WPDM - Gutenberg Blocks

The download list nobody dares to touch

You are asked to remove one category's files from the resources page and sort the rest by update date. You open the page and find a line of brackets with parameters someone else wrote. Whoever runs the content does not dare edit it, so the job comes back to you.

In a download library, the real content is the query: which files show up, in what order and for whom. While that query lives inside a shortcode, only someone who can read it can change it.

Gutenberg Blocks, also called Editor Blocks by Download Manager, moves those decisions into the block editor's settings bar. It is an add-on for WordPress Download Manager: it places the packages, categories, forms and panels you already manage there into pages and posts, without writing shortcodes.

Blocks to assemble the library in the editor

• Single Package: shows one package, which you choose by searching its title.
• Packages: a list or grid of packages with filters and layout options.
• Categories: categories as a list or grid.
• Category Cards: selected categories as cards, with button, border and hover colors.
• Search: a package search form with its results.
• Dashboard: the Download Manager user dashboard, with recommended categories and favorites.
• Login Form: front-end login, with a redirect URL and logo.
• Sign up Form: front-end registration, with the role each new account receives.
• All Downloads Table: a sortable package table, with selectable columns and the option to limit it to logged-in users.

What the Packages block decides in each listing

It gathers into one panel what used to be parameters:

• What goes in: keyword, included categories and their subcategories, tags and authors.
• What stays out: excluded categories, packages with certain tags and packages from certain authors.
• How categories match: any of the selected ones, or all of them.
• What order they come in: publish date, title, downloads, views, update date or price, ascending or descending.
• How they are presented: link template, columns, items per page, pagination and a filter toolbar for visitors.
• How they load: with the asynchronous request, the listing updates via AJAX without reloading the page.

If you combine categories and tags, or set a specific order, check the result on the published page, not only in the editor.

Blocks that ask for more than this add-on

This add-on does not manage files or create packages: packages are created in Download Manager and only displayed here.

All Downloads Table belongs to WordPress Download Manager Pro. Category Cards also needs the WPDM Archive Page add-on.

From the published package to the block on the page

You need WordPress Download Manager and the block editor. With those, this is the route:

1. Install and activate Gutenberg Blocks alongside Download Manager.
2. Under Downloads, Add New, create a package with a title, description and files, then publish it.
3. Edit a page, click the + icon or type / and search for "download" or "wpdm". You can also open the Downloads category in the block library.
4. Choose the block and adjust its options in the side panel.
5. Open the published page and test filters, order and pagination.

When the library gets published a different way

If the table is what draws you to this add-on, the base you need is WordPress Download Manager Pro.

If you have not chosen a manager yet, Download Monitor manages downloadable files, logs downloads and includes a download button block. Document Library Pro publishes PDFs and other files as a library in a table, grid or folders, with search and filters.

Snags when placing the blocks

Why do the blocks not appear in the editor?

Confirm the add-on is active, check the browser console for JavaScript errors and deactivate other plugins to isolate a possible conflict.

Why does the block preview not load?

One cause is a blocked REST API. Check that it responds, that your user has permission and what your security plugin's settings are doing.

Why does the package selector look empty?

Type a few letters into the dropdown's search box so the packages appear.

Why does the table show no packages?

Configure the block's columns, which define what data from each package is shown.