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I don't understand why the Discussions editor ("stacks editor") is different from the one we currently use on Stack Overflow [Meta] (where the rich text real-time preview is below but uneditable).

  • It lacks the ability to include images when writing replies to discussions.
  • It doesn't appear to support syntax highlighting.
  • You have to toggle between markdown and rich text mode for a preview instead of having it visible all the time.
  • I keep clicking on the wrong of the two buttons because usually "source" is the left and "rich text" is the right button, but in Discussions it's the other way round.
  • Clicking the button that is already active doesn't do 'nothing' as you would expect, but rather changes the scroll position because it force-reloads the view even if the editor is already in the requested state and would not have to do anything at all.
  • Inserting code blocks doesn't seem to work from the rich text editor, as typing ``` just creates `.
  • …

Is the stacks editor using in Discussions an all-around inferior and buggier version of the markdown editor on Stack Overflow [Meta]?

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  • 5
    Yes, it's the new editor.
    – Kevin B
    Commented Feb 13 at 20:50
  • "It lacks the ability to include images." Seems to work for me when creating a new Discussion, though it doesn't show up for replies.
    – Ryan M Mod
    Commented Feb 13 at 20:50
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    "Is the discussions editor an all-around inferior and buggier version of the markdown editor on Stack Overflow [Meta]?" Yes. It's the "new editor" SE have been building for a few years now. I think you've summed up all feedback I've heard of it.
    – VLAZ
    Commented Feb 13 at 20:50
  • Where is the markdown edtor on Stack Overflow (Meta)? ... meta.stackoverflow.com/search?q=markdown+editor
    – MT1
    Commented Feb 13 at 20:54
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    @user10186832 The "new editor" is also known as the Stacks Editor, and is referred to with the stacks-editor tag.
    – Ryan M Mod
    Commented Feb 13 at 20:56
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    @user10186832 In case you were not asking about the tag but rather what I mean with "inferior to the markdown editor on SO[M]" : with the latter I am referring to the current editor we all use when posting on SO[M]. You type (only) markdown in the textfield, and the preview is always updated below, but uneditable.
    – LWChris
    Commented Feb 14 at 1:03
  • @RyanM I tried to paste an image from the clipboard and it didn't do anything, then I went looking for a button to insert an image, and that was missing, too. I was writing an answer though, so does it work for you with those, too?
    – LWChris
    Commented Feb 14 at 1:05
  • 3
    Please clarify via edits, not comments. Please delete & flag obsolete comments.
    – philipxy
    Commented Feb 14 at 2:09
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    @LWChris SE first introduced the Stacks Editor on Teams about 3.5 years ago. They have been using it on SO for most new projects, even over strong objections form the community, and even though it's caused significant harm. There's quite a bit of history. I suggest you read through at least some of the already existing discussions and bug reports, both here on MSO and on MSE. There's also the StackExchange / Stacks-Editor repository on GitHub. Overall, yes, it still has a variety of problems and isn't at feature parity with the existing editor.
    – Makyen Mod
    Commented Feb 14 at 3:35
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    @LWChris as I said, image insertion does not appear to work for Discussion replies. When you say "I was writing an answer", are you referring to replying to a Discussion, or writing an answer to a question outside of Discussions?
    – Ryan M Mod
    Commented Feb 14 at 4:35
  • On mobile it's impossible to remove enumerations with this editor in discussions. :/
    – NoDataDumpNoContribution
    Commented Feb 15 at 12:03
  • 3
    Yes the markdown editor is substantially worse in every way than the traditional editor.
    – TylerH
    Commented Feb 15 at 14:48

1 Answer 1

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<...> Yes. It's the "new editor" SE have been building for a few years now. <...>

– VLAZ

SE first introduced the Stacks Editor on Teams about 3.5 years ago. They have been using it on SO for most new projects, even over strong objections form the community, and even though it's caused significant harm. There's quite a bit of history. I suggest you read through at least some of the already existing discussions and bug reports, both here on MSO and on MSE. There's also the StackExchange / Stacks-Editor repository on GitHub. Overall, yes, it still has a variety of problems and isn't at feature parity with the existing editor.

– Makyen

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