Extensions Text Alignment Inheritance

Text Alignment Inheritance Extension - User Guide

Compatible With: Core text blocks (Paragraph, Heading, List, Quote, etc.) Since: 1.0.0

Overview

The Text Alignment Inheritance Extension automatically sets the initial text alignment of newly inserted text blocks based on their parent container's alignment. This creates a consistent, streamlined editing experience when working with aligned containers.

Key Features:

• One-time inheritance on block insertion
• Works with core text blocks (paragraphs, headings, lists, quotes)
• Reads parent container's text alignment setting
• Non-intrusive (user can freely change after insertion)
• No database attributes (uses context API)

🚀 Quick Start

1. Create a Section, Row, or Group block
2. Set container's Text Alignment to Center (or Left/Right)
3. Insert a Paragraph or Heading block inside
4. New block automatically inherits center alignment
5. Change alignment freely afterward (inheritance is one-time only)

⚙️ How It Works

Parent Context

Container blocks (Section, Row, Grid, Group) provide textAlign context to children.

Child Inheritance

When text blocks are inserted:

1. Check if parent has textAlign set
2. If yes, and child has no alignment yet → inherit parent's alignment
3. Mark as initialized (won't inherit again)
4. User can change alignment afterward without interference

Supported Text Blocks

• core/paragraph
• core/heading
• core/list
• core/quote
• core/pullquote
• core/verse
• core/preformatted
• core/code

💡 Common Use Cases

1. Centered Hero Sections

Set Section to center-aligned, all new headings/paragraphs auto-center.

2. Right-Aligned Testimonials

Container aligned right, quotes and attributions inherit right alignment.

3. Consistent Card Layouts

Grid of cards all center-aligned, text blocks auto-center on insertion.

4. Sidebar Widgets

Left-aligned sidebar, all text blocks start left-aligned.

✅ Best Practices

DO:

• Set container alignment before adding text blocks
• Use for consistent, aligned sections
• Change child alignment freely after insertion
• Combine with container alignment presets

DON'T:

• Expect re-inheritance after initial insertion
• Use on non-text blocks (images, buttons, etc.)
• Rely on inheritance for complex layouts (set manually)

💡 Tips & Tricks

• One-Time Only: Inheritance happens once on insertion, not continuously
• Override Anytime: Change child alignment without affecting parent
• Context API: Uses WordPress context (no custom attributes, no validation issues)
• Performance: WeakMap tracking (no database bloat)
• Debugging: If not inheriting, check parent has textAlign set and child is a text block

Technical Notes

• Uses providesContext (parent) and usesContext (child)
• WeakMap tracks initialized blocks (no persistence to database)
• Runs once on component mount (empty dependency array)
• Only applies to supported text blocks
• No filter priority conflicts (lightweight implementation)

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