How to Keep Using the Classic Editor in WordPress (Avoiding the Block Editor)
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Transcription
So this video is about the plugin "Classic Editor." Classic Editor is an interesting plugin because as of version 5.0 of WordPress, a new default editor has existed in the product. That new editor is called Gutenberg - you can't really see it in WordPress referred to as Gutenberg, but it looks like this.
If you click it, they usually refer to it as the block editor, okay? So what you're seeing right here is the block editor. You know, instead of seeing a title, and a body, where I can actually put in the content, you now have to interact with blocks. So I can just type whatever I want here, that works, but let's say I want an image. How do I do that? Well, I can go here and add an image, upload it, whatever. If I want a bullet list, how do I do that, well, I can go anywhere I want, let's say I want it after the image, I can click this, and then click List, and then start typing.
So in certain ways this does simplify life. But you may be really used to the classic editor and you may want to stick with it for a time. So if you're interested in doing this, this next plugin will be helpful. Let me just update the page here. Okay, so that's updated.
Now, let's look at the plugins we have installed. Here you'll notice that there's a plugin called Classic Editor - when we activate this plugin, which, by the way, is from WordPress Contributors, it's actually maintained by the WordPress contributors, so it's kind of official. And if you check out their GitHub page, they do mention that it's the "official plugin maintained by the WordPress team that restores the previous ("classic") WordPress editor and the "Edit Post" screen." So the one that you'll see in a few moments. And what's interesting here is they say it's going to be "fully supported and maintained until 2024, or as long as is necessary." Okay?
So let's activate that plugin. Classic Editor. Now that it's activated, let's go back to that post and go to update it. I'll click Edit - now doesn't this seem familiar? This is the classic WordPress editor. You may prefer working with this editor because it's what you've known for years, I know I preferred it, when Gutenberg first released. Because here's the thing about Gutenberg, when it first appeared, it was not liked. So let's check out the reviews for Gutenberg.
Now you can dig into this and see why there's so many people against this plugin, but I think part of that probably has to do with the fact that it changes the way something has been done for a very long time, within WordPress. And that can be uncomfortable, to have to face this new reality, get used to a new method. And in my opinion, that's not a good reason to avoid change, especially if that change is going to ultimately make things easier, move things forward. That said, the classic editor still has a place and I look forward to seeing Gutenberg mature more as a plugin, because that will mean more people will switch to Gutenberg and will enjoy the benefits of a block-based editor.
Anyway, so let's take a look now at the Classic Editor plugin, so at face value, hey look, you get your classic editor back, great, you get to use it. But there's a bit more to it than that - so if you go to the plugins, and under Classic Editor you'll see there's a Settings link. So let's click that.
Okay, so here are the settings. You can choose what the default editor is for all users, and allow them to change or not. Okay? That's totally up to you. So at the start you might want to for example force the classic editor, but allow them to switch. And as Gutenberg matures, you may want to go to the default being the block editor, and allow them to switch, and even more time passes, and users get more used to this new editor, it may be interesting to not allow them to switch back to the classic, and then eventually just remove the classic editor plugin.
That's it guys, if you have any questions for WordPress, or anything else, don't hesitate to reach out.