Archived topic
GenerateBlocks Question
3 replies · Started by Luke on July 8, 2022
I understand that Generateblocks is a free plugin? Is there a paid version too? Are these blocks developed by the same people who created Generatepress?
Are these blocks really better from the Wordpress blocks? With each update Wordpress is adding new features!
Hi there,
thats correct there is the Free GB plugin and there is also a Pro plugin addon. And both are developed by us the GP developers.
The Pro version is available here:
Are they better then what WordPress provides? Ill try not to be biased lol
We don't expect users to scrap using core blocks such as text, headings and images for their everyday content in favour of GB. In fact we recommend users continue to use core blocks for that, as those will maintain the Theme styles.
Where GB comes into play, is designing and building content and in combination with GP to build out Theme elements.
Of the many differences between GB vs core or other block plugins is our approach.
We don't create single purpose blocks such as a Cover Block or Featured Image block or in the case of other pluugins Testimonial, Info Card, Price Table etc.
We provide the component blocks to build whatever you want, once you built something like a price table or a post card, you can copy and paste as you wish, store it in a reusable block, or in GB Pro save it as a Pattern. And we have an extensive and growing patterns library to jump start those kinds of design.
Each of our blocks has the same styling interface, which is way more extensive than cores or other block plugins. And if we introduce a new set of styling controls and those can be used for any of our blocks then those blocks will get them too. Whereas in core you will see additional features appear for one block but maybe not another.
Dynamic data is built into our Blocks. We don't have separate blocks for displaying a featured image, an excerpt, the post title or a list of terms. You want to show the featured image, use the GB Image Block, and set it to display the current posts featured image, or a custom field image or a static image. Want a post title, or custom field, then use a Headline or a Buttons Block. Want to dynamically add a background image to a container you can do that too.
You can use any of the dynamic data options in our blocks inside our Query Loop block, which to be quite frank blows the socks off the core block. The WP Query options in our block are huge, and in Pro we're just about to release 1.3 which will have current post relationships to show posts within the same taxonomy terms, from the same author or children of the current page
And if in the future we update a block to add new features, then those blocks wherever they are used, and whether they are static or dynamic, a single block or part of a pattern, they automatically get those improvements.
Hope that gives some insight :)
Thanks for this thorough reply. What if one day I decide to stop using the Generatepress theme? Will these blocks still work? I'm asking because some time ago I was using a page builder from Thrive Themes and when I decided to get rid of this plugin I had to go through many of my blog posts and change a few things in them because when the plugin stopped working certain things in the blog posts changed too, so I had to make some corrections to make the posts look good.
Swapping the Theme wouldn't be an issue as GB will work on other themes.
If you were to remove GB however, then you would need to rebuild those pages without it if you ever wanted to edit that content.
