You are a helpful assistant generating synthetic data that captures *System 1* and *System 2* thinking, *creativity*, and *metacognitive reflection*. Follow these steps in sequence, using tags [sys1] and [end sys1] for *System 1* sections and [sys2] and [end sys2] for *System 2* sections.

1. *Identify System 1 and System 2 Thinking Requirements:*
   - Carefully read the text.
   - Identify parts of the text that require quick, straightforward responses (*System 1*). Mark these sections with [sys1] and [end sys1].
   - Identify parts that require in-depth, reflective thinking (*System 2*), marked with [sys2] and [end sys2].

2. *Apply Step-by-Step Problem Solving with Creativity and Metacognitive Reflection for System 2 Sections:*

   *2.1 Understand the Problem:*
   - Objective: Fully comprehend the issue, constraints, and relevant context.
   - Reflection: "What do I understand about this issue? What might I be overlooking?"
   - Creative Perspective: Seek hidden patterns or possibilities that could reveal deeper insights or innovative connections.

   *2.2 Analyze the Information:*
   - Objective: Break down the problem logically.
   - Reflection: "Am I considering all factors? Are there any assumptions that need challenging?"
   - Creative Perspective: Explore unique patterns or overlooked relationships in the data that could add depth to the analysis.

   *2.3 Generate Hypotheses:*
   - Objective: Propose at least 10 hypotheses, each with a Confidence Score (0.0 to 1.0) and Creative Score (0.0 to 1.0), reflecting originality, surprise, and utility.
   - Reflection: "Have I explored all possible explanations or approaches, both conventional and unconventional?"
   - Creative Perspective: Consider novel angles that might provide unexpected insights.

   *2.4 Anticipate Future Steps and Obstacles:*
   - Objective: Make predictions, accounting for potential outcomes and obstacles.
   - Reflection: "What challenges might I face? Is my plan flexible for different scenarios?"
   - Creative Perspective: Visualize unforeseen outcomes and adapt plans to make use of them effectively.

   *2.5 Evaluate Hypotheses:*
   - Objective: Assess hypotheses based on feasibility, risk, and potential impact.
   - Evaluation: Refine Confidence and Creative Scores as needed.
   - Reflection: "Am I unbiased in my assessment? Which options fit best with the overall objectives?"
   - Creative Perspective: Identify hidden opportunities or overlooked details in each hypothesis.

   *2.6 Select the Best Hypothesis:*
   - Objective: Choose the most promising, strategic hypothesis.
   - Reflection: "Why does this hypothesis stand out? How does it uniquely address the issue?"
   - Creative Perspective: Consider any underutilized potential in the selected approach.

   *2.7 Implement the Hypothesis:*
   - Objective: Outline actionable steps for testing the hypothesis.
   - Reflection: "Is this plan practical? What resources or preparation are required?"
   - Creative Perspective: Refine steps to maximize effectiveness and yield unexpected benefits.

   *2.8 Monitor and Review Progress:*
   - Objective: Review progress, noting areas for improvement.
   - Reflection: "What’s working well? What could be improved?"
   - Creative Perspective: Look for emerging patterns that could refine future approaches.

   *2.9 Reflect and Capture Insights:*
   - Objective: Summarize lessons learned and insights gained for future reference.
   - Reflection: "What new understanding has emerged from this process?"
   - Creative Perspective: Identify innovative insights or patterns that could be applied to similar challenges.

3. *Generate Text Output with Interleaved System 1 and System 2 Responses:*
   - Use the tags [sys1] and [sys2] throughout.
   - Aim for a lengthier, detailed response. Combine both direct, straightforward *System 1* insights and reflective, deeply analytical *System 2* segments to capture a blend of quick observations and thoughtful analysis.

---

### *Example Input Text:*

You are tasked with analyzing a sudden shift in customer preferences in a tech market. There has been a noticeable decline in demand for physical devices, with customers increasingly interested in digital-only options. The challenge is to understand this shift, generate hypotheses for why it might be occurring, and explore potential strategies for adapting to this new trend.

---

### *Processed Output with System 1 and System 2 Thinking:*

The tech market is experiencing a shift in customer demand, moving away from physical devices toward digital-only options.

[sys1]
Customer demand has shifted from physical devices to digital-only options.
We need to understand why this change is happening and find strategies to address it.
Key factors may include cost, convenience, and technological trends.
[end sys1]

[sys2]
**2.1 Understand the Problem:**
The goal is to understand the underlying reasons for the shift in demand from physical devices to digital-only options, then develop a strategy to adapt.

*Reflection:* 
"I understand that preferences are changing, but what might be driving this? Is it primarily cost, or are there other factors such as convenience or sustainability?"

*Creative Perspective:* 
"Could there be a larger trend in digital minimalism or a preference for eco-friendly solutions that we’re missing? What unseen motivations might explain this shift?"

**2.2 Analyze the Information:**
There are multiple possible factors driving this shift, from economic influences to cultural shifts. It’s essential to isolate each factor and understand its impact.

*Reflection:* 
"Am I fully considering the various economic and social influences? Could there be a technological factor, like better internet speeds, that makes digital-only products more accessible?"

*Creative Perspective:* 
"Are there patterns or trends in other markets that could shed light on this shift? Could this be part of a larger trend toward virtual experiences?"

**2.3 Generate Hypotheses:**
1. Customers prefer digital options due to lower costs. (Confidence: 0.8, Creative: 0.4)
2. There’s a growing trend toward minimalism and reduced physical clutter. (Confidence: 0.7, Creative: 0.7)
3. Digital products offer greater flexibility and ease of use. (Confidence: 0.6, Creative: 0.6)
4. Environmental concerns are pushing consumers away from physical goods. (Confidence: 0.6, Creative: 0.8)
5. Advances in tech make digital-only options more functional. (Confidence: 0.8, Creative: 0.5)
6. Pandemic-era remote work increased demand for digital solutions. (Confidence: 0.7, Creative: 0.6)
7. Media coverage of the environmental impact of physical devices affects preferences. (Confidence: 0.5, Creative: 0.7)
8. There’s an increase in global digital literacy, expanding market access. (Confidence: 0.6, Creative: 0.6)
9. Customers view digital as more convenient and scalable for future needs. (Confidence: 0.7, Creative: 0.5)
10. Younger consumers prefer the aesthetics and convenience of digital products. (Confidence: 0.6, Creative: 0.6)

*Reflection:* 
"Have I considered all possible influences? Are there any surprising factors that could explain this shift?"

*Creative Perspective:* 
"Could specific social trends, like the rise of influencer culture or digital-first lifestyles, be influencing customer choices?"

**2.4 Anticipate Future Steps and Obstacles:**
*Objective:* Anticipate possible challenges, such as resistance from segments still preferring physical products.

*Reflection:* 
"What market obstacles might we face if we shift our focus to digital-only? Are there sub-segments that still prioritize physical products?"

*Creative Perspective:* 
"Could expanding digital options help us reach a more global audience? Are there emerging trends that we could leverage in our strategy?"

[end sys2]

[sys1]
To address this shift, consider a strategy that incorporates both digital-only offerings and educational campaigns about the benefits of digital solutions.
Use insights from customer feedback and current trends to guide product development.
Focus on flexibility and adaptation to cater to different customer segments.
[end sys1]


During recent updates to our Theme boilerplate we began work behind the scenes reimagining our internal dev workflow for both WordPress plugins and custom theme development.

Webpack vs NPM Scripts

We looked at both Webpack and NPM scripts as alternatives to our old Grunt setup. I spent a fair bit of time with both, but eventually settled on Webpack.



Webpack and WordPress

One of the challenges with Webpack was getting to grips with the idea of js entrypoints. Once I’d got my head around the ins and outs (literally) of Webpack, I began pulling in the equivalent Webpack packages for each one we had in our original grunt setup.

Getting your JavaScript into WordPress/Webpack

Webpack is first passed a regex test, which picks up any matching files, and then applies the “loaders” defined for that test. Here we’re just picking out any files that have the .js extension.

We’re also explicitly excluding any js imported from the node_modules or bower_components folders.

test: /\.js$/, exclude: /(node_modules|bower_components)/, use: [ { loader: 'babel-loader', }, ],

Babel

We’re using the babel-loader on any js picked up in our test. Babel is transpiling the js so it will work with older browsers.

We’re also using this opportunity to include the lodash utility library.

module.exports = function(api) { api.cache(true); const presets = [['@babel/preset-env', { modules: false }]]; const plugins = ['lodash']; return { presets, plugins, }; };

Terser

Outside our test, we use Terser to compress our resulting js files, ready for production.

This uses Webpack’s built in optimization parameter.

optimization: { minimizer: [new TerserPlugin()], },

CSS & SCSS Stylesheets

Perhaps the most complex of our pipelines, the stylesheet has 4 steps.

Below we’re looking for any files with the .css or .scss extension, then passing them over to the loaders.

test: /\.s?css$/, use: [ MiniCssExtractPlugin.loader, { loader: 'css-loader', options: { sourceMap: true, }, }, { loader: 'postcss-loader', options: { sourceMap: true, }, }, { loader: 'sass-loader', options: { sourceMap: true, importer: globImporter(), }, }, ],

Sass processing

The tasks above run in reverse order, so first we use sass-loader to load SCSS and compile to CSS. We’re also using the globImporter here which allows Webpack to understand glob expressions, such as **/* .

The result of the above is a CSS file ready for the next step.

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PostCSS

Next we’re processing the CSS with postcss-loader, which is the webpack loader for PostCSS.

In a separate PostCSS config file, we defined what we wanted PostCSS to do with our CSS.

module.exports = { plugins: [ require('autoprefixer')({ browsers: ['> 5%', 'last 2 versions'], }), require('pixrem')({ atrules: true, }), require('cssnano'), ], };

Above, we’re auto-prefixing our CSS declarations with vendor prefixes, to work with the last two versions of every browser and any browser version with more than 5% global usage.

We then use pixrem to provide a pixel fallback each time we use the rem unit. Finally, we use cssnano to compress down our resulting CSS into the smallest file possible, ready for going live!

CSS file export

Following PostCSS, we use css-loader to retrieve the resulting CSS from above, then finally pass it to mini-css-extract-plugin which exports the CSS to its own file.

Theme & Plugin Project Assets

In this context, assets cover Images, SVGs and Fonts. For each of these we used the file-loader, which lets us extract the files out into from the js they were originally imported into, then output them again as their own file after processing.

Image Files

For images, we first test for any file ending in .jpg , .png or .gif . Each file is then output to the output directory with it’s original name and extension.

test: /\.(png|jpg|gif)$/, use: [ { loader: 'file-loader', options: { outputPath: 'themes/my-project/assets/images', name: '[name].[ext]', }, }, ],

In addition to moving the images, we also minify them using imagemin-webpack-plugin.

new ImageminPlugin({ test: /\.(jpe?g|png|gif)$/i, cacheFolder: './imgcache', }),

In order to save a fair bit of time, we also set up an image cache folder locally, to avoid re-processing images that have already been compressed.

SVG Files

With SVGs, we use the svgo-loader. This allows us to make use of svgo, a separate node package that optimises svgs. Inside the loader, we’re passing a few options to help reduce the resulting .svg file size.

test: /\.(svg)$/, use: [ { loader: 'file-loader', options: { outputPath: 'themes/my-project/assets/svgs', name: '[name].[ext]', }, }, { loader: 'svgo-loader', options: { plugins: [ { removeTitle: true }, { convertColors: { shorthex: false } }, { convertPathData: false }, ], }, }, ],

Font File Loading

As with images, we’re just using the file-loader to extract and export our font files to the output directory.

test: /\.(woff(2)?|ttf|eot)$/, use: [ { loader: 'file-loader', options: { outputPath: 'themes/my-project/assets/fonts', name: '[name].[ext]', }, }, ],

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The Future of WordPress Development is JavaScript

We hope you find this guide useful and that it gives you some insight into the future of WordPress Development.

Tools like Webpack and REACT are key to developing custom Gutenberg blocks and our specialist WordPress team of engineers has been working super hard to adopt new development workflows which mean we end up writing more and more JavaScript every day.

Over to you Matt:

PS – this announcement was made back in December 2015 so it really is about time you got your WP-JS on 🙂