Just last week, a client running a new custom theme came to us. They had a few custom blocks, plus a third-party plugin, all needing some dynamic UI love on the same content block. Sounds simple enough, right? Except the admin kept reporting weird JS errors, and the front-end was a total mess – one interactive element would work, then break, then another would take over. We were staring down a classic case of WordPress Interactivity API conflicts, and honestly, it was a headache.
The problem, as any dev who’s wrestled with complex WordPress builds knows, is that HTML doesn’t let you put multiple attributes with the same name on a single element. So, if your custom block, and say, a third-party product configurator plugin, both try to attach a data-wp-on--click directive to the same button, only one is going to win. And usually, it’s not the one you want.
My first thought, honestly, was to dig into the DOM and see if we could just wrap things in more divs, or maybe use some clever JS to dynamically add/remove attributes based on context. Total nightmare, man. You end up with brittle code, a bloated DOM, and more race conditions than you can shake a stick at. Plus, you’re fighting the framework, which is never a good sign.
Solving WordPress Interactivity API Conflicts with Unique IDs
Thankfully, WordPress 6.9 brings a much-needed, standardized way to handle this: unique IDs for Interactivity API directives. This means you can have multiple directives of the same type on an element, as long as each has a different, unique ID. It’s elegant, it’s clean, and it directly addresses the conflict issue. This is crucial for avoiding the kind of headache my client was experiencing. You can find more details on this particular update on the WordPress Core blog.
<div
data-wp-watch---bbioon-my-custom-id="bbioonCallbacks.firstWatch"
data-wp-watch---bbioon-another-plugin-id="bbioonCallbacks.secondWatch"
></div>
See how bbioon-my-custom-id and bbioon-another-plugin-id differentiate the directives? The order is important here, too: the unique ID always comes at the end. This pattern also applies when you’re using suffixes, like with the data-wp-on--click directive.
<button
data-wp-on--click---bbioon-plugin-a="bbioonPluginA::actions.someAction"
data-wp-on--click---bbioon-plugin-b="bbioonPluginB::actions.someAction"
>
Button example
</button>
What Else is New? Deprecations and TypeScript Helpers
Beyond the directive ID fix, 6.9 also tidies things up. The data-wp-ignore directive, which was intended to prevent hydration, has been deprecated. Honestly, it caused more problems with context inheritance and client-side navigation than it solved a real use case, so good riddance, I say. If you were using it, now’s the time to refactor.
For the TypeScript gurus out there, WordPress 6.9 introduces two new helper types: AsyncAction<ReturnType> and TypeYield<T>. These are designed to sort out those pesky TypeScript issues you hit when working with asynchronous actions. If you’re building complex interactive components with TypeScript, these will make your life a lot easier, helping you avoid circular type dependencies and explicitly type your async operations. Trust me on this; robust typing saves a ton of debugging time down the line.
So, What’s the Takeaway Here, Dev?
The Interactivity API is evolving, and these changes in WordPress 6.9 are all about making it more robust and developer-friendly. The unique ID system is a game-changer for avoiding conflicts in complex setups. The deprecation cleans up a problematic feature, and the TypeScript helpers show a commitment to modern development practices. Staying on top of these updates isn’t just about using the latest features; it’s about building stable, scalable, and maintainable sites that don’t constantly break down.
Look, this stuff gets complicated fast. If you’re tired of debugging someone else’s mess and just want your site to work, drop my team a line. We’ve probably seen it before.
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