Empty link in a block cannot be removed until it's fixed with a proper destination

[janmckell]

Description

What happens:
When there is an empty link, clicking on the link icon should remove the link without having to configure a proper destination first.
In some cases, the 'unlink' icon shows in the toolbar, and in other environments, it doesn't. The behavior should be consistent, especially when the link assignment is incorrect or incomplete.

Step-by-step reproduction instructions

Create a new post.
Add a paragraph block and ensure that a link is added which is not redirecting to any URL - an empty link.
Click on the link to unlink the text.
Unlinking can only occur after an actual link is added to the text, and the unlink icon where it shows, does so after an actual link is added.

For Testing:
I am not sure what causes a empty link to exist in the first place, but here is a test block you can reproduce the issue with:

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p><a>This is a test.</a></p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

Screenshots, screen recording, code snippet

https://cloudup.com/cEqcgqrwpEs

https://cloudup.com/cFfUILwYKKz

Environment info

Tested with both Gutenberg 19.8 and 20.3.0.

Please confirm that you have searched existing issues in the repo.

• Yes

Please confirm that you have tested with all plugins deactivated except Gutenberg.

• Yes

Please confirm which theme type you used for testing.

• Block
• Classic
• Hybrid (e.g. classic with theme.json)
• Not sure

[Rishit30G]

Thanks for sharing the issue,

I was able to replicate it. Before looking into it further, I’d like to understand why we need to use the code editor for this task when the same can be done using the visual editor, which already handles the empty link case. Is there a specific use case for this ? 🤔