Make data-empty Attribute Optional in toggleEmptyMark to Prevent Unintended DOM Manipulation

[loic-bellinger]

The toggleEmptyMark() function (relevant code here: toggleEmptyMark Function) is causing significant issues. As it modifies the editor's DOM, it can trigger reactivity within Editor.js plugins developed using JavaScript frameworks like Svelte.

For example, when using a Svelte component with a contenteditable div bound to innerHTML (e.g., bind:innerHTML={html}), the DOM changes triggered by toggleEmptyMark can have disastrous effects, such as loss of the current selection and cursor position.

To avoid these issues, the automatic addition of the data-empty attribute to inputs should be made optional. This change would prevent unnecessary DOM manipulation and improve compatibility with reactive frameworks.

Editor version: 2.30.5

Clarification:

The root cause actually lies within the toggleInputsEmptyMark function (relevant code here: toggleInputsEmptyMark Function).

The problem becomes evident when enableLineBreaks is set to true to allow line breaks in a plugin via the "Enter" key. In this scenario, the data-empty attribute can incorrectly be added to <div> elements within contenteditable areas, which then triggers reactivity and potentially causes issues like losing the cursor position or disrupting the user experience.

Of course i tried setting the data-mutation-free attribute to true on the parent element, but the data-empty attribute is still added to its childs and so the issue remains.

I guess that ensuring the data-empty attribute is not added to all children of an element possessing the data-mutation-free="true" attribute would fix the issue...

As a sidenote:

Implementing placeholder logic through DOM manipulation in a WYSIWYG editor that allows custom plugins is a highly questionable decision, as it has the potential to break everything users have created. At the very least, this feature should have been made opt-in rather than mandatory.