This post covers topics relevant to developers interested in the Gutenberg block editor and development efforts for extending the benefits of Gutenberg to native Android and iOS applications. For background information on the Gutenberg Mobile effort, see the following posts:
- (3/21/18) Gutenberg on Mobile
- (7/09/18) Next Steps for Gutenberg on Mobile
- (2/26/19) The Block Editor is coming to the Mobile Apps
- (1/20/20) The Block Editor is Now Supported on the WordPress Native Apps
The main takeaway from this post is that you can now build, run, and test the native mobile block editor as a React Native Demo App on Android and iOS, right from the core Gutenberg GitHub repository, also used by Gutenberg web contributors.
-
Native Android Demo App -
Native iOS Demo App
The new capabilities resulting from this change are significant because they empower developers working on Gutenberg core to run continuous integration automated tests simultaneously on Web, Android, and iOS, as well as run the block editor on all three platforms for development and debugging purposes, all from a single code repository.
The mobile block editor achieved this move closer to core Gutenberg development with this Pull Request which moved 7,234 commits(squashed) and 31,000 lines of code from gutenberg-mobile to the gutenberg GitHub repository. For instructions on running the mobile editor on iOS and Android see Getting Started for the React Native Based Mobile Gutenberg in the Block Editor Handbook. See a quick excerpt on running the demo apps below:
nvm install --latest-npm; npm install
npm run native start
// With the packager running, open another terminal window
// and use the following commands to compile and run the app:
npm run native android
npm run native iosLooking forward, this multi-platform development repository setup reinforces the Gutenberg project goal of creating a cross-platform ecosystem where developers will be able to code Editor Blocks using JavaScript that will be usable by content creators on the Web, as well as in native Android and iOS applications. While the “code an editor block once, run it anywhere” goal is not a reality yet, as native specific files are needed in most blocks today, this move to a web + native “monorepo” setup will help make that reality more achievable, from both a practical and organizational standpoint.
For more information on native mobile Gutenberg and the new repository setup, see React Native Based Mobile Gutenberg under the Code Contributions section of the Block Editor Handbook. If you have any questions or want to get involved, feel free to discuss in the comments or find us in the #core-editor and #mobile rooms in WordPress.org Slack.