In case you weren’t looking, four of our WordPress themes underwent a major update this past month. Birthday Cake, Zine Queen, Bubble Tea, and Honey Glow are now made entirely of custom Gutenberg blocks. Our old plugin, Little Homepage Widgets, is being replaced with our new plugin, Little Homepage Blocks (super original name, we know 😂). Design-wise, the themes look the same, but functionality-wise, should be easier to edit and more future-proof for users using WordPress 5.8 and up.
Sooo, what does this mean?
In July 2021, WordPress 5.8 introduced the new block-based widget screen, hinting that WordPress was transitioning quickly to full-site editing using blocks. We wanted to get ahead of the curve and decided to replace all our widgets with blocks, making them safe to use in the new widget screen and anywhere else. 🙂
With Gutenberg blocks, you’re no longer confined to templates or widget areas. You can add them anywhere — to sidebars, posts, pages, etc. You can also edit them directly in your post or page area, meaning you no longer have to switch back and forth from the editor to the Customizer. They’re also faster and more performant than widgets or page builder plugins.
Do I have to stop using the Classic Editor?
Yes, the Block Editor is required to edit Gutenberg blocks, but we have good news! The Block Editor is light-years better than it used to be, especially after the 5.8 update. Plus, with the Classic Editor plugin, you can switch between both types of editors if you want to, for example, type your posts in the Classic Editor but edit your pages in the Block Editor. Here’s how to set that up.
But I have a legacy theme! What do I do?
Although legacy themes (themes purchased before September 2021) will continue to be updated and supported, it’s advised to upgrade your theme if you have the time to redo your site. Contact us at support (at) littlethemeshop (dot) com with your order number to request a download. We also recommend Yoast’s free Block Editor training if you need a crash course on getting started with blocks.
