There is something romantic and mysterious about using HTML, but it’s like drinking decaf coffee…. Why would you bother?
I built my website the easy way – on the WordPress platform. And WordPress has Gutenberg. Using Gutenberg is as easy as building with blocks.
That’s a very simplistic description because Gutenberg does a heck of a lot more than that.
If I want to add a Heading with Gutenberg – I just select the heading I want, and Gutenberg does the HTML for me.
WordPress didn’t always have Gutenberg.
Gutenberg launched with WordPress 5.0. I’d been hearing about it for a while at Meetups and WordCamps, and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. So when a Beta version plugin was announced prior to the launch, I installed it on my main website. But not without some deliberation.
From the first encounter, I was hooked. And it was the WYSIWYG that snagged me.
Sadly, some of the platforms I write for don’t use Gutenberg, so I still get to dabble in some of the romantic HTML stuff.
It’s 9pm on Sunday night. Thank goodness it’s a long weekend, or I’d be panicking! The day has gone, the blog post isn’t written, but I fixed my broken website today.
And the Blog?
A broken website wasn’t on the plan for today. Nope. Today was going to be catch up on writing day. Well – catch up on the Ultimate Blog Challenge, actually.
That was the plan – before I checked my email.
There, glaring at me, was an email from WordPress. No, not personally from WordPress. I mean, it had the word WordPress on it. And it had the words technical error; broken; and the name of the theme I use, but not necessarily in that order.
I get a lot of emails like that and I don’t take a lot of notice. They’re usually just alerting me to a broken link, or a plugin needing an update. But this one was different. When I saw those ‘broken’ and ‘technical error’ words, I panicked.
Was my website broken? Were all my blogs gone?
Once I calmed down and started thinking a little more rationally, I logged into my website, held my breath, and closed my eyes.
Then I slowly opened one eye, then the other, and then started to breathe again.
If there was something wrong, I couldn’t tell. I mean, it looked okay to me. And my blogs were all there. Phew!
The problem had something to do with a recent update on one of the plugins. And the fact the theme hadn’t kept up with the updated plugin, which seemingly made them both incompatible.
But it was a big enough scare to send me scurrying off to Google in search of another theme.
I needed a theme that:
would play nicely with Gutenberg (WordPress Block system)
The link opened to a well-organised page that gave the basic description of each recommendation, which made it easy to choose the best theme for my humble needs.
Installation and activation were quick and easy, as I would expect from a popular plugin. Oh, and it was f-r-e-e, which is even better.
I love how easy it is to switch themes in WordPress. Naturally, I used live preview so I could see how my site would look, before I hit the final button. And yes, it might take some getting used to the different layout, but it looked okay.
My new theme is the most customisable theme I’ve ever used.
So today, I tweaked my new theme.
One of the first things I checked was the comments section. It seems to be working – well it was when I sent myself a test comment. But if you find any problems with it, please let me know.
Tweaking is by no means finished, but I’ll work on it over the next few days.
WordPress is introducing Gutenberg as a new way to add and edit content on WordPress websites, based on a Block Editor concept. The full WordPress 5.0 version isn’t available yet, but the (Beta) Plugin is. When WordPress 5.0 arrives, Gutenberg will be built-in to it, and it will change the way we build WordPress websites.
Disclaimer:
I’m not an expert in Gutenberg, or creating websites. This post is simply to show you how a novice website builder (me), has installed the Gutenberg plugin, and started using it right from the get-go. I created this page on my iPad Pro, not a desktop or laptop, so if things look different on your screen – that might be why.
MD
At the WordPress Meetups I attend, I’ve been hearing about how good Gutenberg is going to be. And when I found out that a Gutenberg (Beta) plugin was available, I thought about installing it – but I didn’t.
I sat back for a while, and waited
Eventually, curiosity got the better of me, and I installed the plugin. And then I sat back again, and waited. Installing a new plugin is one thing; activating it is something else.
I was a bit hesitant because I had read some reviews that hinted that it wasn’t quite ready – one review even suggesting that it might break your website. I was excited about trying it, but certainly didn’t want my site to ‘break’, even though I’m not sure what a broken site looks like.
When the videos from WordCamp Sydney 2018 were released recently, I couldn’t wait to see them. I followed the link to YouTube and tuned in to see the Panel Q&A on Gutenberg. An experienced website builder gave it the thumbs up – having activated the plugin – with no adverse effects on her site.
That was all the encouragement I needed. I activated the plugin and figured out where to start. Super fast – super easy.
So what does Gutenberg do?
Right out of the box, I began by adding a Quote to a blog post I had started a few days before I downloaded the plugin.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
Albert Einstein
All I had to do was just click on the + sign, and add a block to write a Quote in. What makes it really easy is being able to add the author of the quote, in a pre-determined place. Before Gutenberg, I used to spend a lot of time trying to make sure the author tag stayed close to the quote, without being picked up in the formatting assigned to the quote itself, usually a Heading. With the Gutenberg block – it’s all taken care of.
It doesn’t matter that I started the blog using the traditional method – Gutenberg just slid into place, effortlessly.
And to see if using Gutenberg from scratch is just as easy, this post was created using Gutenberg – from beginning to end. It couldn’t have been easier.
Block-based, and easy
It’s the blocks that make Gutenberg easy to use. Instead of building a page in a single block, Gutenberg provides multiple blocks for adding text, images and quotes (plus a whole lot more). By having everything in blocks, I can move them up or down the page without having to mess around with cutting and pasting.
Each item is in its own block. This paragraph is in one block, and the images (below) are in their own. This gives me the flexibility to move things around without the risk of losing the whole page, or messing things up.
It gives the page flexibility
Adding a new paragraph still works the same way. Hitting the Enter or Return button moves the cursor down to the starting point of the new paragraph. But instead of continuing the text in the same Block as the previous paragraph, Gutenberg slips a new block in, without you even noticing – until you want to change something. When you click on the paragraph, you open up the Block – and the manoeuvreability comes into play. You can easily change the paragraph to a heading, or move the block up or down the page, or even convert the text to a list.
Adding a photo
Just click on the plus-sign to add a Block and the available options open up. Select the Image icon, and add your photo. You still have the same features – either select a photo or image from your Media Library or upload a new image. It’s all just easier with Gutenberg.
I Love It!
This is only scratching the very outer layer of what the Gutenberg plugin can do. I have only played around with the parts that are relevant to me, right now. As my needs grow, so will my learning.
In writing this naiive and humble outline of my short journey with Gutenberg, I hope I have inspired you to get that domain name you’ve been thinking about, download WordPress and the Gutenberg Plugin, and start creating your own website.
And for the more experienced WordPress website creators, I can’t wait to read about your journey with the new Gutenberg (Beta) Plugin.
