The Table Block and the Advanced Table Block
One of the things I love about WordPress is that the project has a clearly-stated philosophy. One of the principles is to design for 80% of users and leave plugins to fill in the more advanced features.
This is happening with the Gutenberg block editor. Many developers are adding extra features on top of the default blocks.
Inside the PublishPress Blocks plugin, the Advanced Table block is based on the default Table block in Gutenberg.
The Gutenberg team have done the hard work. We're standing on their shoulders.
If you want to show data inside tables in WordPress, both of these blocks are a great choice.
The Advanced Table Block has functionality that the extra 20% of WordPress users may find helpful. If you are a WordPress power user, you'll want to check out these features, including colors, border settings, cell merging, padding, and text alignment.
Here's a side-by-side rundown showing the extra features in the Advanced Table block. The features on the left are enough for 80% of users. The power features for 20% of users are on the right.
Merge Row and Columns
Table Block
The default Table block has 6 options allowing you to add or delete rows and columns.
Advanced Table Block
The Advanced Table block has the same 6 options, plus a “Split Merged Cells” and a “Merge Cells” option.
Table Settings
Table Block
The default Table block allows to fix the width of cells, and to add header and footer area.
Advanced Table Block
The Advanced Table block has the default options, plus the ability to set a fixed width for the whole table and to collapse the border.
Color Settings
Table Block
By default, the Table block has four color choices. The color you choose applies to the whole table and can't be applied to single cells. You can not add your own choice.
Advanced Table Block
In PublishPress Blocks, the Advanced Table block has options for both the background and text color. You can choose different colors for each cell. You can choose your own colors.
Border Settings
Table Block
The default Table block doesn't have any settings for the border.
Advanced Table Block
The Advanced Table block allows to control which parts of the table have a border. You can decide if the border is solid, dashed, dotted, or hidden. You can choose a width and a color for the border.
Padding Settings
Table Block
The default Table block doesn't have any settings for padding.
Advanced Table Block
The Advanced Table block allows you to set padding for four sides of your table.
Text Alignment Settings
Table Block
The default Table block allows you to align text to the left, center, and right.
Advanced Table Block
The Advanced Table blocks adds a justify alignment option, plus three vertical alignment choices.
Video guide to the Advanced Table block
Advanced Table Block demos
Here are two live-action demos of the Advanced Table block:
| Fruit | Color | Characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| Banana | Yellow | Curvy |
| Apple | Green | Crunchy |
| Orange | Orange | Juicy |
| Blueberry | Blue | Small |
| Grapes | Purple | Round |
| Raspberries | Red | Tasty |
| Plugin | Description | Number of Installs |
|---|---|---|
| PublishPress Authors | Add many authors to one WordPress post. | 5,000 |
| PubishPress Blocks | Gives you more control over the WordPress block editor. | 30,000 |
| PublishPress Capabilities | Trusted to manage the permissions for over 100,000 WordPress sites. | 100,000 |
| PublishPress Checklists | Define tasks that must be completed before your content is published. | 4,000 |
| PublishPress | Helps you organize, schedule and plan your WordPress content. | 8,000 |
| PublishPress Permissions | Customize your WordPress permissions in very advanced ways. | 10,000 |
| PublishPress Revisions | The plugin for managing, scheduling and approving WordPress revisions. | 6,000 |
Summary
The Gutenberg development team have done an excellent job with the default block. On multiple occasions, our developers have been able to build on top of their work and add 20% more. Some examples include the Advanced Button block, the Advanced List block, and the Advanced Video block.
Check out all the PublishPress Blocks at the demo site or download the plugin from WordPress.org.