Creating Custom Gutenberg Blocks: Step-by-Step Tutorial

Creating Custom Gutenberg Blocks

Hello, blogger! Have you ever felt limited by the default WordPress editor while designing your website? Sure, the Gutenberg editor has revolutionized content creation, but sometimes, the standard blocks just don’t quite fit the bill.

That’s where custom Gutenberg blocks enter the picture. They enable you to create special layouts, add unique features, and make the content editing process smoother and easier—while you are in control of your website’s functionality and design.

Today, I will show you how to create Gutenberg blocks in a step-by-step guide and reveal why they are game-changers for your website.

Why Custom Gutenberg Blocks Matter

Custom Gutenberg blocks enable you to:

Save time by ordering pre-designed blocks, specifically to fit your needs. There’s less repetition involved. It will improve user experience with different features that can be implemented into the website for more interactivity and attractiveness.

It helps keep the branding constant as customized blocks are available, ensuring content remains relevant to the brand. Developers and editors work without constant back-and-forth in terms of design or functionality changes.

A WP Engine case study suggests that websites using custom Gutenberg blocks experienced an improvement of 30 percent in content creation speed and a boost of 20 percent in user engagement.

These statistics show that investing in Gutenberg block design is not nice-to-have, but it’s something serious bloggers must do.

Let’s now start with this WordPress Gutenberg tutorial and build blocks transforming your website into a masterpiece.

Step 1: Setting Up Your Development Environment

Before we start creating custom Gutenberg blocks, you will need the following:

1. A Local Development Environment: Tools like XAMPP, Local by Flywheel, or DevKinsta are perfect.
2. Code Editor: Use Visual Studio Code (VS Code) or Sublime Text for a smooth coding experience.
3. Node.js: Download it from Node.js since you will need it to compile the block code.
4. Basic Knowledge of JavaScript and React: Gutenberg is built on React, so knowing its basics helps a lot.
   To follow along, make sure you have WordPress installed locally or on a staging site.

Step 2: Registering Your First Custom Gutenberg Block

The first step in Gutenberg block design is registering the block. Follow these steps:

1. Navigate to your WordPress theme folder or plugin folder.
2. Create a new folder called my-gutenberg-blocks.
3. Inside this folder, create two files: block.js and style.css.

Here’s how these files look:

block.js

```javascript
const { registerBlockType } = wp.blocks;
const { RichText } = wp.blockEditor;
registerBlockType('myplugin/text-block', {
title: 'Text Block',
icon: 'edit',
category: 'text',
attributes: {
content: {
type: 'string',
source: 'html',
selector: 'p',
},
},
edit({ attributes, setAttributes }) {
const onChangeContent = (newContent) => {
setAttributes({ content: newContent });
};
return (

<RichText

tagName="p"
value={attributes.content}
onChange={onChangeContent}
/>
);
},
save({ attributes }) {
return ;
},
});

style.css

css

.wp-block-myplugin-text-block {
background-color: #f9f9f9;
padding: 10px;
border-left: 5px solid #0073aa;
}

Now, enqueue these files in your theme’s functions.php or plugin file:

functions.php

php

function my_gutenberg_block_assets() {
wp_enqueue_script(
'my-blocks',
get_template_directory_uri(). '/my-gutenberg-blocks/block.js',
array('wp-blocks', 'wp-editor'),
true
);
wp_enqueue_style(
'my-blocks-style',
get_template_directory_uri(). '/my-gutenberg-blocks/style.css'
);
}
add_action('enqueue_block_editor_assets', 'my_gutenberg_block_assets');

Now, refresh your editor. Your first custom Gutenberg block—a simple text block—is live!

Step 3: Enhancing Your Block with Custom Controls

To make your block more interactive, add controls such as colors, fonts, or alignments. Enhancing block functionality is vital to customizing the Gutenberg editor.

Let’s add a color picker to our text block. Update your block.js file:

javascript

const { InspectorControls } = wp.blockEditor;
const { PanelBody, ColorPicker } = wp.components;
registerBlockType('myplugin/text-block', {

// Previous code here
attributes: {
content: {
type: 'string',
source: 'html',
selector: 'p',
},
color: {
type: 'string',
default: '#000',
},
},
edit({ attributes, setAttributes }) {
const { content, color } = attributes;
const onChangeContent = (newContent) => setAttributes({ content: newContent });

const onChangeColor = (newColor) => setAttributes({ color: newColor });

return (

<>
<InspectorControls>
<PanelBody title="Color Settings">
<ColorPicker color={color} onChangeComplete={(newColor) => onChangeColor(newColor.hex)} />




);
},
save({ attributes }) {
return ;
},
});

Now, your Gutenberg block design includes a color picker. Bloggers can customize the text color directly in the editor, enhancing their workflow.

Step 4: Creating Advanced Blocks with Dynamic Content

Dynamic content, like pulling data from a database, takes your custom Gutenberg blocks to the next level. Here’s an example:

Suppose you want a block that displays the latest posts.

Dynamic Block Code:

javascript

const { registerBlockType } = wp.blocks;
const { useSelect } = wp.data;
registerBlockType('myplugin/latest-posts', {

title: 'Latest Posts',
icon: 'list-view',
category: 'widgets',
edit() {
const posts = useSelect((select) =>
select('core').getEntityRecords('postType', 'post', { per_page: 5 })
);
return (

<ul>
{posts?.map((post) => (
<li key={post.id}>

{post.title.rendered}

)) ||

Loading.}

);
},
save() {
return null; // Dynamic blocks render on the server.
},
});
```
With this block, you dynamically pull and display the latest posts on your website.

To keep visitors on profitsnation.com, here are natural linking opportunities:

1. For those looking to speed up their WordPress site, check out our step-by-step guide to fix slow WordPress websites.
2. Need a guide on adding FAQ schema to WordPress for SEO? Here’s a detailed tutorial.
3. To boost your blog’s visibility, see our blog promotion checklist.
   These links help readers explore related content, improving their experience and time spent on the site.

Step 5: Testing and Debugging

Once your custom Gutenberg blocks are ready, test them thoroughly:

• Compatibility: Check if the block works across themes and plugins.
• Responsiveness: Ensure it looks great on all devices.
• Performance: Test for speed and loading issues.
  Tools like Google Chrome DevTools and Query Monitor can help debug any issues.

Final Thoughts

Congratulations, blogger! You learned to create Gutenberg blocks from scratch. And whatever you are doing-text simple blocks or dynamic, data-driven blocks-the possibilities with block design in Gutenberg have no limits.

However, remember that customizations always add functionality to the blog and make your site special. If you liked this WordPress tutorial Gutenberg, check out other blogs for mastering every aspect of blogging on our platform, profitsnation.com.

Post your experiences of using custom blocks in the comment section. Let’s build better websites together!

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