Block metadata in the Plugin Directory

Plugins that are in the Block-Enabled section of the PluginPlugin A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https://wordpress.org/plugins/ or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party Directory can now automatically list the blocks that they provide. For example:

Screen Shot 2019-03-29 at 12.08.24 pm

If available the list is displayed for now in the Description section, between screenshots and the FAQ. As you can see it’s a rudimentary list to begin with, that simply lists the 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. names and titles. We plan to improve that over time, and to do that we could use your feedback and help.

Because of the difficulty of reliably extracting block metadata from code, the best way plugin developers can ensure their blocks are reliably indexed is to use block.json files as recommended by the Block Registration RFC. We’ve done our best to parse this info out of existing source code, but less than half of Block-enabled plugins were easily discoverable this way. The RFC isn’t yet final, but by experimenting with it now plugin developers can help with feedback and suggestions both for the RFC and for the plugin directory’s use of that metadata.

I’ve opened a general ticket #4345 for discussing improvements to the plugin directory side. The RFC for the block.json specification can be discussed over on GitHub. Feedback, suggestions, and questions are welcome.