B8: Question on custom element API

Beta
#1

Hi there,

All the changes and features being made / added to Pro are very exciting for their abilities and potential.
I am wondering if the element API will be updated with release as well, especially around Layouts, dynamic elements, and even the Conditionals builder?
I see great power in being able to extend the extensive feature set already present in Pro 4 now - extensions for relatively specific use cases that I wouldn’t expect to be included in general release, but would be perfect for a plugin / child theme for a specific website.

Ideas include:

  1. Custom Dynamic elements that show up in the Dynamic section of the Element Library
  2. Extending the Looper Provider Query Builder options available to add different kinds of filters / additions e.g. an equivalent of get_terms() or a post offset option
  3. Extending the Conditions builder to add different kinds of filters e.g. custom metadata / ACF integration

Perhaps some of these features are intended for future sub-releases of Pro 4.x, in which case great! But I have found in the past the real power of Pro came in the powerful extension of custom Elements via the API and I’m just wondering if the API integration is going to be available with release, and how much of the featureset will be covered by it!

Cheers

1 Like
#2

Hi @arthurodb,

We’ve added WordPress hooks/filters in quite a few places that would allow extending the Looper system. We don’t have plans on documenting this or having a public API right away though. There’s quite a bit more we’d like to do with the Looper system and want to leave some room in case we risk breaking changes that would effect customization (wouldn’t effect the current element implementations). For example, we definitely want to have a way to iterate ACF Repeater and nested Repeated fields. We’re also considering a way to have providers that can be looper over multiple times somehow. Sometimes you want to group your data together but want to looper over it in different places (like custom Tabs and Tab Content).

All that being said, we don’t think that Pro 4.0 is a complete vision of the Loopers and Dynamic Content so we’re not comfortable committing to a public API that we risk breaking with future updates.

1 Like
#3

I love these ideas and the potential of how they could be used. Looking forward to when all that functionality will be added into Pro!
I have tinkered around a bit to make use of some of the hooks/filtered being added in, and really like what is possible already. Will definitely take care though when future updates come out, fully away the API there may well break as you continue to work on it all.

Cheers!

#4

Sounds good! If you have any questions about the hooks just let me know.