Classic vs Block Editor: How to Write WordPress Post

by mmhossain · Published May 24, 2019 · Updated February 4, 2021

Enter WordPress Dashboard and look at the left Menu. The default Menu lists Dashboard, Posts, Media, Pages, Comments, Appearance, Plugins, Users, Tools and Settings. The Menu item with which the WordPress users spend the time most is Posts. By using Posts option, you can create or add new posts and edit, publish or delete them. WordPress is furnished with a feature-rich POST EDITOR. But from the WordPress version 5.0, in place of previous Classic Editor, WordPress introduced a new, advanced and more powerful version of Post Editor and that is Block Editor or Gutenberg Editor. We’re going focus on this next steps.

To enter the Post Editor, click Posts→ All Posts from WordPress Dashboard. This page lists all the posts that you already published, scheduled to publish later or kept as Draft. Now click Add New button from upper left. Appeared screen is the Post Editor (your work area) to write posts in WordPress.

Noted, this post (Post-5) is the part of a series of seven posts that provide ultimate guide on ‘How to start and manage WordPress Blog/Site’.

Contextually, one thing needs to be clarified. There are two Content Editors in WordPress- Post Editor and Page Editor. You can enter Post Editor from Admin Dashboard by following this path: Pages>>Add New. However both the Post Editor and Page Editor are almost the same in action though there are slight differences in one or two features. If you’re not quite sure of differences between Post and Page in WordPress, follow this link-

WordPress Post and Page: What is the Difference?

However we’ll deal with Post Editor here. After the end of the tutorial, you’ll have a deeper understanding of each and every facts of the Classic and Block editor to write post in WordPress effectively. You’ll also develop a logical sense in you to decide which Editor- Classic or Block– is applicable for you to make the best use of WordPress Post Editor feature.

New experience with WordPress Post Editor screen

If any WordPress user recently updated to or installed WordPress version 5.0 or upper, he/she might get stuck with wonder entering the Post Editor. The old and traditional Classic Editor, which WordPress users had been using for years, is no longer available. Instead, there stands a Block Editor which, apparently, looks hassling, complicated and strange to many.

The news is that, in December 6, 2018, with release of version 5.0, WordPress introduced a new modern Block based editor known as Gutenberg with many exclusively upgraded features to let users write and edit post more conveniently dividing each Heading, paragraph, image, video, gallery etc. by block.

However, At the initial stage, the new Block Editor appeared troublesome to many users. They found it difficult to adapt with it to continue regular Posting work. Many were looking for way to switch back to old Classic Editor.

However, first of all, it is a matter of hope that it is possible to use Classic Editor as you did before. But Block Editor is default editor. there is no option to switch back. For this you need to install Classic Editor plugin developed by WordPress Contributors. To set Classic Editor with WordPress, follow the link below-

Switch Back to Classic Editor From Block Editor in WordPress

Till today (as on January, 2020), there is 5+ million active installation of this plugin. The stat shows how WordPress users got dependent on it. Note that WordPress declared that they won’t support this plugin after 2021 ends.

Classic Editor vs Block Editor: Which one to use?

I also stumbled when I first met Block Editor. But the real scenario is opposite to what most people think. Once you know Block Editor well, you must fall in love with it and would never want to leave it. As a matter of fact, I assure, trust me, Block Editor is much easier than Classic Editor. It will be self-proved at the end of this tutorial. Just listen carefully-

In my opinion, Block Editor has swallowed up Classic Editor. In other word, Classic Editor is now a part of Block Editor. You even needn’t install plugin. You’ll find Classic Editor as ‘Classic’ block in Block Editor. Clear? While using Block Editor, add the ‘Classic’ block and you’ll get all functionalities of Classic Editor.

Let’s look at the old Classic Editor-

Classic Editor screenshot — **Screenshot 1**

This is our long-established popular Classic Editor. This is now in Visual (GUI) mode. By using the toolbar above, we can write post here and do formatting mostly like we do in MS Word. But here are only several formatting tools that can be used without any coding skill.

You can also switch to Text mode and add as many elements as you need like paragraph, heading, div, span, image, link, table, list, column, tool-tip and accordion more acutely and artistically which are absent in visual mode. But for this, you must be skilled in coding (HTML and CSS)

In a big page we use each elements many times. So, reasonably, it is very difficult, effortful, disgusting and time-consuming to find out and edit a desired element from a large page. But you won’t face these problems in Block Editor.

In this stage, let’s look at the screenshot of the latest Block Editor with three elements in the middle screen-

First: the default Title block
Second: a Paragraph block
Last: a Classic block

Now have a closer look at these three blocks and follow the next steps on how Block editor works-

How you’ll make Block Editor work

You clearly see in the Block Editor, there are middle screen to add block and write post and right screen to define meta data and publishing info.

in this stage, it is contextual to say that this tutorial is not to pinpoint each and every feature of Block Editor clarifying how to use it. We’ve already done it in our Block Editor tutorial. Link is at the bottom.

However, to work with Block editor, Look at the middle screen. Put a Title as usual. You’ll always see a default Paragraph block (see screenshot 2) below the Title block or any block at the last. You can use it or go to ‘add block‘ feature. You can add any block by clicking plus (+) sign that lies (look!) at upper right corner, left-below of last block and middle-below side of each block.

Now what if you’ve added a block. Notice each block has a formatting toolbar on upper-right with tool options which are only relevant for that block. Again each block has Visual mode and HTML mode. You can switch any mode by clicking three-dot menu in toolbar.

Moreover, when you click any point of a block, you get block option active at the right sidebar from where you can do much more customization for the selected block.

In the block list (reachable by clicking + sign), there are many built-in blocks group-wise like Paragraph, Custom HTML, Image, Gallery, Audio, Video, List, Table, Cover, Code, Column, Button, Group, Classic and much more what none can imagine to accomplish by visual Classic Editor. You can also add third-party blockS.

Now I’m drawing your attention to a fact. Look at the Classic Editor (screenshot 1) and also look at the Classic block at the bottom of Block Editor in screenshot 2. Aren’t both the same? Now friend, is there any logic, yet now, to use Classic Editor?

Above all, you’ll get the following advantages in Block Editor which are absent in old Classic-

You can add huge number of blocks and use them in Graphical User Interface (GUI) mode without any coding skill required.
You can add more and more third-party blocks by plugin.
Managing block is very interesting. You can instantly find out a block from a 5000-word post and easily edit it.
You can easily delete any block or add any block before and after of any block
Moving a block up and down is a matter of drag-and-drop or clicking.
Any formatted block can be saved for reuse by using ‘Add to Reusable Blocks’ feautre.
If you feel comfortable using HTML and CSS, add a Custom HTML block and do that luxuriously.
If you cannot forget your ‘Classic Editor’ darling/lover, add a Classic block and do that romantically.

Need more advantages? Here we disclosed few of the advantages Block Editor has. For an anatomical, analytical, tricky and handy guide on how to use Block Editor, click the link below just now. Because this is the successive complementary part of the present tutorial. There you’ll get A to Z of Block Editor story.