Gutenberg is the editor option in WordPress. In this article, you will learn how to use the Gutenberg block editor to clone and duplicate your page content and publish content in an easy and simple method.
Like many people reading this, I was skeptical of Gutenberg at first. I’ve been working with the old interface for a good few years now, and it’s become familiar. But Gutenberg is growing on me. And it has one feature that has made me sit up and notice. A feature that is very nice to use.
What’s that feature? It’s duplicate and shared blocks. It might not seem like it, but it makes the way I create content more efficient and more effective in getting visitors to take action after reading it.
Gutenberg Clone Content
What Are Blocks?
Blocks are what Gutenberg revolves around. All of your duplicate Gutenberg content will be added via a block. There are a wide variety of blocks that will mirror the types of content you tend to add to your posts but offer a different way of doing it. Blocks include:
- Text blocks – paragraphs, lists, headings, code, quotes, tables
- Media blocks – image, gallery, audio, video
- Layout elements – buttons, spacers, separators, page breaks
- Widget blocks – categories, latest posts, shortcode
- Embed blocks – YouTube, Soundcloud, Spotify, Twitter, and more
The variety of blocks is growing, with several third-party plugins being released. This is using the Gutenberg API to add extra blocks and clone content.
You add a block whenever you need to add a piece of content to a post or page. And each element of content will be stored within its block – even individual paragraphs.
You can move the clone block of Gutenberg content to edit and reorder your content. It also means you can reuse pieces of content, creating a duplicate or shared block.
Why Use the Gutenberg Clone Option?
A block of duplicate content in Gutenberg is quite simple. You take an existing block that you’ve created and make a copy of it. To do this, hover over the ellipsis (three dots, one on top of the other) to the right of the block, and click on the Clone option. A duplicate of that block will be created directly after the original block in the same post.
You can use this when you want to duplicate content (like a quote, a highlight, a call-to-action, or an image). And then add another copy of it elsewhere in the post. You drag the new block to the place in the post where you want it to go. Be careful not to place duplicate blocks too close together or accidentally create too much-clone content in the block editor!
The Process for Duplicate Gutenberg Content
Another use is where you want to create a second block that is similar to the first one but not identical. In this case, you’d create the duplicate block and then edit it. This is useful if you’ve spent some time formatting your first block (e.g., sizing an image) and want to duplicate the formatting but change the content – or vice versa.
When you edit cloned content from the block editor, the changes you make have no impact on the original block – they are two unconnected Gutenberg clone contents. So, clone blocks are great for saving time when you want to create content that is the same or slightly different from other content in your post.
But they have one flaw – they only work within an individual post. What do you use if you want to duplicate content between posts? That’s where shared blocks, my favorite Gutenberg feature, come in.
Sharing Gutenberg Blocks
A shared block works differently from a Gutenberg clone block. Creating a shared block is like a template for all the other blocks you create from it. And when you edit any of those blocks, the changes will carry through to all the shared blocks. You can override that, as I’ll show you shortly.
Creating a Block to Share
To create a shared block, start by creating any normal block in the usual way. Then, once you’ve done that, hover over the ellipsis again and, this time, select the Convert to shared block option.
You’ll see a text field under the block where you should give the block a name.
Give the block a unique name that will make sense when adding it to posts other than this one. It needs to be memorable so you know exactly what the block is when you use it again in weeks or even months. I find it useful to add the type of block it is after the title in brackets.
The title you’ve given the block will be displayed beneath it in the editor every time you use it, but it won’t be said on the front end of your site.
Reusing a Shared Block
The power of Gutenberg Shared Blocks is that once you’ve created them, you can use the content repeatedly, as many times as you like, anywhere on your site as you like, just like clone content.
When you want to add a shared block to a post, go to the + button at the top left of the editing screen instead of creating a normal text block. A popup menu will appear with various block types for you to choose from. Scroll down until you see the Shared option and click on it.
You’ll now see all the shared blocks you’ve created anywhere on your site. Now click on the shared block you want to use, and it will be next to your post. Simple!
Editing Shared Blocks
Editing shared blocks comes with some complications, which you have to bear in mind. If you edit a shared block you’ve added to a post, its contents will also be changed in every post where you’ve added that block.
To edit the block, click the Edit button next to its title: You can edit the content and the title of the block. These edits will take effect in all instances of the block. This is a great way to make changes throughout your site if you have repeating content that needs updating. For example, if you’ve used a shared block for a call to action with your phone number or email address and your contact details change, you’ll only need to edit the block once.
However, this is a problem if you want to edit one shared block instance and make its content slightly different in one post. To do this, you’d need to convert it back to a regular block and edit it. Hover over the ellipsis on the right of the block and click the Convert to regular block option. It’ll then behave just like any other regular block on your site.
Step-by-step
Contents of Gutenberg Clones
If you want to create another shared block similar to an existing one as a Gutenberg clone content (for example, if you want two different versions of your call-to-action text that you will use according to the content of the post), you can. Follow these steps:
- Create your first shared block as described above.
- Add the shared block to a new post
- Convert it to a regular block, and edit it.
- Convert it to a shared block in the same way you did the first time around.
- Give it a different name from the original one – a name that will help you easily identify the differences between the two blocks. Save it.
Now you have two shared blocks you can use wherever you want on your site.
Saving Shared Blocks
If you’re planning on creating multiple shared blocks around your site, keep a copy of each in one place where you can easily access and edit them.
Not only can I use this post to access all of my shared blocks – if I want to, I can also add text above each to provide a note as to what each block is for and where it’s designed to go within my site, such as what kind of posts, wherein the post, etc. This is a handy reference point I (or anyone else editing the site) can use to ensure I’m using the shared blocks consistently. It also makes it easier to find a shared block if I need to edit it.
Concluding About Content Clone in Gutenberg
Gutenberg will make it easier and faster to create, add and manage clone content on a website. We hope you have understood how to use the Gutenberg block editor to clone content to duplicate your page or publish content in an easy and simple method in this content guide on Gutenberg clone. Tell us how you are using duplicated and shared blocks!
