Block Bindings API (part 2) and custom sources

[justintadlock]

Discussed in #219

^{Originally posted by justintadlock February 5, 2024}
WordPress 6.5 will ship with a Block Bindings API and the ability to connect custom fields to block attributes. The feature will be in a limited form, but it is a major first step toward handling a feature that extenders have needed for years. In many cases, it will mean that theme authors and plugin devs will be able to use the existing Core blocks to output dynamic data.

Resources:

• Connecting block attributes and custom fields
• Block Bindings API

I'm thinking the tutorial should at least cover which blocks and attributes can be connected to custom fields and show some examples.

A second part of this (though, it may be a separate tutorial) is to show how to register custom binding sources. WP 6.5 should ship with core/post-meta and core/pattern-overrides, but devs can also build custom sources.

To test

Add a mood and weather custom field key in your Custom Fields panel. Add any text to the fields. Then, add these blocks to your editor:

<!-- wp:paragraph {"metadata":{"bindings":{"content":{"source":"core/post-meta","args":{"key":"mood"}}}}} -->
<p></p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph {"metadata":{"bindings":{"content":{"source":"core/post-meta","args":{"key":"weather"}}}}} -->
<p></p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

This is a really basic example, and the post should walk devs through the basics to a more advanced example.

[justintadlock]

We had to split this post into a two-part series (this was noted in the original discussion as a possibility). You can find Part 1 here: #222

Part 2 is being drafted here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10Cdjpv05ZLfQPFUxIlxiQnV8BUitcCf2_21pmDPWfhU/edit?usp=sharing

[justintadlock]

This post draft is now ready for review: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10Cdjpv05ZLfQPFUxIlxiQnV8BUitcCf2_21pmDPWfhU/edit?usp=sharing

[justintadlock]

Social copy:

In WordPress 6.5, plugin and theme authors can bind custom data to Core blocks. Check out this second post in the Block Bindings API series to learn more:

https://developer.wordpress.org/news/2024/03/06/introducing-block-bindings-part-2-working-with-custom-binding-sources/