August 13, 2024 — Blocks have become integral to most WordPress projects. While Core blocks cover a wide range of content types and many third-party block libraries are available, you may eventually need functionality that doesn’t yet exist. If you’ve never had the chance to build a custom block or are unsure where to begin, this session is for you!

We explained how blocks are structured and defined within WordPress, giving you a foundational understanding of block.json, attributes, block supports, and more. You will learn the differences between statically and dynamically rendered blocks, along with the pros and cons of each. Finally, we introduced tools that will help you quickly start creating your own custom blocks.

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July 23, 2024 — Building custom blocks is a key aspect of WordPress development, but it’s not always the best solution. With the recent enhancements in WordPress 6.5 and 6.6, you can often avoid creating blocks from scratch by leveraging new features alongside core WordPress blocks. It’s all about selecting the right tool for the right task.

In this Developer Hours session, we explored several scenarios often addressed with custom blocks and discussed alternative approaches, especially those that leverage block patterns and Editor extensions. Key highlights include:

– How to add new functionality to core blocks
– How to use content-only editing and the allowedBlocks attribute in patterns
– How to integrate block bindings and block variations
– How to effectively use block locking and naming
– How to create overrides in synced patterns

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July 22, 2022