The Page Blocks plugin extends your WordPress pages by combining the dynamic content of widgets with the static content of pages.
Up to four “blocks” can be added to each page (two above and two below the page’s content), and widgets can be added to each block in the same way they are added to sidebars.
Content can be edited simply through the admin backend, removing the need for custom page templates for all but the most complex of blogs.
Here is an example showing a welcome message (page content) above News posts on the left and most recent post on the right (both modified Category Posts widgets).
Features
- No need to edit themes
The blocks are configured using the admin backend - no need to edit PHP code or your theme.
This means you can switch themes without having to re-apply custom code changes; just tweak some CSS styling rules and your new theme is ready to go 1.
- The blocks are just like sidebars
The blocks behave exactly like sidebars, so if there is a widget that shows what you want to display then all you need to do is drop that widget into a block like you would onto a sidebar and configure it. Simple.
- Each page is configured independently with its own blocks
There are four blocks that can be enabled for each page – Top Left, Top Right, Bottom Left, and Bottom Right. For example you may have a Top Left on one page, a Bottom Left and Bottom Right on another, and all others may have none at all.
This means that you don’t need to take your site down while you set them up. Just set up a hidden page with the blocks you want and view it privately without affecting your visitors. Then when you are ready just make the page available.
- Each block can have it’s own CSS styling rules
The plugin provides default CSS styling for the blocks assuming that all four blocks are displayed on a page. However CSS styling rules can be applied through the Page Write / Manage admin pages to override these, or even your own theme’s styling rules 1.
- The plugin supports password protected pages
If you protect your page content with a password, then the page blocks will also be hidden until the user enters a valid password.
Notes:
1: This is why some CSS knowledge may be required, since some themes do some strange things and CSS rules may need to be tweaked in order to get the blocks to show correctly. Future versions may have additional tools to make life easier.