IN BETA

ACF 5.8 Beta introduced an easy way to create your custom Gutenberg blocks. I am already using it heavily for a current project, to easily organize content and media assets.

Really powerful, when combined with Timber as well, which has been the foundation of many of my themes for years now ;)

ORGANIZE YOURSELF

Organizing data using ACF is nice, but sometimes you seek access to that saved block data directly. I hate it when I am confined to boundaries and the data flow is restricted or hidden. I need things to be accessible to choose the creative flow myself.

SIMPLE EXAMPLE

// Parse blocks from post content
$blocks  = parse_blocks($your_post_content);
$collect = array();

// Loop through the blocks
foreach($blocks as $block){

//Setup global block post data context
// before: acf_setup_postdata
acf_setup_meta( $block['attrs']['data'], $block['attrs']['id'], true );

// Get ACF fields
$fields = get_fields();

// I am using this to organize my assets.
// Each block of mine has a unique identifier as its first field:
// $uid = $block['attrs']['data'][array_keys($block['attrs']['data'])[0]]
// I would do:
// $collect[$uid] = $fields; 

// Collection of fields using the block id. 
$collect[$block['attrs']['id']] = $fields;

// Restore global context
// before: acf_reset_postdata
acf_reset_meta( $block['attrs']['id'] );

}

// Parse blocks from post content

$blocks = parse_blocks($your_post_content);

$collect = array();

// Loop through the blocks

foreach($blocks as $block){

//Setup global block post data context

// before: acf_setup_postdata

acf_setup_meta( $block['attrs']['data'], $block['attrs']['id'], true );

// Get ACF fields

$fields = get_fields();

// I am using this to organize my assets.

// Each block of mine has a unique identifier as its first field:

// $uid = $block['attrs']['data'][array_keys($block['attrs']['data'])[0]]

// I would do:

// $collect[$uid] = $fields;

// Collection of fields using the block id.

$collect[$block['attrs']['id']] = $fields;

// Restore global context

// before: acf_reset_postdata

acf_reset_meta( $block['attrs']['id'] );

}

There you go, enjoy some free block data :)

I was a big skeptic, when it comes to WordPress and the new Gutenberg editor, but combined with ACF + Timber its pure magic :) Looking forward to things to come!

Cheers
Alex

Enjoy coding …

Extended example:

$collect = [];
$blocks = parse_blocks($your->post_content);	
		
foreach($blocks as $block){
		
	if( isset($block['attrs']['data']) && !empty($block['attrs']['data'][array_keys($block['attrs']['data'])[0]])){	
								
		acf_setup_meta( $block['attrs']['data'], $block['attrs']['id'], true );
			
		$fields = get_fields();
			
		 acf_reset_meta( $block['attrs']['id'] );
				
		$collect[$block['attrs']['data'][array_keys($block['attrs']['data'])[0]]] = array('render' 	=> 	render_block( $block ),
																				 'field' 	=>	$fields,																							
																				  'block'  	=> 	$block
																				);
	}else{
          $collect['main'] .= render_block( $block );
}
}

$collect = [];

$blocks = parse_blocks($your->post_content);

foreach($blocks as $block){

if( isset($block['attrs']['data']) && !empty($block['attrs']['data'][array_keys($block['attrs']['data'])[0]])){

acf_setup_meta( $block['attrs']['data'], $block['attrs']['id'], true );

$fields = get_fields();

acf_reset_meta( $block['attrs']['id'] );

$collect[$block['attrs']['data'][array_keys($block['attrs']['data'])[0]]] = array('render' => render_block( $block ),

'field' => $fields,

'block' => $block

);

}else{

$collect['main'] .= render_block( $block );

}

The $collect array will hold all data, including all ACF fields. You will have full access to any field, including repeater fields. The $collect[‚main‘] will just collect the standard post content.