Masonry block issues
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I’ve been using the Masonry block for images for at least 3 years now. For the last month or so I can no longer select an image to alter the order, nor can I add a caption.
For the first problem, I know that the workaround is to convert block to Gallery, reorder there, and then convert back to Masonry.
I don’t know a workaround for the caption issue. I have gone back to old posts where I have added captions and I can no longer edit those. Something has broken recently.I have tried:
- Adding captions in media library – captions do not come through to Masonry block (but I don’t think they ever did–this was just a workaround attempt).
- Converting to gallery, adding captions, converting back to Masonry – captions do not come through to Masonry block.
The blog I need help with is: (visible only to logged in users)
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Hi @twopearces please ignore the spammer reply.
Thank you for posting. The Masonry block can be reordered, but it’s not very convenient.
Once inserted, you have to click on the “Media Library” button at the bottom of your inserted block, which then opens the Media Library screen. Then click on “Edit Gallery” on the left side of that screen. You can drag and drop your images into the order you want them and then click the “Update Gallery” button at the bottom right of that same screen.
As far as Captions go, you need to enable them in the Block settings sidebar at the right side of the Post/Page Editor screen. With the Masonry block highlighted, look under Block settings. There is a toggle button for “Captions” under “Masonry Settings”.
If that’s not what you see, please post back here with screenshots if possible and let us know your browser and OS.
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Question for Staff when they look in here:
Did we not have a Support page for the Masonry block at one time? TIA
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Thank you for your notes. I’ve been using Masonry for 3 years and have always been able to select individual pics and reorder them using the pic’s arrows. I currently cannot select so there are no arrows available to me. I know that I can reorder in media library, but that’s still a workaround.
As well, since I’ve been using these for 3 years with captions, I am aware of the need to put captions on in the settings. Even when it’s set to on now, I am unable to select, click into, etc., the caption area and so cannot add captions. Unless functionality has been changed in the last couple of months, it is broken for me.
Coral
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Have you opened to edit an older post with a Masonry block? Are there any arrows to rearrange the images? If so, please grab a screenshot and share it here.
After some research, it seems the Masonry block was part of a set of blocks called CoBlocks which is still included on sites created before October 26, 2021. Unfortunately, since it’s no longer included, and so doesn’t have a support guide, I have no way of knowing how it worked previously or why it changed. I only know how it works now. (If you have a Business or eCommerce plan, CoBlocks can be installed as a plugin.)
FWIW I was able to edit an existing caption on an image while in the Post Editor screen, but I was not able to add a caption to an image that didn’t already have one.
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OK, so digging a little further, two other CoBlock galleries (Stacked and Offset), behave like the Masonry block. Adding images, rearranging them, removing images, and adding captions are done in the “Media Library”>Edit Gallery screen.
The outlier here is the CoBlock Collage gallery where there is a fixed number of images (5). It’s possible to replace an image, delete an image or change Collage style directly in the Post Editor.
At the moment, the only Gallery I know of that has arrows one can click to rearrange images after inserting them in the Post Editor is the Tiled (Mosaic) Gallery block.
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Hi Coral,
Thank you for providing such detailed information about the Masonry block issues you’re experiencing. Since October 2021, the Masonry block functionality has indeed changed as it was part of the CoBlocks package.
For users who need the original Masonry block features, there are a couple of options available:
- The Tiled Gallery block offers direct image reordering with arrows in the editor
- Upgrading to a Business plan would allow you to install the full CoBlocks plugin, restoring the original Masonry block functionality
Would you like me to provide more information about either of these alternatives? I’m particularly interested in understanding which features are most important for your workflow so I can suggest the best solution.
- The Tiled Gallery block offers direct image reordering with arrows in the editor
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Adding or modifying captions is the biggest problem, as mentioned, and this I have only encountered in the last couple of months on Masonry. It seemed like it was part of the general block editing problem since, for a while, it was touchy, but doable with patience and repetition. Now, I cannot select an image in a Masonry block, on either old or new posts, and add or edit a caption. Yes, Captions is on in the block settings. This is not a change from October 2021, it’s a very recent problem.
See this post from December 21, 2024: https://lifephasenext.com/2024/12/21/a-brief-layover-in-iceland/. Only some of the Masonry block images have captions, mostly because this required an incredible amount of patience to get it this far.
But the next post on January 5, I had to skip Masonry altogether because I couldn’t get a single caption to work. Instead, all of the image blocks are Gallery. https://lifephasenext.com/2025/01/05/road-trip-the-kootenays/
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Hi @twopearces,
Thanks for your patience and for providing the detailed examples. I understand how frustrating it must be to lose functionality that was previously working reliably.
From what I can see, this issue appears to be a recent change affecting the Masonry block, as captions were previously editable but are no longer working even in older posts. Since this block is part of the CoBlocks plugin, and that plugin has gone through updates, this may be an unintended regression.
I’ve noted the following key issues:
- Captions cannot be added or edited in the Masonry block, even when the option is enabled in settings.
- Image reordering is no longer possible without converting to the Gallery block first.
At the moment, here are some potential workarounds:
- For captions: Instead of relying on the Masonry block, consider using the Tiled (Mosaic) Gallery block, which supports captions more reliably.
- For reordering images: The best available workaround remains converting to a Gallery block, reordering the images, and then converting back to Masonry.
I’ve flagged this internally to check if this behavior is expected or if it’s a bug that needs addressing in a future update. If I receive any updates on this, I’ll be sure to share them with you.
If you have any additional details—such as your browser, device, or when exactly you noticed this change—please feel free to share, as that might help us narrow down the cause.
Let me know if there’s anything else I can assist with!
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@staff-seneca thanks for the detailed summary here. You mention
I’ve flagged this internally to check if this behavior is expected or if it’s a bug that needs addressing in a future update. If I receive any updates on this, I’ll be sure to share them with you.
If there is a Github repo for this, kindly share the link so we can follow along. TIA
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Hi there,
Thanks for your patience, and I appreciate your detailed feedback on the Masonry block issues.
At this time, there are no publicly available GitHub repositories for tracking updates related to this, and we do not have a timetable for a response.
In the meantime, here are some workarounds that might help:
- For captions: Try using the Tiled (Mosaic) Gallery block instead, which allows caption editing.
- For reordering images: Convert your Masonry block into a Gallery block, reorder the images, and then convert it back to Masonry.
I know this isn’t ideal, especially since the functionality worked previously, and I appreciate you bringing this to our attention. If you notice any additional changes or need further assistance, feel free to let me know!
Thanks again for your patience. 😊
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