The Dynamic Data block displays information from the current post, page, product, taxonomy term or other supported context directly inside the WordPress block editor.
It is particularly useful when building Custom Single Templates and Custom Archive Templates, where the same layout needs to display different information depending on the content currently being viewed.
Custom field support
The core Dynamic Data block is available with Blocksy Companion. Displaying data from supported custom field providers requires the Dynamic Data module from the Post Types Extra extension, available with the Business and Agency plans.
Available Data Sources
The sources available inside Dynamic Data depend on the context in which the block is used. A block placed inside a post template, for example, can access post information, while a taxonomy template can expose data belonging to the current term.
Post & Page Data
Common sources for posts, pages and Custom Post Types include:
- Title – display the title of the current entry.
- Excerpt – output the entry’s excerpt, with additional controls for how much content is shown.
- Post Date – display the publication date using the available date-formatting options.
- Comments – display comment information associated with the current entry.
- Author – output information about the content author.
- Author Avatar – display the author’s profile image.
- Featured Image – display the current entry’s featured image.
- Terms – output categories, tags or other taxonomy terms assigned to the entry.
Archive Data
When Dynamic Data is used in an archive context, additional sources can become available for information associated with the current archive, including its title and other supported archive data.
For the Archive Title source, you can also choose whether the archive label is included alongside the title.
WooCommerce Data
When the current context represents a WooCommerce product, Dynamic Data can access additional product-specific information, including:
- Price
- Rating
- Stock Status
- SKU
- Brands
- Product Attributes
These sources can be used inside product templates and supported WooCommerce query loops to build custom product-card layouts.
Custom Fields
With the Dynamic Data module from Post Types Extra enabled, the block can retrieve fields created with supported custom field solutions:
Custom fields assigned to supported posts, pages, Custom Post Types and taxonomy contexts can then become available as Dynamic Data sources where appropriate.
Taxonomy Term Data
When Dynamic Data is used inside the Advanced Taxonomies block or another supported taxonomy context, it can access term-specific information:
- Term Title – display the name of the current taxonomy term.
- Term Description – display the description associated with the term.
- Term Image – display the term’s image where the corresponding taxonomy-image functionality is available.
- Term Count – display the number of posts, products or other entries assigned to the term.
Term Images integrate particularly well with the Taxonomy Customisations module included in Post Types Extra.
Query Loop Integrations
Dynamic Data is context-aware, which means it can be placed inside supported query-loop templates and automatically retrieve information from the entry currently being rendered.
Advanced Posts
The Advanced Posts block uses Dynamic Data to build fully custom post cards. Place Dynamic Data blocks inside its Post Template and configure each instance for the information you want to display.
For example, one block can output the featured image, another the title and another the excerpt or taxonomy terms. The resulting structure is repeated automatically for every entry returned by the Advanced Posts query.
Advanced Taxonomies
Inside Advanced Taxonomies, Dynamic Data switches to the taxonomy term represented by each repeated item. This provides access to sources such as the term title, description, image and content count.
WordPress Query Loop
Dynamic Data can also be placed inside the template of the native WordPress Query Loop block. It detects the current entry from the loop and displays the selected source for each result.
WooCommerce Product Collection
Dynamic Data also works inside supported WooCommerce product-loop contexts, including the Product Collection block. This lets you incorporate Blocksy’s dynamic sources into custom product-card layouts.
In a product context, the block can access regular content information together with WooCommerce-specific sources such as price, rating, SKU, stock status and product attributes.
Granular Controls
Content Source
Select the information that the block should retrieve from its current context. The available sources automatically change depending on whether the block is working with a post, product, taxonomy term, archive or supported custom field.
Source-Specific Options
Additional controls appear according to the selected source. For example, an excerpt can provide controls for the amount of text displayed, while image, author, date, taxonomy and WooCommerce sources expose options appropriate to their respective data types.
Link Controls
Compatible Dynamic Data sources can be turned into links. Depending on the selected source and context, the destination can point to the represented post, archive, taxonomy term or another supported URL.
Dynamic URLs stored in supported fields can also be used as the link destination, allowing a custom field to determine where the rendered element should lead.
Before & After Content
Add optional content before or after the retrieved value without creating separate blocks. This is useful for prefixes, suffixes, labels or other small pieces of contextual text.
When the Dynamic Data value is linked, the before and after content can also be placed inside the link when required.
Fallback
Configure fallback content for situations where the selected source does not contain a value. This is particularly useful with optional custom fields, where not every post or item is guaranteed to contain the same information.
Image Presentation
When an image-based source is selected, additional controls become available for managing its presentation. Depending on the source and configuration, these can include image sizing, dimensions, border radius, linking and lightbox behaviour.
Image sources can also use a Cover presentation, allowing the image to fill its available area. Cover layouts support additional visual controls such as a gradient overlay, and image captions can be displayed where supported.
Working with Custom Fields in Content Blocks
When building a Content Block template with custom fields, the editor needs an appropriate content entry to use as its preview context. This allows Blocksy to detect which fields are available and show realistic values while you design the template.
Use the Content Block’s Preview settings to select a post, page, product or Custom Post Type entry that contains the custom fields you intend to use. The Dynamic Data block can then expose the fields associated with that previewed entry inside its Content Source selector.
Missing custom fields?
Make sure the Dynamic Data module is enabled under Blocksy → Extensions → Post Types Extra, and select a suitable preview entry containing the fields you want to use. The custom field provider itself must also be active.