WordPress Block Basics
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The Gutenberg block editor was controversial when it was added to WordPress 5.0. You either loved the addition of blocks or hated them, and some folks still hate it.
Like life, change never stops in technology. So my advice, especially after all this time, is to embrace it.
I’ve always embraced the new and jumped into using blocks—you can read all about that here. History shows that the only way to go is forward.
With WordPress moving to Full Site Editing, you should also embrace blocks. So today, we’ll cover the basics—an orientation to help you understand using blocks in WordPress.
What Exactly Are Blocks?
Previously, you had to designate paragraphs, headings, images, columns, and bulleted lists in HTML as you created your content. Back in the day, you needed to know the HTML tags to get that formatting the way you wanted.
WordPress included a visual WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor with little buttons to click to get these layouts without knowing the code. However, incorrect use could cause problems, such as bloated code, broken code, and layout issues.
Due to some resistance, WordPress offered the Classic Editor plugin to keep things as they were—no change. But with that, folks fell behind in embracing the inevitable—it was time to toss out that Classic Editor and move into the future.
Enter the Gutenberg Editor
Each element of your content is now a block. Want a new paragraph? Use a paragraph block. Want to add a headline? Use the Headline block. Bulleted list—yep, list block.
What’s neat about blocks is that they have settings that allow you to customize them further. This was unavailable with the visual editor, and you needed to know the code to extend things further.
You must choose from the blocks on the left by clicking the plus sign. You also have a plus sign icon to click on to search the available blocks within your post.
Basic blocks to choose from:
The sidebar on the right of the screen contains tools and customization options for each block. Once you are on the Block panel, you can customize your block content even further.
I use the Kadence theme, which has its own set of blocks available for additional formatting options.
Reusable Blocks
Once you customize a block, you can save it as a reusable block you can add later.
The Basic Block Basics
Each block has its toolbar of options that will display above each block. For example, here’s the paragraph toolbar:
You can drag the block elsewhere on the page by clicking the six dots or the up/down arrow. Next comes alignment, dynamic content, bold, italics, link, and additional formatting tools, and the last three dots are even more options. Just for that paragraph!
Here’s the toolbar and sidebar for lists:
List Block Toolbar
List Block Sidebar Tools
So, as you can see, you have many different options depending on the block you are using.
To get the above layout, I used the column block. In the left column, I used a Header, Image, and List block; in the right column, I used a Header block and an image block. The fancy icon checkmarks in my lists are courtesy of the Kadence Pro Icon list block, which has many styling options.
When selecting the column block, you can choose the number of columns and spacing. Next, you load up each column with the blocks you want—one or several.
There is no need to know any code; choose and customize your block. Pretty cool, right?
Transform a block?
Let’s say you started a block as a paragraph and then decided the content would be better displayed in a list. Then, you can transform it by clicking on the toolbar icon for that paragraph!
More Blocks
You can install block plugins on your website to add even more block options and make your website content precisely how you want it. Here are a few that I’ve used and can recommend:
- Kadence Blocks Pro — part of the Kadence Pro Membership
- Gutenberg Blocks – Ultimate Addons for Gutenberg
- Page Builder Gutenberg Blocks – CoBlocks
- Ultimate Blocks – Gutenberg Blocks Plugin
Experiment, Test, and Play
Create a page or post that you leave in draft mode to get your feet wet. Then, click around, add blocks, and get familiar with all the tools available. When unsure whether a block will fit the bill, open that draft to test it until you are comfortable.
There is no way to detail all the available blocks and possibilities. So, with this article, I hope to help you adopt a new approach to creating your website’s content and layout.
Once you “get it” and the light bulb goes off, you’ll wonder, just like me, how I ever lived without blocks. So click around and play; you won’t break anything, and that’s how we all learn.
What are you going to create today?
At your service,
