Feature · Gutenberg · Blockenberg
Block Manager: enable and disable Gutenberg blocks
Blockenberg registers hundreds of blocks. The Block Manager lets you disable the ones you do not use so they never register and never load editor scripts.
Get Blockenberg
Blockenberg is a Gutenberg block library. These features are plugin-wide editor tools, not Elementor extensions.
What it actually does
Disabled blocks are saved as a flat array of names like blockenberg/accordion in the option blockenberg_disabled_blocks. AJAX action bkbg_save_disabled_blocks checks nonce bkbg_save_blocks and capability manage_options. Only names that start with blockenberg/ are stored.
blockenberg.php reads that option twice: when registering block editor/front assets, and when calling register_block_type() for each blocks/*/block.json. If the name is in the list, that block is skipped — it will not appear in the inserter.
The dashboard groups blocks by the same category slugs used in the inserter (layout, content, media, marketing, business, blog, interactive, charts, calculators, effects, developer, general). Enable all / disable all buttons are localized in admin-dashboard.js.
Where it lives in WordPress
WordPress admin → top-level Blockenberg menu (capability manage_options, dashicon screenoptions, position 59). The page is rendered by bkbg_render_dashboard() in assets/php/admin-dashboard.php.
How to use it
- Open Blockenberg in wp-admin. Look for the Blockenberg item in the left menu, not Settings.
- Find the block by category or title. Titles come from each block.json, grouped by category.
- Disable unused blocks. Save. The option updates via AJAX; you should see the “Settings saved.” string.
- Reload the editor. Disabled blocks disappear from the inserter because they were never registered.
- Re-enable if a page already used the block. A previously inserted block can show as unavailable until you turn it back on.
Controls and behavior
| Piece | What the plugin does |
|---|---|
| blockenberg_disabled_blocks | Array of blockenberg/* names that must not register. |
| Enable All / Disable All | Dashboard JS helpers; still saved through the same AJAX handler. |
| Nonce bkbg_save_blocks | Required for the AJAX save. |
When this is the right tool
- A marketing site that only needs a handful of blocks and wants a smaller inserter.
- Cutting editor memory: the main plugin file notes 600+ blocks with extra layout attributes.
Notes from the code
This is not a security firewall. It only skips Blockenberg’s own registration. Core WordPress blocks are untouched. Product site: blockenberg.com.
FAQ
A block vanished from the inserter.
It is in blockenberg_disabled_blocks. Re-enable it on the Blockenberg dashboard.
Does Disable All remove blocks from existing pages?
They stop registering. Existing markup may show as invalid until you enable the block again.
Can editors without manage_options toggle this?
No. The menu and AJAX both require manage_options.
Other plugin features
Inspector tabs: General vs Advanced on every Blockenberg block
A BlockEdit higher-order component (inspector-tabs.js) injects General / Advanced tabs on all blockenberg/* blocks and registers shared layout attributes.
Layout system: shared spacing and background CSS for every block
Server-registered bkbg* attributes and a render_block filter that prints desktop inline CSS plus tablet/mobile media queries. layout.css is shared by section/row/column.
Typography control: a shared font popover and Google Fonts loader
window.bkbgTypographyControl is a reusable popover. On the front, blockenberg.php scans *Typo / typo* attributes for family and enqueues Google Fonts CSS2 URLs (skipping system fonts).
Icon picker: one control for Dashicons, SVG, and images
window.bkbgIconPicker exposes IconPickerControl, editor/save builders, and a frontend DOM builder. Icon types include Dashicons, bundled SVG paths, and media uploads.
Block categories: how Blockenberg groups 600+ blocks
block_categories_all prepends twelve Blockenberg categories so the inserter lists them above generic groups. Each block.json sets category; the dashboard uses the same labels.
Get Blockenberg
Install the plugin from WordPress.org, then use this feature in the native block editor.