Introducing 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. Directory in WordPress 5.5

The WordPress 5.5 BetaBeta A pre-release of software that is given out to a large group of users to trial under real conditions. Beta versions have gone through alpha testing in-house and are generally fairly close in look, feel and function to the final product; however, design changes often occur as part of the process. releaseRelease A release is the distribution of the final version of an application. A software release may be either public or private and generally constitutes the initial or new generation of a new or upgraded application. A release is preceded by the distribution of alpha and then beta versions of the software. that’s now in testing includes Block Directory support enabled by default. In case you missed it, the Block Directory is a subset of plugins in the plugin directory that can be instantly and seamlessly installed from the GutenbergGutenberg The Gutenberg project is the new Editor Interface for WordPress. The editor improves the process and experience of creating new content, making writing rich content much simpler. It uses ‘blocks’ to add richness rather than shortcodes, custom HTML etc. https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/ editor with a single click. We call these new plugins “block plugins” and have worked hard to make it easier for people to contribute to this new feature coming to WordPress 5.5. This post is meant to help show how to get your very own block 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 added to the directory and share some helpful resources along the way.

Step 1: Create your own block plugin

If you haven’t yet had a chance to create a Block Plugin, don’t fear! There’s still some time until the August 5.5 release. Here’s a new and improved tutorial that walks you through the process of creating a block plugin. More documentation is on its way too and you can join the discussion about what would be helpful to have shared in this GitHub overview issue.

The guidelines for Block Plugins are still in the process of being finalized. Block Plugins need to be much more minimal than a regular WordPress plugin in order to be safely installed with a single click. That means as well as keeping to the regular plugin guidelines you’ll also need to follow some additional rules. In particular, you should stick to mostly JavaScriptJavaScript JavaScript or JS is an object-oriented computer programming language commonly used to create interactive effects within web browsers. WordPress makes extensive use of JS for a better user experience. While PHP is executed on the server, JS executes within a user’s browser. https://www.javascript.com/. code and keep PHPPHP PHP (recursive acronym for PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor) is a widely-used open source general-purpose scripting language that is especially suited for web development and can be embedded into HTML. http://php.net/manual/en/intro-whatis.php. to the bare minimum; and not add any UIUI UI is an acronym for User Interface - the layout of the page the user interacts with. Think ‘how are they doing that’ and less about what they are doing. or other code outside of the Gutenberg editor.

Step 2: Run your block plugin through the checker tool

In order to help developers follow the guidelines and best practices, we’ve been working on some documentation and a new tool. It’s called the Block Plugin Checker. Give it a plugin repo URLURL A specific web address of a website or web page on the Internet, such as a website’s URL www.wordpress.org, and it will examine the code to look for possible problems to resolve before your block plugin can be added to the directory:

This is still a work in progress so if you find any fun bugs or omissions, please let us know. We’d love the chance to fix them and to make the Checker a more useful tool.

Step 3: Add your block plugin directly to the Block Directory

If you’re a committer of a block plugin that does meet the criteria for adding it to the Block Directory as confirmed by the Checker tool, you can then add it yourself using the same tool:

Likewise you can remove it at any time using that same tool if you notice problems or would prefer it wasn’t included. 

Going Forward

We’ll be making improvements to the Block Plugin Checker, and doing additional testing of plugins that are added, so please expect some changes along the way. If you have any feedback or questions, please comment here or in #meta on SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/..

#features #block-directory