Block toolbar
The block toolbar plugin provides an additional configurable toolbar on the left-hand side of the content area. The block toolbar comes in handy when you cannot access the main editor toolbar.
# Demo
In the editor below, move the caret around the content. You’ll see that the block toolbar button (¶) is following your selection. Click the button to show the toolbar.
This demo only presents a limited set of features. Visit the feature-rich editor example to see more in action.
# Additional feature information
To access the block toolbar, you need to click the button with a paragraph mark (or pilcrow – ¶) on the left-hand side of the content area (the gutter). The button appears next to the selected block element (e.g. a paragraph), following the caret as the user edits the content and navigates the document.
The block toolbar complements the balloon editor where it falls short, for example when you must insert some content (like an image), but the selection is collapsed, so you cannot access the toolbar. You can read more about it in the balloon block editor overview.
See the balloon block editor example page, too.
# Configuration
The content of the toolbar can be defined using the blockToolbar
configuration. See the installation instructions to learn more.
Because the toolbar is always connected to the block of content, it works best with the features that modify entire blocks (e.g. create headings) or insert objects (e.g. images or tables) rather than inline styles (e.g. bold or italic).
To adjust the position of the block toolbar button to match the styles of your website, use the CSS transform
property:
.ck.ck-block-toolbar-button {
transform: translateX( -10px );
}
If you plan to run the editor in a right–to–left (RTL) language, keep in mind the button will be attached to the right boundary of the editable area. In that case, make sure the CSS position adjustment works properly by adding the following styles:
.ck[dir="rtl"] .ck-block-toolbar-button {
transform: translateX( 10px );
}
# Installation
Remember to add relevant features to the editor configuration first. The block toolbar provides a space for the buttons, but it does not bring the actual features. For example, the heading1
button will not work if there is no Headings feature in the editor.
To add this feature to your editor install the @ckeditor/ckeditor5-ui
package:
npm install --save @ckeditor/ckeditor5-ui
Add the BlockToolbar
to your plugin list and configure the feature using the blockToolbar
property:
import { BlockToolbar } from '@ckeditor/ckeditor5-ui';
import { HeadingButtonsUI } from '@ckeditor/ckeditor5-heading';
import { ParagraphButtonUI } from '@ckeditor/ckeditor5-paragraph';
BalloonEditor
.create( document.querySelector( '#editor' ), {
plugins: [ BlockToolbar, ParagraphButtonUI, HeadingButtonsUI, /* ... */ ],
blockToolbar: [
'paragraph', 'heading1', 'heading2', 'heading3',
'|',
'bulletedList', 'numberedList',
'|',
'blockQuote', 'uploadImage'
],
toolbar: [ /* ... */ ]
} )
.then( /* ... */ )
.catch( /* ... */ );
You can also use the shouldNotGroupWhenFull
option to prevent automatic items grouping in the block toolbar:
import { BlockToolbar } from '@ckeditor/ckeditor5-ui';
import { HeadingButtonsUI } from '@ckeditor/ckeditor5-heading';
import { ParagraphButtonUI } from '@ckeditor/ckeditor5-paragraph';
BalloonEditor
.create( document.querySelector( '#editor' ), {
plugins: [ BlockToolbar, ParagraphButtonUI, HeadingButtonsUI, /* ... */ ],
blockToolbar: {
items: [
'paragraph', 'heading1', 'heading2', 'heading3',
'|',
'bulletedList', 'numberedList',
'|',
'blockQuote', 'uploadImage'
],
shouldNotGroupWhenFull: true
},
toolbar: [ /* ... */ ]
} )
.then( /* ... */ )
.catch( /* ... */ );
Read more about installing plugins.
# Contribute
The source code of the feature is available on GitHub at https://github.com/ckeditor/ckeditor5/tree/master/packages/ckeditor5-ui.
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