August 26, 2022 — The block variation API allows you to create “variations” of existing blocks. A variation differs from the original block by a predefined set of attributes or inner blocks. When the variation block is inserted into the Editor, it will have these attributes and/or inner blocks rather than those of the default block. Whew, sounds complicated, right?

In this online workshop, we will demystify block variations and demonstrate just how powerful they can be. Variations are a fundamental part of modern WordPress website development. In fact, many WordPress Core blocks that you use every day are actually variations!

August 19, 2022 — Block patterns are a fundamental component of modern WordPress theme development. While we have covered patterns in many previous online workshops, this session will review some lesser-known pattern implementations.

In addition to a review of how to register patterns in block themes, a new method introduced in WordPress 6.0, you will learn how to create semantic, contextual, and page creation patterns. We will also review multiple real-world examples of this advanced functionality that you can apply to your own projects.

August 2, 2022 — Welcome to Part 2 where we will revisit building a custom WordPress theme without the need for any coding. This workshop will follow the previous session with more time for questions. We will also explore the new Create Block Theme plugin.

During the session, we will take the Twenty Twenty-Two theme and fully customize it using the Site Editor and Global Styles. This will include template changes, updates to the theme color palette, layout, and more. You will then learn how to export these changes into a complete custom theme. While this functionality is still under development, it’s incredible how close we are to low-code/no-code theme development in WordPress!

July 22, 2022 — In this workshop, we will walk through the Block Editor Handbook article Curating the Editor Experience in a live environment. Using real-world examples, you will learn how to tailor the Editor to suit your needs and/or those of your clients. From block locking and advanced theme.json configurations to page creation patterns, there are countless ways to curate the editing experience in WordPress.

July 15, 2022 — WordPress is changing rapidly and with each release of Core and Gutenberg, blocks become more and more powerful. Many of the layouts that you can design today were not even possible a few months ago!

During this workshop, we will design three unique block layouts using only Core blocks that utilize some of the latest functionality available in WordPress 6.0 and Gutenberg 13.6. There will be ample time for questions and we will also discuss enhancements that are planned for 6.1.

June 16, 2022 — WordPress 6.0 “Arturo” was just released, and with it came many enhancements to the Site Editor and other Full Site Editing Features. One of the most exciting is the ability to export a complete theme from the Site Editor.

In this Social Learning Space, we will take the Twenty Twenty-Two theme and fully customize it using the Site Editor and Global Styles. This will include template changes, updates to the theme color palette, layout, and more. You will then learn how to export these changes into a complete custom theme. While this functionality is still under development, it’s incredible how close we are to low-code/no-code theme development in WordPress!

June 13, 2022 — WordPress 6.0 “Arturo” was just released and included many features related to block patterns. To make it easier to build websites using blocks, patterns are now visible in more places, such as the quick inserter and when editing template parts in the Site Editor. We also have a brand new way to register patterns in themes.

During this Social Learning Space, you will learn everything there is to know about patterns. The WordPress editing experience has become even more centered around patterns. Now’s the time to make sure you know all the details!

May 24, 2022 — Welcome to a three-part series on working with templates in the context of Full Site Editing. In Part 3, we will explore how Template and Template Parts can be configured for custom post types. We will also revisit Bock Templates that were introduced in Part 1, and create custom Block Templates for posts and the custom post type “books”. Finally, we will introduce the block locking API and how this can be used within templates to provide editing guardrails for clients and end-users.

May 15, 2022 — Welcome to a three-part series on working with templates in the context of Full Site Editing. In Part 2, we will dive deeper into creating your own custom Templates and Template Parts. We will explore a few of the more advanced Templates that are editable in the Site Editor WordPress 6.0, such as Author and Taxonomy which make heavy use of the Query block. Finally, we will explore how block patterns can be integrated directly into both Templates and Template Parts.

May 6, 2022 — Welcome to a three-part series on working with templates in the context of Full Site Editing. In Part 1, we will cover the basics of Templates and Template Parts. You’ll learn the nuances of each and how to edit them in the Site Editor. Finally, we will preview Block Templates and how they can be used to create unique editing experiences.