Global Blocks - General Query

[razorpig]

I’ve been experimenting with Global Blocks and I have two questions - hope it’s OK to include both questions here :

1. When I create a block it seems I have to start with a section. This makes sense, as that’s exactly what ‘block’ means. However, the global blocks are only available as an Element, so I have to create a second section to put them in. Is this creating a section within a section? Am I doing this right or have I missed something? It’s VERY confusing.

2. Can I export global blocks from one site and import them in to another like you can with templates?

Thanks in advance.

[Prasant]

Hello @razorpig,

Thanks for asking.

1. I believe you are referring to row and columns. Depending on requirement a section section can have multiple rows and columns. Here is a screencast that you can take a look. https://cl.ly/3I3u2R140S3R
2. Yes, you can export/import Global Blocks. To do that you need to export the Block element as a template. I have recorded a screencast that you can take a look. https://cl.ly/400d2D0p2Y1H

Thanks.

[razorpig]

Thanks Prasant ! Really appreciate you taking the time to make these videos, but now it’s just more confusing.

1. I’m not referring to rows…easier to show you what I mean :

Which leads us neatly on to the second question…

2. In your import example, you weren’t using the Global Block element at all. The global block is behaving like a normal template and resides within the Template Manager rather than under Global Blocks, but there are clearly two different menu items :

I guess global blocks are just global templates? In your screencast, after you imported the Global Block in to the destination site, is it still a Global Block ( ie. will it show up under the Global Block Element drop-down list ) or does it become a normal template? I don’t see anything in the Template Manager to indicate which templates, or blocks (!?!) are global and which ones aren’t. Great functionality but insanely confusing terminology and interface

[ruenel]

Hello There,

When you create a Global Block, you will have to create it using the X > Global Block menu item. As soon as you save it, it stays in that Global Block section. When you add it to a page, you create a section, row, column and insert the Global Block element. It then become a nested section inside the column of the normal section.

Now if you save this whole section as a template, you can save it. It will then be added in X > Templates section. The original Global Block is still in the Global Block section though you have saved the section as a template already. All you will see in the Template Manager are the templates. There are no Global blocks added in the template manager. A global block can be found and can be edited in X > Global Block alone.

Hope this make sense.

[razorpig]

Hey RueNel,

Yes it does make a little more sense now - thanks for taking the time to explain it.

So just to be clear, regarding my second question - can I export Global Blocks from one site to another, completely by-passing the Template Manager ? If I’ve understood you correctly the answer is ‘no’.

If I create a Global Block, add it to a section on a page (creating a nested section), save that section as a template, import that template in to a new site and use it to create a new global block (creating a second nested section), then use that global block on a page in the new site, it will then create a third nested section. Is this correct?

[ruenel]

Hey There,

Thanks for writing in! If I create a Global Block, add it to a section on a page (creating a nested section), save that section as a template, import that template in to a new site and use it to create a new global block (creating a second nested section), then use that global block on a page in the new site, it will then create the same as a nested section only. That is because when you save a global block into a template, the global block wrapper will be removed and it is converted simply to a section.

Hope this helps.

[razorpig]

Excellent ! Thanks RueNel. Really appreciate the explanation. Finally I got it

Really liking the Template Manager interface and Global Blocks adds great functionality, but it would be so much more intuitive and user friendly if we just had Templates & Global Templates all managed in the same place, with maybe a column in Template Manager with a globe icon to indicate it’s a global template. Hope you don’t mind the feedback.

Thanks again !

[rad]

Hi there,

Yes, global block functions like a template. But its main purpose to make elements accessible globally regardless of pages (in contrast with V2 elements where it’s only accessible where it’s created). To put it simply, it’s a global element and can be grouped together. It could contain same data.

Templates are different, example, once you have a template and imported it to a page, then those elements are only available and accessible to where it’s imported (v2 elements). Data are specific to that page and has no effect to another even if you imported the same template to another page.

They are still different

Thanks!