Future blocks - requirements summary

[bobbingwide]

Background

• WordPress core provides around 25 blocks and a multitude of different embeds.
• Page Builders such as Div, Beaver Builder, Fusion Builder and SiteOrigin Page Builder provide additional blocks.
• Some of these blocks are already supported by shortcodes provided by oik or oik-extension plugins.
• Some of the blocks can be made using combinations of oik-shortcodes and jQuery - i.e. mystery meat.
• Analysing the table of blocks/modules provided by core and a selected set of Page Builders we can determine which blocks are most likely to be required in the hybrid migratory period from classic WordPress to block based content.
• We need to create a plan for the development of these blocks.

Requirements summary

Taken from a summary table of known blocks/modules for the above mentioned page builders the following blocks are required.

Priority	Block name	Reference	Status / note
.1	Google Maps map	#3	Transferred to oik
.2	Person	#6	Create a block displaying details of a person / user with contact information
.3	Contact form	#7	Contact form with Subject, Message, sender's email and submit button
.4	Social media links	#8	[bw_follow_me]
.5	Slider	#10	Image slider - e.g. nivo
.6	Countdown timer	#9	[bw_countdown]
.7	Pricing tables		[bw_rpt]
.8	Tabs		[bw_tabs]
.9	Testimonial(s)	See https://github.com/bobbingwide/oik/issues/180	[bw_testimonial]
.10	Post slider	?	[bw_jq cycle] e.g. https://www.oik-plugins.com/shortcode_example/bw_jq-bw_pages-cycling-display/
.11	Search	See https://github.com/bobbingwide/oik-bob-bing-wide/issues/25	[bw_search]
.12	Login	block provided by core	[bw_login]/[bw_logout]

Notes:

• This requirements summary only covers a small subset of the shortcodes available from oik plugins.
• The priorities are very likely to change
• There is also a generic requirement for an enhanced Shortcode block.

Proposed development process

• Develop prototype blocks using shortcodes.
• Initially implement the code using server side shortcode expansion.
• Start with default processing
• Add support for parameters
• Determine which parameters should be Advanced Settings and which should be displayed in the block.
• Attempt to develop the enhanced shortcode block while discovering how to do the above.

Determining default parameters

Many of the oik shortcodes determine the values that they use from a variety of sources.

1. Shortcode parameters
2. Context/content sensitive - post type, post meta data
3. User defined options
4. Global options

The block should be sensitive to this.

For example. The default processing for [bw_show_googlemap] is to display the map associated with the company's primary address as stored in the global options field set bw_option. The alt= parameter allows selection of a different address.

When oik-user is activated the address is determined from the defined user, which can be specified as a parameter or default to the post's author.

Most values can be overridden using shortcode parameters. Parameter overrides do not change the stored values. We need to determine whether or not the stored values an be updated directly from the block. If not, what mechanism should we provide to allow the user to access those settings.

[bobbingwide]

Blocks required to replace shortcodes which would break are identified in the estimates spreadsheet. A number of them are referenced below

Shortcode	Block
Bw_css	oik-block/css
Bw_csv	oik-block/csv
Bw_geshi	oik-block/geshi
Bw_graphviz	oik-block/graphviz

[bobbingwide]

WordPress core provides around 25 blocks and a multitude of different embeds.

Cor blimey. That was some time ago!

[bobbingwide]

I've updated the references in the initial comment.

• Quite a few of the blocks have been implemented in oik, oik-bob-bing-wide or other plugins
• Pricing tables and tabs are satisfied by a number of different block plugins. See https://blocks.wp-a2z.org
• Ditto for sliders

I'm closing this issue therefore.