September 21, 2022 — Block development can be challenging, but getting started with block development has never been easier. In the past few years, WordPress contributors have created tools to simplify the process and make building blocks more accessible to those without advanced knowledge of JavaScript and React. Coupled with core components, native block supports, and a bit of guidance, every WordPress builder can add custom blocks to their toolset.

This online workshop is a follow-up to my WordCamp US presentation “Let’s Build a Custom Block in 15 Minutes”. We will walk through the process of building a custom block using the Create Block tool in more detail and add a few additional features. For our block example, we will be “blockifying” the original Hello Dolly plugin by Matt Mullenweg.

August 6, 2022 — This talk explains how to create complex blocks using the popular Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) plugin. If you have experience with ACF, learn how to use what you already know in new ways.

July 11, 2020 — I recently completed my first client project that required building custom blocks for the client’s specific needs within the block editor. I will discuss the things I learned as a long time WordPress developer dipping my toe into custom block development. I will talk about what went well, what was difficult, and how client feedback influenced the process.

June 2, 2020 — The pre-Gutenberg editorial experience in WordPress leaves much to be desired. There is the ostensibly what-you-see-is-what-you-get content editor that is invariably augmented with meta-boxes to collect additional information about how the post should be displayed, including content that appears above or below the post body, or in a sidebar, or inserted into the post’s metadata. There are two primary problems with this approach—it is necessarily non-visual, and relies heavily on using post previews to understand what the published post will look like; and it is rigid, because PHP templates control what appears where outside of the free-form content editor. Gutenberg, properly utilized, solves both of these problems by bringing content into the primary editor flow as blocks which can be fully visualized and re-ordered, allowing content editors to see and understand what a post will look like and how it will behave before publishing, without needing to continually refresh a post preview.

This talk discussed how developers can support content editors and publishers by moving away from meta-boxes to custom blocks and post-level metadata. I explained how to think Gutenberg-first during design and development, and showcased examples of these approaches in practice.

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April 15, 2020 — Over the course of 10 minutes, Gzregorz Ziolkowski will show you how to save hours of time when creating custom blocks by making the most of the block scaffolding command.

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November 18, 2019 — The official release of Gutenberg has fundamentally altered how users can interact with the content editor. For developers, it’s a huge risk to dive into this new and unfamiliar territory on a client project. Many agencies and freelancers are therefore reluctant to develop custom blocks for their clients. However, finding the “perfect” time to implement a new technology is impossible.
This talk will explore a custom block project that was launched before Gutenberg came to core, demonstrating why you shouldn’t be afraid to jump in, the tangible benefits for you and your clients, and some challenges you might face along the way.

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