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Release notes / Wbcom Essential
Free Plugin Plugin

Wbcom Essential

Adding blocks and widgets to a Wbcom-themed site often means generic-looking components that clash with your design until you manually match colors, fonts, and spacing. Wbcom Essential is a free companion plugin with 45-plus Gutenberg blocks and 43-plus widgets that inherit your Wbcom theme settings automatically. Covers sliders, testimonials, pricing tables, BuddyPress member grids, group carousels, and more, working in both Elementor and Gutenberg.

10 releases
v4.5.0 latest
May 10, 2026 shipped
View product → Download / purchase GitHub releases →

v4.5.0 Latest

May 10, 2026
New 8 Fix 1

New

  • Quality standard derived from competitive audit (Kadence, Stackable, Spectra, Otter)
  • Responsive 3-breakpoint controls on every block (Desktop/Tablet/Mobile)
  • Per-side spacing, per-corner border-radius, box-shadow, device-visibility controls
  • Scoped CSS isolation (`.wbe-block-{uniqueId}`), BEM naming (`.wbe-{block}__{element}`)
  • Design tokens (`--wbe-*`), `prefers-reduced-motion` support, ARIA + keyboard navigation
  • PHP infrastructure - `WBE_CSS` (per-instance CSS), `WBE_Schema` (JSON-LD), `WBE_Fonts` (Google Fonts)
  • Auto block registration via `BlockRegistrar.php` scanning `build/blocks/`
  • EDD-specific blocks (product-catalog, product-filter, edd-account-dashboard, edd-checkout-enhanced, edd-order-success)

Fix

  • 12 Basecamp bug cards - block styles, Swiper handle, EDD profile, product filter, BoxShadowControl

v4.3.0

March 11, 2026
New 7 Fix 2

New

  • Blog Index layouts - choose from Grid, List, Magazine, or Newspaper layouts for your blog and archive pages
  • Magazine layout with multi-section content areas, each configurable with its own category and display style
  • Newspaper layout featuring breaking news ticker, hero slider, and dual-column article sections
  • Category Grid block to showcase your categories in a visual grid with post counts and images
  • Ready-to-use magazine and blog patterns including News Dashboard, Magazine Homepage, Blog Editorial, and more
  • Single post templates (Classic, Modern, Magazine, Minimal) with matching patterns for author bios, related posts, and share sections
  • EDD (Easy Digital Downloads) blocks with enhanced checkout, trust badges, reviews, and product recommendations

Fix

  • PHP deprecated warning for str_replace() in Elementor Forums widget
  • PHPCS coding standards and internationalization improvements across blocks

v4.2.1

February 3, 2026
Fix 6 Security 1

Fix

  • Fatal TypeError in Elementor AJAX handler when source value is non-scalar (PHP 8+)
  • Missing array validation after json_decode in register_ajax_actions
  • Missing type checks in insert_inner_template for $_REQUEST values
  • Null pointer errors in license activation, deactivation, and check APIs
  • Null pointer in EDD updater cached version info
  • Type safety in AJAX login handler for non-string POST values

Security

  • Replaced esc_attr with sanitize_text_field for source/template validation

v4.2.0

New 2 Improve 2 Fix 9

New

  • AJAX handler for Mark as Read notifications in header bar
  • Architecture documentation (docs/architecture/)

Improve

  • Complete block-to-widget mapping (98% coverage)
  • Documentation with manifest files

Fix

  • Header bar dark mode icon visibility
  • Header bar cart and search UI improvements
  • Header bar friend list action button UI
  • CTA box hover secondary button UI
  • Forum box border styling
  • Post carousel adaptive height for Slick carousel
  • Member carousel Slides to Scroll functionality
  • Icon display after backend settings change
  • Block build process (npm run build:blocks)

v4.0.2

New 3 Improve 1 Fix 2

New

  • "Use Theme Colors" toggle to all 45 Gutenberg blocks
  • 7 bonus blocks (counter, cta-box, divider, icon-box, mini-cart, social-icons, star-rating)
  • Theme color CSS variables support

Improve

  • Documentation with complete block mapping

Fix

  • Swiper initialization for all carousel blocks
  • Profile completion block compatibility

v4.0.1

Fix 3

Fix

  • Memory optimization in carousel initialization
  • Block category registration timing
  • Console warnings for deprecated block APIs

v4.0.0

New 3

New

  • 45 Gutenberg blocks with Elementor widget parity
  • Block editor integration with ServerSideRender
  • Centralized build system for blocks

v3.9.4

New 1 Improve 1 Fix 1

New

  • Member and group carousel arrows in logout mode

Improve

  • Login widget user experience

Fix

  • Plugin conflicts with Elementor Pro

v3.9.3

Fix 1

Fix

  • Elementor Schemes to Globals migration

v3.9.2

Fix 1

Fix

  • Fatal error with Elementor compatibility

Seriously, one of the best software tech experiences I've ever had!

After 16 years of buying WordPress themes and plugins, I know exactly what bad support looks like and Wbcom Designs is the polar opposite. My setup was a nightmare: multiple tools, deep integrations, custom configurations that required…

Duston McGroarty US