Custom Controls in Gutenberg Using Vue

Level Up Your Gutenberg Experience: Building Custom Controls with Vue.js

Gutenberg, WordPress’s block editor, offers a powerful and flexible framework for creating custom blocks. But sometimes, the default controls provided aren’t enough. This is where custom controls shine. By leveraging the power of Vue.js, we can craft intricate and highly interactive controls that significantly enhance the user experience within the Gutenberg editor. This blog post will guide you through the process of building custom controls for your Gutenberg blocks using Vue.js, covering everything from setup to advanced techniques.

Why Vue.js for Gutenberg Controls?

Vue.js’s component-based architecture, reactive data binding, and simple API make it an ideal choice for building sophisticated Gutenberg controls. Its lightweight nature ensures a performant editing experience, and its ease of use reduces development time. Compared to using plain JavaScript, Vue.js provides a structured and maintainable approach, especially when dealing with complex controls.

Setting the Stage: Project Setup

Before diving into code, let’s ensure we have the necessary environment set up. We’ll be using npm (or yarn) for package management and the WordPress development environment. Assume you already have a WordPress installation or are working with a local development setup.

1. Create a Gutenberg Plugin: Create a new directory for your plugin (e.g., my-custom-gutenberg-controls). Inside, create the following files:

   • gutenberg-controls.php: The main plugin file.
   • build/index.js: The entry point for your Vue.js code.
   • src/components/MyCustomControl.vue: Our Vue.js component for the custom control.

2. Install Dependencies: Navigate to your plugin directory in your terminal and install the necessary dependencies:

npm install --save-dev @wordpress/scripts @wordpress/element vue vue-loader webpack

3. Configure Webpack: We need a webpack.config.js file to bundle our Vue.js code:

// webpack.config.js
const path = require('path');

module.exports = {
  entry: './build/index.js',
  output: {
    path: path.resolve(__dirname, 'build'),
    filename: 'index.js',
  },
  module: {
    rules: [
      {
        test: /.vue$/,
        loader: 'vue-loader',
      },
      {
        test: /.js$/,
        exclude: /node_modules/,
        use: {
          loader: 'babel-loader',
          options: {
            presets: ['@babel/preset-env'],
          },
        },
      },
    ],
  },
  resolve: {
    extensions: ['.js', '.vue'],
    alias: {
      'vue$': 'vue/dist/vue.esm.js' // required to avoid conflict with other plugins
    }
  },
};

4. gutenberg-controls.php: This file registers our plugin and enqueues the necessary scripts and styles:

<?php
/**
 * Plugin Name: My Custom Gutenberg Controls
 * Plugin URI:  https://yourwebsite.com/
 * Description: Demonstrates custom Gutenberg controls using Vue.js.
 * Version:     1.0.0
 * Author:      Your Name
 * Author URI:  https://yourwebsite.com/
 * License:     GPL2
 * License URI: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html
 * Text Domain: my-custom-gutenberg-controls
 */

function my_custom_controls_enqueue_scripts() {
  wp_enqueue_script(
    'my-custom-controls-script',
    plugins_url('build/index.js', __FILE__),
    array('wp-blocks', 'wp-element', 'wp-components'),
    '1.0.0',
    true
  );
}
add_action('enqueue_block_editor_assets', 'my_custom_controls_enqueue_scripts');
?>

Building the Custom Control (MyCustomControl.vue):

Now, let’s create our Vue.js component. This example creates a control for selecting a background color with a color picker and a text input for setting the opacity.

// src/components/MyCustomControl.vue
<template>
  <div>
    <label for="background-color">Background Color:</label>
    <input type="color" v-model="backgroundColor" id="background-color">
    <label for="background-opacity">Opacity:</label>
    <input type="number" v-model="backgroundOpacity" min="0" max="1" step="0.1" id="background-opacity">
  </div>
</template>

<script>
export default {
  name: 'MyCustomControl',
  data() {
    return {
      backgroundColor: '#ffffff',
      backgroundOpacity: 1,
    };
  },
  watch: {
    backgroundColor: function(newValue){
      this.$emit('update:backgroundColor', newValue)
    },
    backgroundOpacity: function(newValue){
      this.$emit('update:backgroundOpacity', newValue)
    }
  }
};
</script>

Integrating the Control into Gutenberg (index.js):

Finally, we need to register our control with Gutenberg. This is where we connect our Vue component to the WordPress block editor.

// build/index.js
import MyCustomControl from '../src/components/MyCustomControl.vue';
import { registerBlockType } from '@wordpress/blocks';
import { __ } from '@wordpress/i18n';
import { createElement } from '@wordpress/element';
import { PanelBody, TextControl, RangeControl } from '@wordpress/components';

const { Component } = wp.element;

class MyCustomControlWrapper extends Component {
  render() {
    const { attributes, setAttributes } = this.props;
    return (
      <PanelBody title={__('Custom Control Settings')}>
        <MyCustomControl
          :backgroundColor.sync="attributes.backgroundColor"
          :backgroundOpacity.sync="attributes.backgroundOpacity"
        />
      </PanelBody>
    );
  }
}

registerBlockType('my-plugin/my-custom-block', {
  title: __('My Custom Block'),
  icon: 'align-wide',
  category: 'common',
  attributes: {
    backgroundColor: { type: 'string', default: '#ffffff' },
    backgroundOpacity: { type: 'number', default: 1 },
  },
  edit: ({ attributes, setAttributes }) => {
    return (
      <div>
         <MyCustomControlWrapper attributes={attributes} setAttributes={setAttributes} />
      </div>
    );
  },
  save: () => {
    return null;
  },
});

Explanation of index.js:

• We import our Vue component and necessary Gutenberg functions.
• We create a wrapper component (MyCustomControlWrapper) to integrate the Vue component with Gutenberg’s component lifecycle.
• We use :backgroundColor.sync and :backgroundOpacity.sync for two-way data binding, enabling seamless updates between the Vue component and Gutenberg’s attributes.
• The registerBlockType function registers our custom block, including its attributes and the edit function which renders our custom control.

Remember to run npm run build (after creating a package.json file with a build script) before activating your plugin in WordPress.

Advanced Techniques:

• Complex Interactions: Vue.js allows for complex interactions within your controls. You can use computed properties to derive values, methods for handling user actions (e.g., form submission), and lifecycle hooks for managing component state.

• Data Validation: Implement validation rules in your Vue component to ensure data integrity before submitting it to the block’s attributes.

• Asynchronous Operations: Handle asynchronous operations (e.g., fetching data from an API) using Vue’s lifecycle hooks and asynchronous JavaScript functions.

• External Libraries: Integrate external libraries like date pickers, rich text editors, or image uploaders seamlessly within your custom controls.

• Testing: Write unit and integration tests for your Vue components to ensure they function correctly and maintain code quality.

Conclusion:

Building custom controls for Gutenberg using Vue.js offers a significant advantage in terms of flexibility, maintainability, and user experience. This comprehensive guide provides a solid foundation for creating sophisticated controls. By mastering the techniques described here, you can unlock the full potential of Gutenberg, creating a rich and intuitive editing environment for your WordPress users. Remember to experiment, explore Vue’s features, and enhance your custom controls to create the best possible user experience within the WordPress block editor. Happy coding!