Gutenberg Block
Herodotus includes a dynamic block named Herodotus - On This Day. Its registered block name is herodotus/posts.
Adding the Block
- Open a page or post in the WordPress block editor.
- Click + and search for Herodotus or On This Day.
- Insert Herodotus - On This Day.
- Select the block to open its settings sidebar.
Block Settings in 1.6.8
| Panel | Control | Behavior |
|---|---|---|
| Query Settings | Category | Text field for a category slug. Use slugs for documented shortcode-compatible filtering. |
| Query Settings | Limit | 0-100. 0 uses the global limit. |
| Query Settings | Sort Order | Global default, ASC or DESC. The UI says A → Z / Z → A; the actual order is historical year, then title within each date. |
| Display Settings | Excerpt Length (words) | 0-200. 0 uses the default length. |
| Display Settings | Layout | List or Compact. |
The native block has no Show Images toggle and no Text, grid, carousel or timeline selector in this version. Its metadata includes date_mode but the sidebar does not provide a date-mode control. Global settings can still affect the rendered result.
Editor Preview
The preview uses WordPress ServerSideRender with the block's current attributes. It queries actual eligible events; it is not a static layout illustration. If the selected date or filters have no events, the preview can show an empty state.
When to Use Block vs Shortcode
Use the native block for its listed controls. To use Text, Pro layouts, per-instance dates, upcoming ranges or image attributes, place the appropriate shortcode in a standard WordPress Shortcode block.
[herodotus layout="grid-3" image_shape="1:1"]This example requires Pro. Classic Editor, shortcode-capable widgets and page builders can use the same shortcode. See All Attributes.