Is RSS Links widget no longer available?

-- 3226982-t

macmanx2 on 24 May 2017

Two cases of widgets module being disabled and had to send link to modules page to help re-enable:

Since I updated jetpack some time ago, I lost Top Posts & Pages Widgets. Can i get it back?

-- 3217611-t

All the Jet Pack Widgets have disappeared from the available widget area. This has happened on several websites. It appears to have happend after a plugin update

-- 3221423-t

joendotcom on 24 May 2017

I installed an old version of the plugin in which it was easier (at least for me) to deactivate that feature.
-- https://wordpress.org/support/topic/videos-way-to-big-dont-respect-sidebar/#post-9162143

jeherve on 24 May 2017

User previously disabled contact form and is now confused when trying to add it to their site:

3228822-t

seejacobscott on 24 May 2017

The extra sidebar widgets aren't showing in the backend. I've tried deactivating all other plugins and that doesn't fix the issue.

-- 3228911-

he has a page where he can activate and deactivate modules like Carousel and Tiled Mosaic Gallery etc - where do I find this?

-- 3229512-t

macmanx2 on 25 May 2017

3228269-t

i need to deactivate jetpack sidebar widgets and widget visibility because they are preventing onepress theme from working and i don't need them anyway. i can not find the place to deactivate them. please halp. in jetpack-settings there is nothing.

aheckler on 25 May 2017

How do you disable the notifications?
-- https://wordpress.org/support/topic/civicrm-profile-dropbox-are-not-displayed-with-jetpack-notifications-on/#post-9164571

jeherve on 25 May 2017

When i enter the jetpack settings, i see none of the widget and sidebar features and it is extremely frustrating because i do not understand what i am doing wrong...

-- 3229641-t

The search feature doesn't return the 'Shortcode Embeds' module we need. What's up??? Are you killing off the features we use?

-- 3230423-t

Everything else in jetpack seems to work, I just cant see or use any widgets, any ideas?

-- 3230472-t

I upgraded to Jetpack 4.9 and I still don't see any EU Cookie Law Widget, nor do I see any option to enable it in Jetpack Settings. (due to Extra Sidebar Widgets being hidden)

-- 3229915-t

macmanx2 on 26 May 2017

Thank you all for the feedback!

At this point, I think it would be useful to summarize the feedback we got so far, and try to break this issue down into smaller, more actionable issues.

I looked at all the comments, and I think we could break this down into 3 different buckets:

General concerns / confusion about the lack of a full module list.
Issues when trying to use features that are not activated yet.
Issues when trying to remove features automatically activated in Jetpack, or manually activated in the past.

In order to keep this issue a bit cleaner and to make feedback easier to process, I'll create 3 different comments below, one for each of the buckets above.
Happiness Engineers: If you get more feedback belonging to one of these categories, please add your ticket to the matching comment instead of creating a new comment.

Thank you!

jeherve on 26 May 2017

👍1

1) General concerns / confusion about the lack of a full module list.

I believe we should be able to address this issue by adding a more prominent link to the existing full module list.
Right now, the only way to get to that list is through a link at the bottom of the Jetpack Debug page. This link is too hidden to be useful. I personally don't even point site owners to that link when they need to access the full module list, as it's easier to give them the link than to help them navigate through 2 pages to get to the link.

I believe we could add something like a cog icon linking to "advanced settings", in the top bar on Jetpack > Settings next to the Search icon. It could also be next to the Settings link in the header menu. I'm no designer though :)

I've received good feedback about this little plugin I created, although it's obviously not pretty. :)

I've created #7239 to keep track of this suggestion.

For reference, here is some of the feedback we got about this:

https://wordpress.org/support/topic/bring-back-the-all-modules-page/
#7047
p2JiWH-1Kg-p2
https://wordpress.org/support/topic/give-access-to-modules-list-on-the-dashboard/
3168642-t
https://jetpack.com/2017/05/02/jetpack-4-9-widgets-and-improvements/#comment-21345
https://github.com/Automattic/jetpack/issues/6788#issuecomment-300523792
https://github.com/Automattic/jetpack/issues/6788#issuecomment-300525172
https://github.com/Automattic/jetpack/issues/6788#issuecomment-300547897
https://twitter.com/mikemcalister/status/862373164487245829
https://github.com/Automattic/jetpack/issues/6788#issuecomment-300936722
https://github.com/Automattic/jetpack/issues/6788#issuecomment-301240256
https://wptavern.com/quick-tip-how-to-access-jetpacks-alternative-module-interface
3221295-t
3209337-t
3229512-t
607337-zen

jeherve on 26 May 2017

👍2

2) Issues when trying to use features that are not activated yet.

The biggest part of that problem will be address in the next version of Jetpack, thanks to #7183.

However, I think we should consider the amount of feedback we received about 2 specific modules:

Contact Form
Widgets

I created the following issues to address that feedback:

#7240 -- General: create JITM to activate the Contact Form module
#7241 -- Admin Page: add Contact Form card.
#7243 -- General: create JITM to activate the Widgets module
#7242 -- Admin Page: add Widgets card.

For reference, here is the feedback we received about this:

Contact Form

#7050
https://wordpress.org/support/topic/where-to-enable-contact-form/
https://wordpress.org/support/topic/widget-visibility-missing/
https://wordpress.org/support/topic/important-hidden-options-feature-toggles-and-doesnt-work-properly/
https://wordpress.org/support/topic/no-contact-form-option/
https://wordpress.org/support/topic/contact-form-setting-has-disappeared-in-4-8/
3178175-t
3189456-t
3188925-t
3180313-t
3179730-t
3178270-t
3171487-t
3194889-t
3194827-t
3195948-t
https://wordpress.org/support/topic/cannot-find-contact-form-module/
3201512-t
https://www.facebook.com/jetpackme/posts/1386284271453155?comment_id=1391992504215665&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R%22%7D
3220208-t
3219022-t
3218808-t
3220765-t
3227289-t
3228822-t
3240034-t
3240864-t

Custom CSS

JSON API

In @enejb's original report.
789893-zen

Omnisearch

https://wordpress.org/support/topic/why-was-omnisearch-removed/

Shortlinks

Shortcodes

https://github.com/Automattic/jetpack/issues/6788#issuecomment-297140747
https://wordpress.org/support/topic/googleapps-shortcode/
3230423-t
3237117-t

Tiled Galleries

#6991
3172780-t
3197022-t
3181265-t
3171390-t
3237117-t

Widget Visibility

#7050
https://wordpress.org/support/topic/widget-visibility-missing/
https://wordpress.org/support/topic/cant-see-widget-visibility-or-custom-css-settings-any-more/
3177223-t
3173088-t
3194313-t
3191081-t
3227100-t

Widgets

https://wordpress.org/support/topic/widgets-not-displaying-multisite-primary-site/
https://jetpack.com/2017/05/02/jetpack-4-9-widgets-and-improvements/#comment-21361
https://wordpress.org/support/topic/new-widgets-not-available/
3190326-t
3177489-t
3191174-t
https://wordpress.org/support/topic/no-jetpack-widgets/
https://wordpress.org/support/topic/eu-cookie-law-4/
3224680-t
3225714-t
3224672-t
3226982-t
3217611-t
3221423-t
3228911-t
3229641-t
3230472-t
3229915-t

jeherve on 26 May 2017

👍1

3) Issues when trying to remove features automatically activated in Jetpack, or manually activated in the past.

While #7183 will help users activate modules, it won't allow them to easily deactivate existing features. I think it can be confusing in some specific situations, like here:

screenshot 2017-05-26 at 13 22 58

It's hard to understand here why I can disable one feature but not the other.

I created #7244 where we can discuss whether we could consider adding a toggle to deactivate those hidden modules.

In addition to this, we could also use JITMs to better communicate about some of our modules, and help folks understand the benefit of keeping a feature on, or help them turn it off.
I created the following issues to address this:

For reference, here is the feedback we got about this:

Contact Form

JSON API

182685-h

Monitor

3230669-t (user says it is incompatible with his hosting setup, which they're fine with)

Notifications

Photon

https://twitter.com/alexskunz/status/855193346033074176

Shortcodes

Stats

https://wordpress.org/support/topic/disable-jetpack-stats-no-more-option/
https://wordpress.org/support/topic/cant-turn-stats-off/
https://wordpress.org/support/topic/stop-hiding-the-deactivation-options/
https://github.com/Automattic/jetpack/issues/6788#issuecomment-298329748
3201950-t
3234330-t
3232597-t

Widget Visibility

Widgets

https://wordpress.org/support/topic/extra-widgets-2/
3228269-t
3240823-t

jeherve on 26 May 2017

👍1

For Photon / Tiled Galleries, I believe it's the wrong idea to tie them together and defaults are no longer sane. Tiled Galleries should be available just for tiled galleries themselves - Photon shouldn't need to be activated on the whole site.

If you think about it, all the users that only ever wanted to use Tiled Galleries have to enable Photon on the whole site and that's just a waste of resources for wp.com. Additionally, there's more chance of something in a theme (built-in lightbox for example) not supporting the wp.com images with the added url query string args.

asadkn on 29 May 2017

This is in no way a structured request, but mostly just a comment here I'd like to share:

I believe that by going to a somewhat generalized collection of settings rather than using module names, there has been a large disconnect from the help documentation and when folks submit support requests.

When terms like "Photon," "mobile theme," etc. are used, an increasing number of users don't know what is being talked about and confusion often adds to the support load - the largest issue I can think of is people turning on "optimize site for mobile" thinking it's just a sort of speed boost rather than a minimalist mobile theme replacement.

I do realize there are lowercase i-type "click here for more info" buttons, but the more curious folks will be flipping toggles before reading an article about it, especially when the article mentions names and phrases that aren't even in the settings to begin with.

Like I said, no specific links or examples because this isn't a request, just a generalization of something we're seeing multiple times a day. Thanks!

madhattermattic on 28 Jun 2017

👍3

Not a fan of the 4.8 interface overhaul. It's too simplistic, and hiding things from users in the name of simplicity is not a good idea if they are essential.

Why not just have high level toggle between a Simple and Advanced modes?

Don't hide anything — just let the user decide if they want to dig deep or not.

I'm glad they are still there, but the old all module list is very annoyingly buried.

mpmchugh on 29 Jul 2017

At this point I think it is safe to close this issue and keep the discussion inside the sub-issues I created above, and that are more focused on specific problems we could address with the refreshed UI. If you have more comments, do not hesitate to post on the relevant sub-issue.

Thank you!

jeherve on 20 Oct 2017

Jetpack: Settings UI: no way to enable some modules that were previously disabled

Steps to reproduce the issue

What I expected

Most helpful comment

All 82 comments

1) General concerns / confusion about the lack of a full module list.

2) Issues when trying to use features that are not activated yet.

3) Issues when trying to remove features automatically activated in Jetpack, or manually activated in the past.

Related issues