Day 10: Creating and Using Reusable Blocks in Gutenberg

Introduction

Welcome to Day 10 of the Gutenberg series! In today’s article, we will explore reusable blocks, which allow you to save specific blocks (or combinations of blocks) and reuse them throughout your WordPress site. This is an extremely powerful feature that makes content creation more efficient by letting you create consistent content without having to rebuild sections every time.

In this guide, you will learn how to:

• Create reusable blocks in the Gutenberg editor.
• Save and manage block collections.
• Use reusable blocks for more efficient content creation.

What Are Reusable Blocks in Gutenberg?

A reusable block is a block (or a group of blocks) that can be saved and then reused in any post or page on your WordPress site. These blocks maintain the same content and settings wherever they are used, so any updates made to a reusable block will automatically be reflected across all instances of that block throughout the site.

Common use cases for reusable blocks include:

• Call-to-action (CTA) sections like sign-up forms or “Buy Now” buttons.
• Testimonial sections for customer quotes or feedback.
• Promotional banners that you want to appear on multiple posts or pages.
• Contact information that may be reused in multiple areas of your site.

Step 1: Creating a Reusable Block

Creating a reusable block is easy and can be done directly within the Gutenberg editor. Follow these steps:

1. Open the Gutenberg Editor:
   • Go to the WordPress dashboard, and create a new post or page.
2. Add a Block to the Editor:
   • Add any type of block you’d like (e.g., Paragraph, Heading, Image, Button, etc.).
3. Customize the Block:
   • Customize the content and appearance of the block as desired. For example, you can add text to a paragraph block, change colors, or adjust alignments.
4. Save the Block as Reusable:
   • Click on the block you want to save.
   • Click on the three-dot menu in the block toolbar (the “More options” icon).
   • Select “Add to Reusable blocks”.
   • Give your reusable block a name (e.g., “CTA Button”, “Testimonial Section”).
   • Click “Save” to store the block.

Your reusable block is now saved and can be used across any post or page on your site.

Step 2: Using a Reusable Block in the Editor

Once you’ve saved a reusable block, it’s time to use it in your content. Here’s how:

1. Open a Post or Page:
   • Go to the WordPress dashboard and open any post or page where you want to insert the reusable block.
2. Insert the Reusable Block:
   • Click on the “+” button to add a new block.
   • Search for the name of your reusable block, or click the “Reusable” tab in the block inserter.
   • Select the block, and it will be added to your content.
3. Preview and Publish:
   • You can preview the content to see how it looks with the reusable block.
   • Once satisfied, publish or update the post or page.

The reusable block will display the content exactly as you saved it. If you need to make changes, you can easily do so.

Step 3: Editing and Updating a Reusable Block

One of the key benefits of reusable blocks is that any change made to a reusable block is automatically reflected everywhere it’s used on the site.

1. Select the Reusable Block:
   • Open any post or page that uses the reusable block you want to edit.
   • Click on the reusable block to select it.
2. Edit the Block:
   • Click on the “Edit” button that appears on the reusable block.
   • Make any changes to the block’s content, design, or settings as needed.
3. Save Changes:
   • Once you have finished editing, click “Save” to update the block.
   • The updated content will automatically appear in all posts or pages where the reusable block is used.

Step 4: Managing Reusable Blocks

To manage all reusable blocks on your WordPress site, you can access the Reusable Blocks Manager.

1. Open the Reusable Blocks Manager:
   • Go to the WordPress dashboard.
   • Navigate to “Posts” > “Reusable blocks” or open the block inserter while editing a post and click “Manage Reusable Blocks”.
2. View, Edit, or Delete Blocks:
   • From the Reusable Blocks Manager, you can see all the reusable blocks on your site.
   • You can edit any block by clicking its title, delete blocks you no longer need, or export blocks to reuse them on another WordPress site.
3. Export and Import Blocks:
   • To export a block, click on the block’s name, then click “Export as JSON”. This will download the block as a JSON file.
   • To import a block, go to “Manage Reusable Blocks”, click “Import from JSON”, and upload the file.

Step 5: Converting Reusable Blocks into Regular Blocks

In some situations, you may want to break the link between a reusable block and its instances, allowing you to customize individual instances without affecting others.

1. Convert to Regular Block:
   • Select the reusable block in the editor.
   • Click on the three-dot menu in the block toolbar (the “More options” icon).
   • Select “Convert to Regular Block”.

The block will be converted to a normal block, and you can make changes to it without affecting other instances.

Best Practices for Using Reusable Blocks

1. Use Consistent Naming: Always name your reusable blocks clearly so that you can easily identify and reuse them across different posts and pages.
2. Keep Blocks Simple: Make reusable blocks for simple, repeatable sections rather than complex page layouts to keep them easy to manage.
3. Use for Frequently Updated Content: Reusable blocks work best for content that is updated frequently, as changes will be reflected site-wide automatically.

Conclusion: Boost Efficiency with Reusable Blocks

Reusable blocks are a powerful feature that can significantly streamline your content creation workflow. They allow you to quickly add frequently used sections to your posts and pages, maintain design consistency, and easily make updates across your site.

In this article, you’ve learned how to:

• Create and save reusable blocks in the Gutenberg editor.
• Insert and use reusable blocks across your WordPress site.
• Edit, update, and manage reusable blocks effectively.

In Day 11, we’ll explore block variations, which will allow you to create multiple styles or versions of a single block to enhance customization even further.