WordPress 5.8 Introduces Page List and Post List Blocks

WordPress 5.8 has added many new features, but 2 new blocks stand out for their usefulness:  page list block and post list block.  Both would seem to be simply the same type of block listing either pages or posts, but they are actually quite different.  The page list block is simple in contrast to the posts list block which is actually also called a query loop block.  

This article will show how each block works as well as the available options.

• Page List Block
• Post LIst Block
• Using the New Blocks

Page List Block

In order to use the page list block, you will need to have some pages published – or at least planned. If you don’t have any pages to list, then you will see nothing in this block.  You can easily bring the block up by searching for “page list” when adding a new block.

The page list block displays all published pages and there are no options to change the block functionality or appearance.  It is simply a bulleted list of the published pages.

Post List Block

The post list block is much different from the page list block and is actually a form of the query loop block.  The query loop block can be used to display posts or pages and include specific criteria for sorting and filtering.  

The toolbar for the query loop block features the following:

Alignment 

There are two options for alignment – Wide width and Full width.  In order to really see how these alignment options appear, you will need to test them. The WordPress theme that you are using can affect how these options will affect your content.

Items Per Page

You can determine the number of items that appear per page using the Items per Page setting. 

You can also set an Offset value for what items are displayed.  For example, if you set 1, then it will skip every other article.  Zero will display all items.

The Max page value is used to indicate the maximum number of pages that you want to be displayed.  Zero shows all pages.

View Options

There are two ways to display the post or page items.  You can select a list view or a grid view.

Block Settings for the Post List Block

There are also many settings for the post list block (query loop).  They are mainly divided into Color, Settings, and Filters.  

Using the New Blocks from WordPress 5.8

Both of these blocks are fairly self-explanatory to use in your content. Though the page list block is definitely more straightforward. You can easily use the post list block (query loop) to filter out specific posts or pages that you want to link follow-up or reference material. This makes it easier for your viewers to get to previously published content that can be valuable to them. 

The page list block and post list block allow you to provide links that guide your viewer to other content areas in your site.  Post list blocks can be used to be more specific for the content that is displayed.  Though it is called “post list block”, it is actually a form of the query loop block that can also be used for displaying page content.

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We hope that you enjoyed learning about 2 new useful blocks for WordPress.  If you want to find more tips, tricks, and other useful information on WordPress, please see our WordPress Education Channel.