Write: redirect to fresh editor when bfcache restores published page

[kbrown9]

Fixes RSM-2709

Proposed changes

• On Atomic sites, the browser's back-forward cache (bfcache) can restore the Write editor after publishing. Because the publish flow leaves isSaving=true while the redirect fires, a bfcache restore strands the user on a "done" page with grayed-out Save Draft and Publish buttons.
• Adds a pageshow event listener that detects bfcache restoration after a publish and redirects to a fresh Write editor using location.replace() to avoid creating a back-button trap.

Related product discussion/links

• RSM-2709

Does this pull request change what data or activity we track or use?

No.

Testing instructions

• Go to an Atomic site with the Write editor enabled.
• Open the Write editor (/wp-admin/admin.php?page=write).
• Write some content, then click Publish.
• After being redirected to the published post, click the browser's Back button.
• Verify you land on a fresh Write editor (empty title and content, buttons enabled) — not a stale page with grayed-out buttons.
• Click Back again and verify you navigate past the Write editor (no redirect loop).
• On a non-Atomic (Simple) site, repeat the same steps and confirm the publish flow still works normally.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) noreply@anthropic.com

[github-actions]

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• To test on WoA, go to the Plugins menu on a WoA dev site. Click on the "Upload" button and follow the upgrade flow to be able to upload, install, and activate the Jetpack Beta plugin. Once the plugin is active, go to Jetpack > Jetpack Beta, select your plugin (WordPress.com Site Helper), and enable the fix/write_bfcache branch.
• To test on Simple, run the following command on your sandbox:

bin/jetpack-downloader test jetpack-mu-wpcom-plugin fix/write_bfcache

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[github-actions]

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Full summary · PHP report

[allilevine]

This fixes the issue for me on Atomic and the behavior on Simple stays the same. Should we try to hide the initial flash of the grayed out view before it refreshes? Claude suggested moving the visibility: hidden from pageshow to the existing pagehide handler so the page is already hidden when bfcache stores it:

window.addEventListener( 'pagehide', () => {                                                                                                                        
      if ( autosaveTimer ) {                                                                                                                                            
          clearInterval( autosaveTimer );                                                                                                                               
      }                                                                                                                                                                 
      if ( state.isPublished ) {                                                                                                                                        
          document.documentElement.style.visibility = 'hidden';                                                                                                       
      }
  } );

  window.addEventListener( 'pageshow', event => {                                                                                                                       
      if ( event.persisted && state.isPublished ) {
          window.location.replace( state.writeUrl );                                                                                                                    
      }                                                                                                                                                               
  } );

[kbrown9]

This fixes the issue for me on Atomic and the behavior on Simple stays the same. Should we try to hide the initial flash of the grayed out view before it refreshes? Claude suggested moving the visibility: hidden from pageshow to the existing pagehide handler so the page is already hidden when bfcache stores it:

window.addEventListener( 'pagehide', () => {                                                                                                                        
      if ( autosaveTimer ) {                                                                                                                                            
          clearInterval( autosaveTimer );                                                                                                                               
      }                                                                                                                                                                 
      if ( state.isPublished ) {                                                                                                                                        
          document.documentElement.style.visibility = 'hidden';                                                                                                       
      }
  } );

  window.addEventListener( 'pageshow', event => {                                                                                                                       
      if ( event.persisted && state.isPublished ) {
          window.location.replace( state.writeUrl );                                                                                                                    
      }                                                                                                                                                               
  } );

Yes, nice find! I didn't notice the flash of the grayed out view when I tested. I'll give this a try.