Gutenberg 23.7 renames the Dynamic Gallery action from Convert to images to Detach and adds an explanation modal. The conversion is designed as a single undo step. Teams using dynamic media sources should verify what block data survives before editors use Detach on production content.
Use this for publishers, photographers, portfolio sites, media plugins, pattern libraries, and developers extending Gallery or Image blocks.
Quick answer
Create a gallery fixture with varied aspect ratios, captions, alt text, links, crop settings, order, and dynamic source data. Detach once, inspect the resulting Image blocks and serialized markup, undo once, redo once, save, reload, and restore a revision. Confirm both editor and frontend output before approving the workflow.
What to check first
- Build a disposable gallery with landscape, portrait, square, transparent, missing-alt, captioned, and linked images.
- Record the dynamic source, item order, media IDs, captions, alt text, links, crop, size, and block attributes before Detach.
- Use the explanation modal and confirm one Detach creates the expected set of Image blocks.
- Undo once, redo once, save, reload, and restore the pre-Detach revision.
- Compare editor and frontend layout at desktop, tablet, and mobile widths.
Test scenarios to run
Run the same controlled fixture across these branches. Write down the expected result before testing so a surprising response is easy to identify.
| Scenario | Fixture | Expected result |
|---|
| Metadata | Alt text, captions, media IDs, and destination links | Each resulting Image block retains the intended data |
| Order | Mixed aspect ratios and an intentionally reordered item | Detach preserves the visible and serialized order |
| Undo | One Detach followed by one undo and one redo | The gallery returns and reconverts as one history operation |
| Persistence | Save, reload, preview, publish, and restore revision | No invalid block warning or silent attribute loss appears |
Decision rule
Hold editor rollout when Detach changes order, loses accessibility or link data, produces invalid blocks, requires multiple undo actions, or cannot be recovered through the expected revision path.
Safe fix order
Use a sequence that makes each result easy to prove. Stop when new evidence changes the scope or owner of the problem.
- Duplicate the test post
- Record gallery attributes
- Detach once
- Exercise undo and revisions
- Compare editor and frontend
Diagnostic table
Use this table to connect the observed behavior to evidence and a verification step.
| Action | Evidence to collect | How to verify |
|---|
| Duplicate the test post | Build a disposable gallery with landscape, portrait, square, transparent, missing-alt, captioned, and linked images. | Each resulting Image block has the approved media, alt, caption, link, crop, and size values. |
| Record gallery attributes | Record the dynamic source, item order, media IDs, captions, alt text, links, crop, size, and block attributes before Detach. | One undo restores the dynamic gallery and one redo restores the detached images. |
| Detach once | Use the explanation modal and confirm one Detach creates the expected set of Image blocks. | Save, reload, preview, publish, and revision restore keep valid blocks. |
| Exercise undo and revisions | Undo once, redo once, save, reload, and restore the pre-Detach revision. | Desktop, tablet, and mobile frontend layouts match the approved fixture. |
Useful command or data shape
Adapt paths, IDs, and privacy handling to the site before running commands or storing data on production.
# Export the fixture before testing
wp post get 123 --field=post_content > before-gallery.txt
# After Detach and save, compare block comments, media IDs, captions, and links.
wp post get 123 --field=post_content > after-detach.txt
diff -u before-gallery.txt after-detach.txt
Production verification checklist
- Each resulting Image block has the approved media, alt, caption, link, crop, and size values.
- One undo restores the dynamic gallery and one redo restores the detached images.
- Save, reload, preview, publish, and revision restore keep valid blocks.
- Desktop, tablet, and mobile frontend layouts match the approved fixture.
Why this usually happens
- Dynamic gallery data may come from a query or plugin source that does not map one-to-one to static Image attributes.
- A conversion can look correct while dropping link, caption, crop, or metadata fields in serialized content.
- Editor history and post revisions are different recovery paths and both need testing.
Field notes
- Duplicate the post before testing because Detach changes the content structure.
- Inspect Code Editor markup or the parsed block tree, not only the canvas.
- Keep the original dynamic source available until the saved and restored result passes.
Mistakes to avoid
- Do not test Detach first on a production article.
- Do not judge success only by the editor canvas.
- Do not assume browser undo and WordPress revisions preserve the same state.
- Do not remove the dynamic data source until the static result is verified.
What to tell the client or owner
Share the Gutenberg version, original block markup, detached markup, media fixture, missing attribute, undo steps, revision ID, and frontend screenshots.
Questions teams ask during testing
What changed in Gutenberg 23.7?
The Dynamic Gallery action was renamed Detach and now explains the conversion in a modal.
How many undo steps should Detach create?
The Gutenberg 23.7 release post states that the conversion can be reversed with one undo.
Why test revisions too?
Undo history can disappear after reload, while a saved WordPress revision is the longer-lived recovery path.
When HandL WP should help
HandL WP can build block fixtures, compare serialized content, test editor history and revisions, and identify gallery data lost during conversion.
If this is active on a production site, test a Gutenberg gallery workflow.
Related HandL WP guides
Use these related guides when the same issue touches tracking, security, checkout, or crawler visibility.
Helpful references