Block Editor: Prevent browser autocomplete in Navigation link search

[JosVelasco]

What?

Closes #74302

Adds a name attribute to the URLInput component to prevent browser autocomplete from obscuring Gutenberg's link suggestions when adding links in the Navigation block.

Why?

When searching for pages or typing URLs in the Navigation block's link input, browsers display their own autocomplete dropdown with irrelevant search history from other websites. This creates a confusing user experience because:

• Browser autocomplete shows irrelevant URLs/search history unrelated to the user's WordPress site
• It visually obscures Gutenberg's page and link suggestions
• Users may be confused about which dropdown to interact with
• The browser suggestions provide no value in this context (site-specific link search)

Modern browsers often ignore autocomplete="off" alone, so an additional solution is needed.

How?

Added a unique name="url-input-control" attribute to the URLInput component's input props. This prevents browsers from matching the input to any saved autocomplete data, effectively disabling the browser's autocomplete dropdown while maintaining Gutenberg's link search functionality.

This fix applies to all instances where URLInput is used, including:

• Navigation block link search
• Link controls throughout the editor
• Any other URL input fields

Testing Instructions

Before testing

Make sure you have some URL/search history in your browser that would normally trigger autocomplete.

Steps to test

1. Add or edit a Navigation block
2. Click the "+" button or click on an existing navigation item to edit it
3. You should see an input field with placeholder "Search or type URL"
4. Start typing in the search field (e.g., page names, URLs, or search terms)
5. Verify that only Gutenberg's page/link suggestions appear, with no browser autocomplete dropdown
6. Test in other contexts where URLInput is used (e.g., adding links to paragraphs, buttons, etc.)

Testing Instructions for Keyboard

1. Use Tab to navigate to the link input field
2. Type search terms and verify only Gutenberg's suggestions appear (no browser autocomplete)
3. Use arrow keys to navigate through Gutenberg's suggestions
4. Press Enter to select a suggestion

Screenshots or screencast

The issue shows browser autocomplete appearing over the block search:

After this fix, only Gutenberg's block suggestions will appear without browser interference.

[github-actions]

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[github-actions]

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[github-actions]

Warning: Type of PR label mismatch

To merge this PR, it requires exactly 1 label indicating the type of PR. Other labels are optional and not being checked here.

• Required label: Any label starting with [Type].
• Labels found: [Package] Block editor, First-time Contributor.

Read more about Type labels in Gutenberg. Don't worry if you don't have the required permissions to add labels; the PR reviewer should be able to help with the task.

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Co-authored-by: JosVelasco <[email protected]>

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