Beaver Builder Dev Update: Latest Progress and Future Plans

Greetings, Builders! We’ve made a lot of progress since our last dev update and are excited to share where we are with you. In this follow-up post, we’ll cover what we’ve completed, what we’re still working on, and some new ideas we have for Beaver Builder’s future.

We’ve also added the first dev releases for Beaver Builder 2.9 and Beaver Themer 1.5 to the downloads section of your account page. You can find those by clicking the “Download and test an upcoming release” button. We’ll update those periodically over the coming months as new features are fine-tuned or completed and set a target release date once we’re happy with those.

Not everything mentioned in this post will be available in those releases, as this is a high-level look at a large body of work. However, we’ll do our best to include what we can as we prepare everything else for a future release and work towards Beaver Builder 3.0.

With that said, let’s dive in!

Table of Contents

• What’s in the Dev Releases?
  • The Loop Module
  • Modules as Blocks
  • Modules Without Wrappers
  • Top-Level Container Modules
• What’s Coming to the Dev Releases?
  • Multiple Backgrounds Field
  • A New Color Picker
  • A New Gradient Picker
  • Themer Layouts in the Post Template Menu
  • Themer Block Theme Support
• What’s Coming in the Future?
  • Dynamic Global Content
  • Module Design Tab and Styling API
  • Slider/Carousel Containers
  • Module Compositions
  • Refreshed Modules
  • JavaScript Module API
  • Block Theme

What’s in the Dev Releases?

Everything in this section is included in the dev releases as of this post. If you download a copy from your account page, you will be able to start testing these out today.

The Loop Module

We wrote about the Loop module in our last dev update, and I’m excited to announce that the first version is ready for testing. If you want to try it, be sure to install Beaver Themer, as it is built on some of that plugin’s features.

So, what exactly is the Loop module? Like the Box module, it is a container module that accepts child modules. However, unlike the Box module, the Loop module will repeat its child modules for each item in the query as defined in the settings, allowing you to build truly custom loop layouts.

It currently supports the same type of queries as our Posts module and new query types, including ACF repeaters and taxonomies such as categories and tags (coming soon). Utilizing the power of Beaver Themer’s field connections, we’re able to support even more data sources for building loops.

The Loop module is a powerful module and the next iteration of our work on container modules in Beaver Builder. If you’re interested in building custom loop layouts for any post type, give it a shot and let us know what you think.

Modules as Blocks

Another feature we discussed in our last dev update that’s ready for testing is using modules as blocks. The block editor is permeating more and more of WordPress, so our goal is to make the tools we create available to everyone, no matter where they’re editing content.

Whether building a page layout in Beaver Builder or writing a blog post in the block editor, a familiar set of tools will be available in both places. We’ve started with a limited selection of modules to kick this off, but you can expect that to grow over time. We’re even looking into support for patterns, but that’s a topic for another section.

Note: If you’re interested in testing this out, be sure to enable the modules you’d like to work as blocks in the admin under Settings > Beaver Builder > Blocks.

Modules Without Wrappers

As part of our continued effort to reduce the markup output by Beaver Builder, all of the Basic modules have been reworked to exclude their wrapper divs. To ensure backward compatibility, you’ll still see wrappers in existing layouts, but anything new dropped on the page will exclude them.

We’ll continue to work on removing wrappers from modules where we can, and anything new we create will definitely not be including them. Hooray for cleaner markup!

Top-Level Container Modules

In addition to removing wrappers from modules, the dev release also includes support for container modules (e.g., Box and Loop) to sit at the top level of the layout where rows live. You no longer need to exclusively use Beaver Builder’s row and column system to build layouts.

Rows and columns aren’t going anywhere since some people still prefer them, but they output a fair amount of markup. If you’re looking for leaner layouts, using container modules instead of rows and columns is the way to go moving forward.

What’s Coming to the Dev Releases?

Everything in this section is not included in the dev releases yet, but it will be soon. We’ll post in our Facebook and Slack groups as new features become available in the dev releases, so stay tuned.

Multiple Backgrounds Field

As our last update post mentioned, a multiple backgrounds field is coming to the Box module. But what wasn’t mentioned is that it’s also coming to rows and columns. In addition to that, this project has morphed into something much bigger for styling modules, which is why it’s not quite ready yet. I’ll discuss that in the “What’s Coming in the Future” section below.

In the meantime, the multiple backgrounds field will really enhance what you can do with the Box module. Combined with the ability to use containers in the top level of the layout, you’ll be able to build full pages with modern modules that take full advantage of the latest CSS layout capabilities.

A New Color Picker

In addition to the styling project I’ll mention below, the multiple backgrounds project also brings a brand new color picker to Beaver Builder. The color picker has been completely rewritten and now supports any CSS color expression you can throw at it.

The new color picker also has built-in support for the eyedropper API that browsers are starting to ship, making selecting colors even easier. In supported browsers, you’ll be able to click the eyedropper and select a color from anywhere.

Finally, while this may not ship in the first version of the new color picker, under the hood, it allows us to enable even more colors beyond the default sRGB color space you are used to. In the future, you’ll be able to switch to a color space that suits you and access an even wider spectrum of colors!

A New Gradient Picker

The color picker isn’t the only styling control improving in the next Beaver Builder update. We’ve also built a new gradient picker that allows you to create gradients with an unlimited number of color stops and blend between them through different color spaces.

The gradient picker is a great example of the new and improved controls you can expect to see as we continue to work on enhancing Beaver Builder’s styling capabilities.

Themer Layouts in the Post Template Menu

This is a minor enhancement but packs a ton of power. In the next version of Beaver Themer, you’ll no longer be required to set a location for singular post layouts. Instead, you can choose for your layouts to appear in the post template menu and select where a layout is applied per post.

In the screenshot above, you’ll see that “My Themer Post Layout” is included in the template menu alongside built-in templates defined by the theme. This enhancement allows the person creating the post to choose which layout they will use. It may not be for every use case, but it’ll give you additional flexibility when needed.

Themer Block Theme Support

For those who have switched from classic themes to block themes, you’ll soon be able to use Beaver Themer’s full power to build any part of your site. From headers and footers to post and archive layouts, a Beaver Builder layout will be able to override anything built in the site editor.

With this addition, you’ll soon be able to take full advantage of the modern features provided by block themes without sacrificing your ability to use Beaver Themer.

What’s Coming in the Future?

Everything in this section is either a new project or a project we spoke about last time that might not be ready for the next release. We’ll post updates as things become ready for testing, but for now, these are still in dev.

Dynamic Global Content

We’ve made much progress on dynamic global content since the last dev update. However, it might not be ready for the next version of Beaver Builder. We’re still chugging away on this project and will get a dev release out for testing as soon as we can.

In the meantime, if you’re unfamiliar with this project, it will allow you to select what fields can be edited in global rows, columns, and modules. Once selected, you can edit those fields per page while the rest of the content and layout are pulled from the global source.

Module Design Tab and Styling API

This is a brand new project since our last dev update and the one I am most excited about. We’re in the midst of a big push to bring several new and modern features to Beaver Builder, and this alone will help us accelerate in that direction.

So, what is it? The design tab is a unified way for us to bring a number of new and existing styling features to modules in a single interface. Currently, module styling can be done by any number of settings across different tabs. With this, you’ll only need to look in one place.

In addition to unifying styling under a single tab, this project will bring new and exciting features to Beaver Builder. Some of the things we’re looking at include support for different states (e.g., hover and focus), the ability to select which element you’re styling within a module, and the ability to style multiple modules at once through inheritance (e.g., all buttons in a box or row).

As this project progresses, we’ll consider new styling fields and refresh the currently available ones. This tab won’t be available in existing modules on day one, but once it’s ready, it’ll be used for anything new. We’ll retrofit a selection of our existing modules with the design tab once we feel confident that it’s ready for prime time.

There’s a lot to discuss here, so it’s hard to cover everything we’d like to do in one section of a post. Keep an eye out for new content on this in the future, as it’s sure to become a major focus.

Slider/Carousel Containers

One of our goals going forward is to continue building on the container module work we did for the Box module to bring you even more powerful modules. You’ll see that in the next release with the Loop module and in a future release with a new container module focused on sliders and carousels.

If you’re unfamiliar with container modules, they are modules that can accept other modules, similar to rows and columns, almost like mini builders. This approach allows much more flexibility than static modules, where you’re confined to what the module can do.

With a slider/carousel container, we can build one module that covers a variety of use cases. From typical hero sliders to testimonials, post carousels, slideshows, and more, we’re looking to build something extremely versatile here. We haven’t broken ground on this project yet, but we’re in the process of planning it out, so stay tuned.

Module Compositions

With the advent of container modules, it’s now possible for us to build all sorts of different content layouts without having to… create new modules! Module compositions is the unofficial term as this isn’t in development yet, but you can think of them like module templates. They are very similar to what WordPress core refers to as block patterns (and may end up there, too).

Many content layouts comprise things we consider primitives (e.g., headings, text, photos, icons, and buttons). Instead of creating new modules, we can build simple compositions using primitives for things like callouts, CTAs, info boxes, cards, testimonials, team members, and more. Adjusting and styling these compositions will be much more flexible than our existing modules, as you won’t be limited to the settings we’ve included in them.

We’re in the process of identifying what compositions we want to start with. Once we’ve finished that, we’ll start designing and building the first round of these for a future Beaver Builder release.

Refreshed Modules

As we work towards a number of new enhancements for building modules, we’ll start refreshing our existing lineup. As mentioned above, you can accomplish a lot with our basic modules, so we’ll likely start with those. Once the design tab is done, expect to see some movement on this front.

JavaScript Module API

The JavaScript module API is still very much on our roadmap, but we’d like to finish flushing out a few things (including the design tab) before fully committing to it since things are rapidly changing. We’ve put down some experimental code and have JavaScript modules working in both Beaver Builder and the block editor, but nothing is ready for testing yet.

Block Theme

The block theme is another project we discussed that’s still being worked on but isn’t ready for a dev release. It’s a lower-priority project with everything else going on, but we’re still eagerly interested in exploring it. Block themes are still a relatively new technology in the WordPress space, so we’re taking our time and asking questions to ensure that we land on something useful for everyone.

Wrapping Up

If you made it this far, thanks for sticking with me on this walk-through of what we’re working on for Beaver Builder 2.9 and beyond. We have a number of sizeable projects in progress and couldn’t be more excited to get some of this stuff into your hands. We’re always open to feedback, so if you haven’t already, download the dev releases and try them out. We’re eager to hear what you think.

Until next time, happy building!