EditorsKit 1.6 and 1.7 Add Tools for Writers, Drag and Drop Block Export/Import

Recent EditorsKit releases have introduced a set of new tools that some writers may have found missing from Gutenberg. The plugin’s creator, Jeffrey Carandang, said version 1.6 was targeted at improving the writing flow for writers, bloggers, and content creators.

Gutenberg has decent support for copying and pasting Markdown. It will automatically convert links, blockquotes, code snippets, and other formatting into the proper Gutenberg blocks. However, the editor does not offer full support for users who who want to write with Markdown.

EditorsKit 1.6 adds basic markdown capabilities for things like bold, italic and ~strikethrough~ and these can also be used alongside other available editor markdowns and their keyboard shortcuts. These are integrated directly into the RichText editor so you don’t have to use a dedicated Markdown plugin with a custom block, like WP Githuber MD, or Jetpack’s Markdown module.

Version 1.6 introduced an expanded “clear formatting” option as a response to requests Carandang received on the plugin’s Facebook community and Slack. It clears formatting on specific text, removes formatting on selected text, and clears all paragraph and heading block formatting using the “Clear Block Formatting” option in the block settings. This version also added subscript, superscript, and uppercase text formats, along with a title visibility toggle that removes titles from the frontend on a per-post basis.

While these tools may provide features that some users find to be critically missing from Gutenberg, for many others they simply add to the clutter of the block toolbar and the overall interface. Gutenberg is still sorely in need of a distraction-free UI that will enable users to ditch dedicated writing apps and embrace WordPress as their go-to app for writing.

EditorsKit seems best suited as a playground for features that may or may not have widespread appeal. For example, the most recent 1.7 release enables exporting and importing blocks without the requirement of first converting them to reusable blocks. Users can click on the “block settings” icon and export as JSON on a per-block basis. It’s also possible to select multiple blocks and export them in one file.

Importing blocks back into the editor is as easy as dragging and dropping the .json file. It automatically generates the blocks in an almost magical way an does not require users to navigate to the separate admin dashboard for managing reusable blocks.

Import json

Carandang is working on making the import/export work with media attachments. He is also currently working with the Gutenberg team and other contributors to bring the plugin’s Text and Highlight colors feature to the core editor.


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