I did say that I’d post something the moment I got a breath, but that doesn’t appear to be happening anytime soon. So I thought it best to start scheduling in some hard deadlines to publish here, and elsewhere for that matter. Might as well get back into the rhythm of extreme self-management!
One of the biggest changes in WordPress since I last interacted with the admin dashboard is Gutenberg and blocks.
Quick Story, Bro.
Back when I worked in architecture as a CAD drafter, I remember making the switch from manual drafting, to vector based 2D drawings in AutoCAD, and then over to the database driven Revit BIM modeler. Going from drawing by hand to using a digitizer board with templates was exciting to me and I was eager to move quickly into the future of drafting.
Then Revit dropped.
I had been given the opportunity to play with Revit around 2009 and really had to scrub my mind of the AutoCAD process ingrained in me since the mid 1990s. At first glance of the Revit interface, there was some familiarity. But that quickly faded into confusion and loss as my eyes scanned the screen and strained to find commands, terms, or operations that were my friends in AutoCAD. At that moment, and in the weeks following, I struggled to accept this new-fangled way of doing things.
But it wasn’t until I understood the core differences between the 2 products, that I began to embrace the learning process while realizing the power and potential of this new world of BIM.
According to AutoDesk, “In simple terms, when using CAD for building design, you focus on creating drawings. When using BIM, you focus on creating a building model and then the drawings can be generated from the model.” This was the key that unlocked the mental block and allowed me to accelerate my rate of learning. And the more I used it, the more I sang its praises.
And your point is…
I bring this up because of the similar experience I’m now having with WordPress and Gutenberg/blocks. I created my first self-hosted WordPress site around 2011 and adopted the Genesis Framework a couple of years later to streamline my workflow. So I’ve become very comfortable around the WP ecoystem of core, themes, and plugins.
Then Gutenberg dropped.
I admit that the temptation is to stick with what’s comfortable and jump back into the familiar. It doesn’t feel great having to relearn something that I was once very confident around. But maybe it was reflecting back on my past experience with Revit that provided the insight and attitude needed to embrace blocks and just put my head down and figure it out.
And that is what I have been doing. Even though it hasn’t been an easy path, I am starting to enjoy the journey as the core differences between classic WP and Gutenberg/blocks WP become clearer to me.
State of the Word 2022
After watching Matt’s State of the Word 2022, I’m glad that diving into blocks was the course I chose as this is the definitive direction of the future of WordPress.
Many other reputable posts and podcasts have already been published, breaking down the presentation into highlights and bullet points. Plus the video is out there. So no need for me to rehash or explain anything. But I do want to mention two things that were highlights for me.
The Playground and the Create Block Theme plugin. Both are currently experimental and in active development. But both are available to the public.
Now, I’ve done the correct way of ‘set up a dev site then push it to live when ready’ web dev process. But call me lazy or impatient – I just want to see the thing out in the wild as soon as possible! And these two projects will scratch a small itch that bugs me every now and then. In fact, within minutes of Matt mentioning Playground, I already had it installed on my newly refurbished live sandbox.
reGenesis.
In my absence, I learned that WPEngine ended up buying StudioPress/Genesis. As a StudioPress Lifetime Pro license holder that entitled me to all themes and plugins – past, present, and future, I wondered if that transferred over to the new owners. It did.
But StudioPress has also changed, going with the Genesis Pro subscription model that’s more of an entire web solution rather than just SEO optimized themes and plugins. This makes perfect sense for WPEngine, being that they are primarily a hosting company. Though they have branched out with more auxiliary services and products to grow and enhance the brand.
I initially started to go back and update some sites that had the legacy Genesis child themes, but then I found that not only did Genesis have 2 block plugins, but also a not-well-publicized Genesis Block Theme. I actually stumbled upon the block theme while rummaging through my account for some newer child themes and plugins.
With my commitment to invest into block-based WP, but still having a fond affinity and nostalgia for Genesis, I immediately installed all 3 discoveries into a couple of sites with some satisfaction.
Epilogue or Episode?
And now, my friends, we have caught up to this part of my return journey so far. However, the next leg has raised some questions in my mind as to where things are headed with WordPress web development and its economy. I’m guessing some WP based business are about to be disrupted and I can’t help myself but try to sneak a peek at what lies just over the horizon.
- Is this the end of premium themes?
- Is this the end of WordPress themes as we know it?
- And what of Gutenberg being detached from the WordPress front end?
I could easily turn this into a classic Adam West episode ending with my questions, but I’ll spare you. No doubt, many of these issues will be part of my ongoing discovery and learning process that will get mentioned at some point here.
In the meantime, I have to get this site settled into its new Genesis Block Theme.
