We are pleased to announce the release of Block Visibility 2.4.0 and Block Visibility Pro 1.5.0. While both releases are relatively minor, they tackled a number of feature requests as well as an outstanding PHP error on the block-based Widgets admin screen. Feature highlights include the introduction of the Cookie control and contextual block opacity.
Before we get into the details, please review the upgrade notice below.
Upgrade Notice
For those that are currently using Block Visibility Pro, please upgrade both Block Visibility and the Pro add-on at the same time. Version 2.4.0 of the core Block Visibility plugin is now the minimum required version for Pro. If you upgrade Pro without upgrading Block Visibility, you will receive an error message in the WordPress admin alerting you that an upgrade to 2.4.0+ is required.
Furthermore, Block Visibility Pro 1.5.0 now requires WordPress 5.9+. As the Site Editor and Full Site Editing continue to be developed, we want to ensure Pro is able to take advantage of these new WordPress features and components. If you require WordPress 5.8 or lower for your website, 1.4.0 is fully stable, and we advise that you simply not upgrade to 1.5.0.
Cookie Control
HTML cookies are everywhere on the internet. They are used for analytics, personalization, eCommerce, and more. The Cookie control in Block Visibility Pro allows you to easily display blocks based on cookies and their values.
In the following screenshot, we are conditionally displaying the block if the cookie test_cookie has the value yum_cookies.
Please note that Block Visibility Pro does not allow you to set/create your own cookies. You will need to manage that yourself or use another third-party plugin. The Cookie control only manages the visibility of blocks based on cookies that already exist on your website.
Contextual Block Opacity
Block Visibility already includes conditional indicators, little icons that alert the user when a block has visibility controls enabled. They look like this:
While conditional indicators are extremely useful, users wanted more. A common feature request was to also add opacity when block content was hidden. With Block Visibility version 2.4.0, you can now opt-in to contextual opacity in the plugin settings and configure the amount of opacity blocks should have.
Miscellaneous Enhancements
A number of minor enhancements were also included with both plugin releases:
- Added information icons to all visibility controls with links to the Knowledge Base.
- Removed unnecessary information modals from selected visibility controls.
- Removed custom
SearchControlcomponent in favor of native WordPress component. - Fixed indicator color styling in settings.
- Fixed PHP warning on the Widgets screen.
Next Steps
WordPress 6.0 is right around the corner, and Full Site Editing is quickly becoming a central component of WordPress theme design. The next versions of Block Visibility and Pro will be focused specifically on Full Site Editing to ensure full compatibility for all visibility controls across all block types. We will also explore additional ways to standardize the plugin user interface to better align with WordPress for a seamless block editing experience.
Thank you for your interest in Block Visibility. If you haven’t already, give the core Block Visibility plugin a try. It’s available for free in the WordPress plugin repository. If you would like access to every feature, including the new Cookie control, purchase the Pro add-on today!
Until next time…
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