Blocks

Blocks are the lowest level of components in Spree Storefront. They are nested inside sections and represent individual content elements like headings, text, buttons, and images.

How Blocks Work

Each section can contain multiple blocks that store staff can manage through the Page Builder:

Add new blocks
Edit block content and settings
Reorder blocks via drag-and-drop
Remove blocks

Not all sections support blocks. A section must explicitly enable block support by implementing blocks_available? and available_blocks_to_add methods.

Built-in Block Types

Spree comes with several built-in block types:

Content Blocks

Block	Description	Class
Heading	Large text headings	Spree::PageBlocks::Heading
Subheading	Smaller secondary headings	Spree::PageBlocks::Subheading
Text	Rich text content	Spree::PageBlocks::Text
Buttons	Call-to-action buttons with links	Spree::PageBlocks::Buttons
Image	Image with optional link	Spree::PageBlocks::Image

Block	Description	Class
Nav	Simple navigation links	Spree::PageBlocks::Nav
Mega Nav	Mega menu navigation	Spree::PageBlocks::MegaNav
Link	Single link item	Spree::PageBlocks::Link

Product Blocks

These blocks are used in the Product Details section:

Block	Description	Class
Title	Product title	Spree::PageBlocks::Products::Title
Price	Product price display	Spree::PageBlocks::Products::Price
Description	Product description	Spree::PageBlocks::Products::Description
Variant Picker	Size/color selector	Spree::PageBlocks::Products::VariantPicker
Quantity Selector	Quantity input	Spree::PageBlocks::Products::QuantitySelector
Buy Buttons	Add to cart button	Spree::PageBlocks::Products::BuyButtons
Share	Social sharing buttons	Spree::PageBlocks::Products::Share

Architecture

Base Class

All blocks inherit from Spree::PageBlock:

ruby

module Spree
  class PageBlock < Spree.base_class
    include Spree::HasPageLinks

    belongs_to :section, class_name: 'Spree::PageSection'

    has_rich_text :text
    has_one_attached :asset

    # Default preferences
    preference :text_alignment, :string, default: 'left'
    preference :container_alignment, :string, default: 'left'
    preference :size, :string, default: 'medium'
    preference :width_desktop, :integer, default: 100
    preference :top_padding, :integer, default: 0
    preference :bottom_padding, :integer, default: 0
  end
end

Default Preferences

Every block has these default preferences:

Preference	Type	Default	Description
`text_alignment`	String	`left`	Text alignment (left, center, right)
`container_alignment`	String	`left`	Container alignment
`size`	String	`medium`	Block size (small, medium, large)
`width_desktop`	Integer	`100`	Width percentage on desktop
`top_padding`	Integer	`0`	Top padding in pixels
`bottom_padding`	Integer	`0`	Bottom padding in pixels

Associations

Section: Each block belongs to a section (section)
Links: Blocks can have multiple links (links) via Spree::HasPageLinks
Asset: Blocks can have an attached image (asset)
Rich Text: Blocks can have rich text content (text)

Accessing Blocks

ruby

# Get all blocks for a section
section.blocks

# Get blocks with eager loading
section.blocks.includes(:rich_text_text, :links)

# Find specific block type
section.blocks.where(type: 'Spree::PageBlocks::Heading')

Rendering Blocks

In storefront section views, blocks are rendered within their parent section:

erb

<% section.blocks.each do |block| %>
  <% case block.type %>
  <% when 'Spree::PageBlocks::Heading' %>
    <h2 <%= block_attributes(block) %>>
      <%= block.text %>
    </h2>
  <% when 'Spree::PageBlocks::Text' %>
    <div <%= block_attributes(block) %>>
      <%= block.text %>
    </div>
  <% when 'Spree::PageBlocks::Buttons' %>
    <div <%= block_attributes(block) %>>
      <% if block.link %>
        <%= page_builder_link_to block.link, class: 'btn-primary' %>
      <% end %>
    </div>
  <% end %>
<% end %>

The block_attributes(block) helper returns data attributes needed for Page Builder editing.

Creating a Custom Block

Step 1: Create the Model

ruby

module Spree
  module PageBlocks
    class Quote < Spree::PageBlock
      SIZE_DEFAULT = 'large'
      TEXT_ALIGNMENT_DEFAULT = 'center'

      preference :author_name, :string
      preference :author_title, :string
      preference :text_color, :string
      preference :background_color, :string

      def icon_name
        'quote'
      end

      def display_name
        text.to_plain_text.truncate(30)
      end
    end
  end
end

Step 2: Register the Block

ruby

Rails.application.config.after_initialize do
  Spree.page_builder.page_blocks += [
    Spree::PageBlocks::Quote
  ]
end

Step 3: Add to Section's Available Blocks

In your section model, add the new block type:

ruby

def available_blocks_to_add
  [
    Spree::PageBlocks::Heading,
    Spree::PageBlocks::Text,
    Spree::PageBlocks::Quote  # Your new block
  ]
end

Step 4: Create Admin Form

erb

<div class="form-group">
  <%= f.label :text, Spree.t(:quote_text) %>
  <%= f.rich_text_area :text, data: { action: 'auto-submit#submit' } %>
</div>

<div class="form-group">
  <%= f.label :preferred_author_name, Spree.t(:author_name) %>
  <%= f.text_field :preferred_author_name,
      class: 'form-control',
      data: { action: 'auto-submit#submit' } %>
</div>

<div class="form-group">
  <%= f.label :preferred_author_title, Spree.t(:author_title) %>
  <%= f.text_field :preferred_author_title,
      class: 'form-control',
      data: { action: 'auto-submit#submit' } %>
</div>

Step 5: Render in Section View

Add rendering logic to your section's storefront view:

erb

<% when 'Spree::PageBlocks::Quote' %>
  <blockquote <%= block_attributes(block) %> class="text-<%= block.preferred_text_alignment %>">
    <p class="text-xl italic"><%= block.text %></p>
    <% if block.preferred_author_name.present? %>
      <footer class="mt-4">
        <cite>
          <strong><%= block.preferred_author_name %></strong>
          <% if block.preferred_author_title.present? %>
            
<span class="text-sm text-gray-500"><%= block.preferred_author_title %></span>
          <% end %>
        </cite>
      </footer>
    <% end %>
  </blockquote>

Block with Links

To add link support to your block, include the Spree::HasOneLink concern:

ruby

module Spree
  module PageBlocks
    class CallToAction < Spree::PageBlock
      include Spree::HasOneLink

      preference :button_style, :string, default: 'primary'

      # Called when the link is destroyed
      def link_destroyed(_link)
        destroy if page_links_count.zero?
      end
    end
  end
end

Block with Image

Blocks automatically have an asset attachment available:

ruby

# Check if image is attached
block.asset.attached?

# Display image in view
<% if block.asset.attached? %>
  <%= spree_image_tag block.asset, width: 400, height: 300 %>
<% end %>

Key Methods

Method	Description
`display_name`	Name shown in Page Builder sidebar
`icon_name`	Icon from Tabler Icons
`form_partial_name`	Name of the admin form partial

Sections - Parent containers for blocks
Links - Adding links to blocks
Media - Working with images

How Blocks Work

Built-in Block Types

Content Blocks

Navigation Blocks

Product Blocks

Architecture

Base Class

Default Preferences

Associations

Accessing Blocks

Rendering Blocks

Creating a Custom Block

Step 1: Create the Model

Step 2: Register the Block

Step 3: Add to Section's Available Blocks

Step 4: Create Admin Form

Step 5: Render in Section View

Block with Links

Block with Image

Key Methods

Related Documentation