Qala 3.0 is here!
Qala version 3 represents a big milestone for Angry Creative’s productised WooCommerce platform. Qala has the most common features we have seen that you need in an e-commerce platform, together with a modern and flexible design. Qala 3.0 takes the product to the world of Gutenberg and the block editor. All hail the blocks!
What’s new in 3.0?
Qala 3.0 is a very small one in terms of the number of changes, but still a big one. This version introduces the long awaited implementation of the block editor Gutenberg.
Qala 3.0 moves away from our old (but gold) approach of building pages with ACF Modules. In its place, we are introducing full Gutenberg support for any post type (except PDP) and the start of our very own block library.
Gutenberg
There isn’t much more to be said. Given the primary focus of e-commerce, it has made sense to prioritise other areas of improvement before delving into the lock editor experience. We’ve waited for Gutenberg to stabilise and mature to a point where it is a pleasure to use!
Qala Blocks
Now we are making the block editor a core part of Qala with the introduction of Qala Blocks. Our very own feature plugin for providing a modular and growing library of blocks! Qala Blocks are tailored for Qala and will let CMS users build beautiful and powerful new layouts.
This is just the beginning though. We’ve built this in a highly modular fashion and as such can easily add new blocks, remove unwanted ones and make new bespoke blocks for clients. All while using the structure of Qala Blocks and never having to install more plugins to clutter up and slow down their site. Whenever we create new blocks they will be just a few updates away from the fingertips of our clients, should they want them.
From the starting gates, Qala Blocks will have a limited number of blocks but this library will grow fast during the summer and come autumn we anticipate having somewhere between 10-20 blocks ready for use. That’s on top of the default blocks that Gutenberg ships with.
Qala 3.0 is a breaking release which means it is not easily updated to from a 2.x release (however it is possible with some work). This is due to the fact that the entire page building experience has been swapped out from using ACF to Gutenberg, two very different approaches to content building. As such, content previously built with ACF is not directly convertible to Gutenberg without manual input.
Are you ready to take the next step?
Do you want to know more about Qala and what we can do for you? Contact us and we will help you on your journey to become a more sustainable and efficient e-commerce!