Gutenberg's development has come a long way since its announcement in 2017. There are still a lot of mixed feelings towards the new publisher, but that hasn't slowed its progress. However, plugin compatibility remains one of the biggest, if not the most important, issues when it comes to the new editor.
There are thousands of plugins available for WordPress, and it stands to reason that some of them might not work with Gutenberg. For this reason, you should test your favorite plugins to determine their compatibility with Gutenberg.
In this article, we'll explain why plugin compatibility is an important issue when it comes to Gutenberg. Next, we'll show you two ways to test your plugins to see if they are compatible with the new editor.
Let's get to work!
Why do you need to check the compatibility of your plugins with Gutenberg?
If you've been using WordPress for a while, you know that some plugins don't work well with others. In some cases, this is due to a code or functionality conflict. Other times it involves using multiple plugins that try to add similar functionality.
Gutenberg is still in beta and to use it you need to install its official plugin. The changes Gutenberg is making to the WordPress editor are extensive, so it stands to reason that it doesn't match well with other plugins:
To be clear - Gutenberg doesn't cause problems with most plugins. However, not all plugins that add functionality or change the look of the classic WordPress editor may be Gutenberg-compatible. If you use a lot of plugin generated shortcodes on your pages, chances are you will run into conflicts with Gutenberg as well. The reason is that the new editor requires you to use custom shortcode blocks.
Plugins that add custom styles to your pages can also cause issues with Gutenberg. Some plugins that haven't received updates for a while can also cause conflicts with the new editor. As a rule of thumb, we prefer to avoid plugins if they haven't had any updates in the past six months, which is something you should consider as well.
Keep in mind that Gutenberg is still in beta, so it's normal for you to experience some issues while using it. Many popular plugins are still adapting to the changes the publisher will make. Some plugins that do not currently work with Gutenberg may support it in the future.
It is also important that you are not yet dependent on Gutenberg for a website live. We recommend that you continue to use the classic editor until Gutenberg leaves the beta, just to avoid any issues that may arise.
2 ways to check if your WordPress plugins are compatible with Gutenberg.
Even if Gutenberg isn't ready yet, that doesn't mean you have to wait to find out if your plugins are compatible ... That way you can contact the developers of your favorite plugin to check if they plan to add the Gutenberg compatibility, or start looking for alternatives.
1. Check the compatibility database of Gutenberg plugins
As you might expect, a lot of people are already busy figuring out which plugins are compatible with Gutenberg and which are not. This information is available in the database. data Gutenberg-compatible plugins. Currently, the basis of data contains 5 plugins, including most of WordPress's popular offerings. To check if your favorite plugins are compatible with Gutenberg, all you have to do is search for them using the database search function. data :
Beside each name you will find a column that displays Gutenberg-Compatible, with a value of Yes or No. Even if the plugins you are looking for are compatible, you can also read the bugs that appear with Gutenberg in the Compatibility Reason column:
Chances are that most of the plugins you are looking for are already in the database. If you want to contribute to the expansion of the database, you can contribute yourself. All you need is to register an account on the website from the database.
Once you have an account, you will be able to set up an online test environment using the WP Sandbox service. This service is configured to create test environments with Gutenberg and a random plugin that is not yet part of the database. This way, they avoid having hundreds of users who are all testing the same plugins.
You can learn more about how the testing process works on the Website Gutenberg compatibility. However, if you want to check a specific plugin's compatibility with Gutenberg, you'll have to do it the old-fashioned way.
2. Use a test site to check for compatibility issues
Staging sites allow you to test changes in a safe environment before using them in production. There are lots of ways to put together staging copy for your website. Some hosting providers, such as WP Engine, allow you to create staging versions of your site in just a few clicks. If not, you can use Local by Flywheel or MAMP to create local WordPress test environments.
However, if you are looking to quickly test the compatibility of a few plugins with WordPress, you can create an install using Poopy.life (yes, really), which only takes a second. Once your website is ready, install the Gutenberg plugin :
When you've enabled Gutenberg, you can go ahead and test your favorite plugins with it. Take the example of the Divi Builder. Currently, if you activate Gutenberg, you will not see the option to switch to the Divi Builder. However, some of its options will appear if you switch to the Extended Settings tab under Gutenberg editor :
But there is no reason to panic. You can still use Divi as usual if you click on the Classic editor option when you go to edit an article or a page:
This will launch the classic WordPress editor, where Divi works normally. Rest assured, although the Divi Builder is not yet fully compatible with Gutenberg, the integration is coming, and you won't need to choose between the two.
As you can see, testing plugins for Gutenberg compatibility is straightforward. All you need to do is check if the basic plugin functionality is working as expected with the editor active. Take Yoast SEO for example - which adds a meta box to your publisher page. We expected to encounter errors using the two together, but luckily this was not the case:
Yoast, in particular, has worked hard when it comes to integrating Gutenberg, so the plugins work well together. Now it's up to you to test out all the other tools you want to use on your WordPress site and see if they're Gutenberg ready as well.
Conclusion
Like it or not, the Gutenberg editor is coming to the heart of WordPress in 2018. The best thing you can do beforehand is to prepare yourself, so that the transition is as painless as possible.
If you use multiple plugins on your website, you should check if they are compatible with Gutenberg. If not, you should keep an eye out for their updates, and possibly consider looking for alternatives. Here is how you can check if your plugins are working well with the current version of Gutenberg:
Take a look at the plugin compatibility database at Gutenberg.
Use a site staged to check for compatibility issues.
Are you worried or excited about the upcoming transition to Gutenberg's editor? If so, tell us why in the comments section below!
