The Gutenberg Block Editor is a plugin introduced in WordPress version 5.0, allowing users to create unique content using a large collection of blocks, each designed for a specific layout. These blocks are sorted into several categories including Common Blocks, Layout Elements, Widgets, Formatting, and more.
Say Hello to Blocks with the New Gutenberg Plugin
In an attempt to modernize the writing and editing experience, Gutenberg has replaced the classic WordPress editor by combining multiple interfaces into a single layout. Blocks are assigned certain properties, which WordPress will recognize as elements that would go on a page or post, a few examples being Image, Shortcode, Table, and Columns.
Users can move blocks around in any order if they want to upload image galleries, rearrange paragraphs, embed videos, or present slideshows. Some would call it a fully-integrated tool for building customized content, especially for people who don’t have the technical knowledge to write their own code.
Here are the pros and cons of using the Gutenberg Editor:
Where the Gutenberg Editor Truly Excels
Pros
- Is optimized for sites that heavily rely on media in their pages and posts to grab the viewer’s attention
- Defines the layout of a page or a post directly in the editor so users can select grouped content without having to highlight individual sentences
- Allows users to align elements next to each other and makes complex layouts more accessible to people who are unfamiliar with HTML or CSS
- Supports embeds from up to 34 external sites with the option to add music, links, or images ranging from Twitter posts to YouTube videos
- A clean, organized visual interface that provides a more accurate preview of the format and layout before users are ready to publish the final product
- Disabling Gutenberg does not ruin the site; it stores info about the position of past blocks as HTML comments so users can restore them at any time
- Features common widgets and layouts to help users make bulleted lists, add call-to-action buttons, and format grids, thus removing the need to install extra plugins
- Smoothly integrates blocks extracted from essential plugins such as WPForms and Jetpack into the block menu to keep them in one place for user’s reference
Where the Gutenberg Editor Needs Improvement
Cons
- Blocks and their toolbars are hidden away unless the user clicks the “Add block” button or clicks on an existing block — this results in a clunky UI with too many hidden settings
- Does not automatically convert content published in the Classic Editor into Gutenberg blocks if they were not assigned any roles beforehand
- Notable issues with accessibility when switching between the backend and visual editor, as it cannot recognize HTML5 style tags, barring them from displaying on the content output
- Lack of block padding and margin sizing to adjust content for readability: it solely depends on the installed theme for spacing apart rows and columns
- Persistent bugs reported by reviewers such as overlapping image and text blocks or autosave errors
- Raised concerns about backward compatibility since it plans to do away with the TinyMCE editor
- Is not optimized for custom plugins that supply their own development tools or drag and drop interfaces
Gutenberg is still in the beta phase, with three stages planned for release by the development team. Despite imposing limits on how much control users have over positioning in-line elements, Gutenberg does contain an ever-expanding directory of tools to further enrich the WordPress content editing process.
Is Gutenberg a Step in the Right Direction?
Although Gutenberg receives a lot of bad press in WordPress reviews, racking up a series of one-star ratings, it has the potential to become a streamlined block editor for beginner publishers everywhere. Being an open-source project, developers can resolve Gutenberg’s shortcomings by making it compatible with extensive plugin and theme support.
Of course, users have the option to disable Gutenberg if they prefer to have all the features of WordPress editing in one place, by adopting the Classic Editor block. But at some point, this will no longer be possible, once an official release date has been announced. However, there’s no need to panic when people are carefully considering its usability in the WP forums.
Only time will tell whether Gutenberg can be successfully integrated into WordPress Core as opposed to remaining in the default plugins repository. Right now, users are encouraged to start testing this block editor and submit feedback based on their experience with the latest updates. That is, assuming they aren’t resorting to petty insults against the Gutenberg team.
