Gutenberg Editor: Social Publish Sidebar

[chubes4]

Summary

Add a Gutenberg sidebar/block that allows editors to publish directly to social platforms from the WordPress post editor.

Current State

Basic assets enqueued in plugin (see lines 122-173 of data-machine-socials.php) but no functional UI.

Goal

Implement a WordPress block/Gutenberg sidebar component:

Features

• Connect/disconnect social accounts
• Preview how post will look on each platform
• Select which platforms to publish to
• Custom message per platform (or auto-generate from post)
• Media attachment (featured image, custom upload)
• Scheduling options
• Toggle: publish immediately vs schedule

UI Concepts

• Sidebar panel in block editor
• Platform toggles (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, etc.)
• Character count warnings per platform
• Preview cards for each platform

Technical

• Extend existing REST API endpoints
• Use WordPress REST API nonce auth
• Store connection tokens securely

Priority

Medium — good DX but not required for automation.