WordPress Block Editor: How to avoid switching to the block sidebar when a block is selected.

edit.js

/**
 * We want to open the document sidebar when the block is selected.
 * We want this behavior for our meta block, as all relevant settings
 * are in the document sidebar. The block sidebar is useless, empty and
 * distracting.
 */

/**
 * Import dispatch function from the core/edit-post store.
 */
const { openGeneralSidebar } = useDispatch('core/edit-post');

/**
 * Get the current active general sidebar name and the editor sidebar state.
 * We need to check if the editor sidebar is opened, because we don't want
 * to open the document sidebar when the editor sidebar is closed.
 * We also need to check if the block sidebar is opened, because we don't
 * want to spam the editor with sidebar changes if it is already opened.
 */
const { getActiveGeneralSidebarName, isEditorSidebarOpened } = useSelect(
  (select) => {
    return {
      getActiveGeneralSidebarName:
        select('core/edit-post').getActiveGeneralSidebarName,
      isEditorSidebarOpened:
        select('core/edit-post').isEditorSidebarOpened,
    };
  }
);

/**
 * Use an effect to open the document sidebar when the block is selected.
 * We need to check if the block is selected, because this effect will also
 * run when the block is deselected. We don't want to open the document
 * sidebar when the block is deselected.
 * We also need to check if the block sidebar is opened, because we don't
 * want to spam the editor with sidebar changes if it is already opened.
 * We also need to check if the document sidebar is already opened, because
 * we don't want to spam the editor with sidebar changes if it is already
 * opened.
 */
useEffect(() => {
  /**
   * Get the name of the current active general sidebar and compare it
   * to the block sidebar name.
   */
  const blockSidebarOpened =
    getActiveGeneralSidebarName() === 'edit-post/block';

  /**
   * If this block is selected AND the block sidebar is active AND the
   * editor sidebar is opened in general, open the document sidebar.
   */
  if (isSelected && blockSidebarOpened && isEditorSidebarOpened()) {
    openGeneralSidebar('edit-post/document');
  }
}, [
  isSelected,
  openGeneralSidebar,
  getActiveGeneralSidebarName,
  isEditorSidebarOpened,
]);