WordPress blocks can sometimes be challenging, so I’m going to attempt to give some examples of how to use the base block tools in this post. This will be instructing as if the user is using a PC not a Mac.
There are two different options of ending one paragraph and starting another one.
OPTION 1: After the last word of the paragraph you want to end the user presses the Shift+Enter keys together, then pressing Shift+Enter again advances one more line where the user starts their next paragraph. Think of this as what we used to do on a real typewriter years ago. I do this because it’s all equally spaced vertically the way you would find in anything you read. Using this method, all the typed text is in one block until you create a new block. This entire area of text all the way down to the first image below is done like this.
OPTION 2: After the last word of the paragraph you want to end the user presses the Enter key. This ends the current block and begins a new block. This also places a larger vertical space between the blocks than the method used above for normal typing, it looks like double spacing to me – I have no idea why they do this double spaced thing. Personally, I ONLY choose to do this if I actually intend to starting a new block with contents that something other than a normal typed paragraph, something like an image, list, heading, or a quote. When I do this, I intentionally choose to press the Enter key twice. By pressing the Enter key twice it creates two new text paragraph blocks and a message appears on the screen with the blinking cursor below it. It looks like this…
I move my mouse pointer over the “Type / to choose a block” text that appeared and the following appears on the right side of the screen working space…
If I move my mouse pointer over that black box with a white + in it, it turns blue and when I click and it opens up a popup box with block types choices. It looks like this…
After I’m done filling that block with something other than normal text paragraph, there is already a new text block ready to go just below it, I simply click inside that and start typing my next text paragraph block.
SPECIAL NOTE: Practice how some of these block features operate using an unpublished post. Simply create a post same way you would normally, save it, don’t publish it, then press the “View” choice on the top right menu choices…
Then when you click that icon in that red circle above, the following appears…
Simply click on the “Preview in new tab” and it will open a new tab in your browser and you’ll get to see what your post would look like. This is a really effective way of learning and practicing new WordPress block features without getting frustrated when you’re actively try to post real content for the public after WordPress updates and adds new features. Practice, practice, practice! If you blow it, don’t get frustrated, just try again. Previewing is a GREAT tool.
Lastly; if your preview shows a bunch of formatting things that you didn’t expect, the Backspace key on your keyboard can be your friend to try again. Just know when you start pressing the Backspace key you may get results that you don’t expect if you don’t know where blocks start and end. This is your tool to delete blocks you don’t want. I’ve wiped out more than I expected sometimes.
Remember, the Shift+Return keystroke can be your friend when you’re just typing general paragraphs. Use the Enter keystroke by itself to create new blocks. If you create a new block you don’t want, click inside it and press the Backspace key.
If someone would like me to expand this post and add something else, just ask and I’ll try.
I hope this helpful.
[ADDED] Be careful to not start new blocks inside of blocks, you’ll get unintended results. Here are some blocks created inside a quote block, this happened because I didn’t press the Enter key twice at the end of the first quote confirming I ended the previous block and started a new block inside the quote block.
“Testing the quote block feature.”
Still TestingStill Testing
Still testing…
Still Testing
Still Testing…
Testing what comes after a quote.
