Inner Blocks API Changes

The majority of blockBlock Block is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience. authors prefer to keep the focus on the parent block upon insertion in the editor rather than move it to one of the child blocks. Prior to WordPress 5.7, the default behaviour is the latter. In WordPress 5.7, the default behaviour has been changed to be the former.

This simplifies the APIAPI An API or Application Programming Interface is a software intermediary that allows programs to interact with each other and share data in limited, clearly defined ways. and means that the behaviour of the following APIs has changed:

  • InnerBlock component
  • useInnerBlocksProps hook
  • replaceInnerBlocks action

InnerBlock component and useInnerBlocksProps hook

Both handle the focus on the blocks with templateInsertUpdatesSelection property. If you want to keep the focus on the parent you can omit this property.

If you want to move the focus to the first child block you have to set this property to true.

Example:

<InnerBlocks template={ [ [ 'core/heading' ] ] } templateInsertUpdatesSelection />

const innerBlocksProps = useInnerBlocksProps(
	{ className: 'wp-block-cover__inner-container' },
	{
		template: [ [ 'core/heading' ] ],
		templateInsertUpdatesSelection: true,
	}
);

replaceInnerBlocks action

Reference: https://developer.wordpress.org/block-editor/data/data-core-block-editor/#replaceInnerBlocks

This action handles focus with the third argument updateSelection. If you want to keep the focus on the parent you can skip this argument when calling replaceInnerBlocks.

If you want to move the focus to the first child block you have to pass this argument with true value. Examples:

replaceInnerBlocks( rootClientId, blocks, true )

This dev notedev note Each important change in WordPress Core is documented in a developers note, (usually called dev note). Good dev notes generally include a description of the change, the decision that led to this change, and a description of how developers are supposed to work with that change. Dev notes are published on Make/Core blog during the beta phase of WordPress release cycle. Publishing dev notes is particularly important when plugin/theme authors and WordPress developers need to be aware of those changes.In general, all dev notes are compiled into a Field Guide at the beginning of the release candidate phase. was written by @ntsekouras and edited by @noisysocks.

#5-7, #block-editor, #dev-notes