Gutenberg Widgets

Here’s a closer look at the Widget blocks available in the new WordPress 5.0 editor. You can watch the video below or read on to see live examples.

These Widget blocks are unique in that they add more dynamic content within the body of a post or page.

Shortcode widget block

This block allows you to insert shortcodes, which are snippets of code that WordPress understands. In order for this block to work, you’ll need a theme that supports shortcodes and then a plugin that adds shortcode functions.

Archives widget block

The Archives widget allows you to display a dynamic list of your archives by month, similar to the Archives widget available for sidebars. You have the options to show the post counts and display as a dropdown menu instead of a list, such as the dropdown menu below.

Categories widget block

The Categories widget is like the Archives widget, except it displays the Categories for your posts.  You have the option display the hierarchy of your categories, plus show the post counts and display as a dropdown menu instead of a list, such as below in the live example.

Latest Comments widget block

The Latest Comments widget displays the latest comments. Options include controlling the number of comments to display, plus whether or not to display the commenter’s avatar, comment date and excerpt. 

Latest Posts widget block

The Latest Posts widget allows you to display the latest posts. With this widget, you can specify the category you want to display, so I think this widget might be the most useful inside a large body of content. You can also control the sorting order, number of items displayed, and whether to show the post date from the Block sidebar.

Below is an example of using the Latest Posts widget to show the latest three posts in the WordPress category. As time moves on and I write more about WordPress, this widget will dynamically update the list.

Got questions?

Got questions about WordPress and the new editor? Let me know in the comments below.