SUMMARY In the current edit mode interaction, when the user closes the panel edit dialog, edit mode closes. When the user clicks the widget sidebar to close it, this closes edit mode. This leads to users who are not done in edit mode to have to constantly reopen edit mode to do more tasks. Given that the edit mode concentrates a few interactions into one main edit interaction, the user should not exit edit mode involuntarily. Instead, the user should click on the final call to action, such as "exit edit mode" and then close the interaction.
I forgot to mention that the escape key can also be the way to exit edit mode. It would be esc key until all dialogs are closed. When none are left, the user should exit edit mode.
this is probably petter discussed in vdg channel rather than tracked on bugzilla?
I submitted it here because it's a ux bug.
It's a valid UX issue IMO. If you showed the panel settings dialog from global edit mode, then closing it should just close it, not also exit global edit mode.
Regarding the Escape key, this at present already only closes the Panel Configuration interface, but it does so irrespective of whether it was opened directly or whether Edit Mode was manually activated beforehand. (So the opposite of what closing the interface through the button does).