Editor Gutenberg: what is it

This is a new development WordPress. The editor allows you to work with articles, publications, and pages, making changes to them. Why was it called that way? Everything is simple – he got his name in honor of Johann Gutenberg (1400-1468), the first European printer. The main merit of the master is the development and implementation of a printing press that is unique in its time. Innovative equipment was moving letters. It was a real breakthrough in typography. The creation of the machine increased the availability of books.

Developers WordPress creating a new editor sought to make it easier to understand and work. That he allowed making beautiful pages with minimal time costs.

Block system

So, let’s take a closer look at WordPress 5.0, what new it will bring to the content management system. The main feature is a block system that allows you to create a record layout directly in the editor, moving blocks in places. In this, it is similar to developments such as:

• SiteOrigin;
• Elementor.

This is the main difference Gutenberg WordPress from the old version, which, in fact, suggested editing through HTML. The new editor has made editing easier. To place the text the way you want it, align it, place the pictures in certain columns and, again, align them, you no longer need to go into HTML or CSS.

That is, you can even develop complex layouts, “playing” with blocks, trying their different place without any special problems and difficulties, until you find the optimal design, in your opinion.

They replaced the previously used shortcode and widgets. The advantage of blocks is that they can be located absolutely in any part of the page, site.

It is noteworthy that the developers have provided a simplified ability to transfer content from other resources. To do this, the system has more than 30 preset blocks. There are also specialized blanks for external services:

• Vimeo;
• YouTube;
• Spotify;
• Reddit;
• and etc.

In previous versions of the platform editor, nothing like this was provided. Yes, it was convenient, easy to understand, easy to use, however, when compared with the new, somewhat limited in its functionality. But in the editor Gutenberg everything is much easier and faster:

• choose the insert of the required service;
• copy the page address;
• and all – the system automatically performs the adjustment and adjustment.

How to install Gutenberg WordPress Editor

There will be no problems and difficulties with this. It is installed directly from the administrative panel. It is also activated. For this, you need to perform only a few clicks.

WordPress 5.0 What’s New: Let’s Test

Design – minimalist, but so pleasant and attractive. Although even compared to the classic version looks very unusual. But in it much more space is allocated directly to the content part, the whole structure of the layout is much better displayed.

All icons for editing blocks are located in the upper left of the screen. Depending on the specific block, the set of functions for editing is changed.

On the right side, there is a Block tab – it contains all the settings of a particular block with which the administrator is working at a given time. For example, if we are talking about setting a paragraph, then the user can edit:

• capital letter (its selection);
• font – size and color;
• background;
• block alignment.

It is noteworthy that the settings are “hidden”. To display them – you need to click on the appropriate settings button. At first, it seems inconvenient, unusual, but after working with the new administrative panel, you not only quickly get used to it, but also understand its true convenience.

How to add a new block

There is nothing difficult in the creation and editing of the page, there is no record. For example, if you need to add a new block, you just need to click on the + icon. It is in the upper left of the screen. Or located between the blocks. After clicking, a drop-down list will appear with the following list:

• frequently used blocks;
• main blocks;
• formatting;
• markup;
• inserts.

In the upper part, there is an additional line that allows you to find the desired block by its name. Let’s take a closer look at the capabilities and characteristics of each individual option:

• Frequently used blocks – after clicking on the + sign, a list of the nine most frequently used blocks used to embed resources will be available;
• Main blocks – includes Title, paragraphs, and others;
• Formatting – here are the code, tables, etc .;
• Markup elements – in the section there are different buttons, page dividers, columns, etc .;
• Widgets – shortcode, categories, recent entries;
• Inserts – allows you to embed content from various third-party resources and services, including Instagram, Youtube, Reddit, and others. Here you just need to paste the copied address, and the system will automatically configure the embedding, independently determining the necessary parameters.

Moving blocks and aligning them

Continuing the conversation on “WordPress 5.0 what’s new”, I will briefly note the features of moving and aligning blocks. In the upper part of the toolbar, settings are provided for aligning the blocks according to three parameters:

• on the left side;
• on the right edge;
• in the center.

To move the block up or down, use the arrows – they are provided on the left of each block. Simply hover the mouse over the block and they will become visible.

Gutenberg WordPress Editor provides both visual and text editing. Switching panels from Visual Mode to Text Mode and back is located at the top right of the panel.

The visual system allows you to use the functions applied to a specific block. Textual – see and apply block code. Each individual block formed in Gutenberg is a set of HTML comments. It uses the syntax that was created by the developers of the new editor. There is nothing complicated about it. Even an inexperienced user will figure out what element belongs to.

WordPress 5.0 is attracted by the presence of new features that allow you to make changes to texts, entries. I will try as fully as possible, but at the same time, and concisely tell about them.

Record structure

The system identifies all article headers by tags. They are displayed on the side, listing. It turns out a kind of document scheme. This greatly simplifies the visual perception of the text.

Clicking on any of the headlines will move you to the appropriate part of the article. This speeds up the text editing process. This is especially convenient when making changes to large texts. Or when working on smartphones. You will be spared from tedious screen scrolling.

With their help, you can make a link to a specific part of the record. Anchors are put on subtitles.

How to do it? Very simple:

• the block with the necessary heading is selected;
• an anchor field will be displayed in the side panel;
• the text for the link should be placed in this field.

Additional CSS styles

The Gutenberg WordPress editor is also good in that for each separate block you can add additional CSS styles. It is very convenient, since it is possible to create a “skeleton” of the HTML page, and then stylize it in a separate CSS file.

What is the benefit? In fact, for each block, virtually any style is predetermined, by default. In particular, it works well when creating buttons, when changing the font color is not provided directly in the editor itself.

Convenient feature. Allows you to create picture galleries. In the settings of such a gallery, you can specify the number of columns – from one to eight. You can adjust the cropping or not cropping the image.

Gutenberg WordPress has a number of undeniable advantages.

Based on all of the above, and also based on my own experience of using the new editor, I want to highlight a few of its undeniable advantages.

1. Easy to create the structure of the entire page.
2. All information presented on the page is located in blocks independent from each other.
3. Any user, regardless of the level of knowledge and experience, is able to create even the most complex page layouts.
4. It is possible to create large-scale blocks embedded in different parts of the site.
5. Embedding content from external resources is very quick and easy. The system itself configures such blocks.

In general, the new editor is essential, surpasses the previous versions in all indicators. Probably in the near future, he will remain the only one within the system. After all, it is great for forming pages of any level of complexity. Moreover, the developers are doing everything in order to increase the speed of its work.