Text Block
Rich text with typographic controls core does not have — columns, drop caps, a lead paragraph, measure and balance.
The block renders through the text_block element — the same PHP that runs in the page builder, so the
front end is identical either way.
What the sidebar exposes
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
text | The content |
text_align | Alignment |
max_width | Measure — how wide a line is allowed to run |
columns | Split into columns |
balance | Balance the last lines of headings and short paragraphs |
line_height | Line height |
para_spacing | Space between paragraphs |
lead | Style the first paragraph as a lead |
link_underline | How links are underlined |
dropcap | A drop cap, and how it is styled |
text_color | Text colour |
link_color | Link colour |
bg_color | Background |
font_size_preset | Text size preset |
Anything not listed stays available in the page builder, and round-trips untouched — the block only writes the values you change, so an element styled in the builder keeps every setting this sidebar does not show.
This is the block where the shared-renderer trade-off is felt most directly. The canvas preview is server-rendered markup, not an editable surface, so writing happens in the sidebar's content field and the canvas shows the result.
That is a real cost, and the honest advice is: for ordinary prose, use core's Paragraph block. It edits in place and it is what the block editor is best at.
This element earns its place when the typographic options are the point — a two-column body, a drop cap, a controlled measure, a lead paragraph. Core has none of those.
max_width and dropcap are pickersBoth are multi-pickers: a measure can be a preset or a
custom value, and a drop cap has its own settings once switched on. Only the chosen branch is saved.
The block declares core spacing support, so the element's own spacing option is not exposed here —
use the Dimensions panel at the top of the sidebar.