Title: parse_blocks Published: December 6, 2018 Last modified: February 24, 2026 --- # parse_blocks( string $content ): array[] ## In this article * [Description](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/parse_blocks/?output_format=md#description) * [Parameters](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/parse_blocks/?output_format=md#parameters) * [Return](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/parse_blocks/?output_format=md#return) * [Source](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/parse_blocks/?output_format=md#source) * [Hooks](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/parse_blocks/?output_format=md#hooks) * [Related](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/parse_blocks/?output_format=md#related) * [Changelog](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/parse_blocks/?output_format=md#changelog) * [User Contributed Notes](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/parse_blocks/?output_format=md#user-contributed-notes) [ Back to top](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/parse_blocks/?output_format=md#wp--skip-link--target) Parses blocks out of a content string. ## 󠀁[Description](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/parse_blocks/?output_format=md#description)󠁿 Given an HTML document, this function fully-parses block content, producing a tree of blocks and their contents, as well as top-level non-block content, which will appear as a block with no `blockName`. This function can be memory heavy for certain documents, particularly those with deeply-nested blocks or blocks with extensive attribute values. Further, this function must parse an entire document in one atomic operation. If the entire parsed document is not necessary, consider using [WP_Block_Processor](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/classes/wp_block_processor/) instead, as it provides a streaming and low-overhead interface for finding blocks. ## 󠀁[Parameters](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/parse_blocks/?output_format=md#parameters)󠁿 `$content`stringrequired Post content. ## 󠀁[Return](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/parse_blocks/?output_format=md#return)󠁿 array[] Array of block structures. * `...$0` array * An associative array of a single parsed block object. See [WP_Block_Parser_Block](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/classes/wp_block_parser_block/). - `blockName` string|null - Name of block. - `attrs` array - Attributes from block comment delimiters. - `innerBlocks` array[] - List of inner blocks. An array of arrays that have the same structure as this one. - `innerHTML` string - HTML from inside block comment delimiters. - `innerContent` array - List of string fragments and null markers where inner blocks were found. ## 󠀁[Source](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/parse_blocks/?output_format=md#source)󠁿 ```php function parse_blocks( $content ) { /** * Filter to allow plugins to replace the server-side block parser. * * @since 5.0.0 * * @param string $parser_class Name of block parser class. */ $parser_class = apply_filters( 'block_parser_class', 'WP_Block_Parser' ); $parser = new $parser_class(); return $parser->parse( $content ); } ``` [View all references](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/files/wp-includes/blocks.php/) [View on Trac](https://core.trac.wordpress.org/browser/tags/6.9.4/src/wp-includes/blocks.php#L2419) [View on GitHub](https://github.com/WordPress/wordpress-develop/blob/6.9.4/src/wp-includes/blocks.php#L2419-L2431) ## 󠀁[Hooks](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/parse_blocks/?output_format=md#hooks)󠁿 [apply_filters( ‘block_parser_class’, string $parser_class )](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/hooks/block_parser_class/) Filter to allow plugins to replace the server-side block parser. ## 󠀁[Related](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/parse_blocks/?output_format=md#related)󠁿 | Uses | Description | | [apply_filters()](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/apply_filters/)`wp-includes/plugin.php` | Calls the callback functions that have been added to a filter hook. | | Used by | Description | | [resolve_pattern_blocks()](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/resolve_pattern_blocks/)`wp-includes/blocks.php` | Replaces patterns in a block tree with their content. | | [apply_block_hooks_to_content()](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/apply_block_hooks_to_content/)`wp-includes/blocks.php` | Runs the hooked blocks algorithm on the given content. | | [update_ignored_hooked_blocks_postmeta()](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/update_ignored_hooked_blocks_postmeta/)`wp-includes/blocks.php` | Updates the wp_postmeta with the list of ignored hooked blocks where the inner blocks are stored as post content. | | [inject_ignored_hooked_blocks_metadata_attributes()](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/inject_ignored_hooked_blocks_metadata_attributes/)`wp-includes/block-template-utils.php` | Inject ignoredHookedBlocks metadata attributes into a template or template part. | | [wp_get_post_content_block_attributes()](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/wp_get_post_content_block_attributes/)`wp-includes/block-editor.php` | Retrieves Post Content block attributes from the current post template. | | [WP_REST_Block_Patterns_Controller::prepare_item_for_response()](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/classes/wp_rest_block_patterns_controller/prepare_item_for_response/)`wp-includes/rest-api/endpoints/class-wp-rest-block-patterns-controller.php` | Prepare a raw block pattern before it gets output in a REST API response. | | [wp_generate_block_templates_export_file()](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/wp_generate_block_templates_export_file/)`wp-includes/block-template-utils.php` | Creates an export of the current templates and template parts from the site editor at the specified path in a ZIP file. | | [_inject_theme_attribute_in_block_template_content()](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/_inject_theme_attribute_in_block_template_content/)`wp-includes/deprecated.php` | Parses wp_template content and injects the active theme’s stylesheet as a theme attribute into each wp_template_part | | [_remove_theme_attribute_in_block_template_content()](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/_remove_theme_attribute_in_block_template_content/)`wp-includes/deprecated.php` | Parses a block template and removes the theme attribute from each template part. | | [WP_Widget_Block::get_dynamic_classname()](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/classes/wp_widget_block/get_dynamic_classname/)`wp-includes/widgets/class-wp-widget-block.php` | Calculates the classname to use in the block widget’s container HTML. | | [WP_REST_Templates_Controller::prepare_item_for_response()](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/classes/wp_rest_templates_controller/prepare_item_for_response/)`wp-includes/rest-api/endpoints/class-wp-rest-templates-controller.php` | Prepare a single template output for response | | [filter_block_content()](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/filter_block_content/)`wp-includes/blocks.php` | Filters and sanitizes block content to remove non-allowable HTML from parsed block attribute values. | | [do_blocks()](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/do_blocks/)`wp-includes/blocks.php` | Parses dynamic blocks out of `post_content` and re-renders them. | | [excerpt_remove_blocks()](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/excerpt_remove_blocks/)`wp-includes/blocks.php` | Parses blocks out of a content string, and renders those appropriate for the excerpt. | | [get_post_galleries()](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/get_post_galleries/)`wp-includes/media.php` | Retrieves galleries from the passed post’s content. | [Show 10 more](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/parse_blocks/?output_format=md#) [Show less](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/parse_blocks/?output_format=md#) ## 󠀁[Changelog](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/parse_blocks/?output_format=md#changelog)󠁿 | Version | Description | | [5.0.0](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/since/5.0.0/) | Introduced. | ## 󠀁[User Contributed Notes](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/parse_blocks/?output_format=md#user-contributed-notes)󠁿 1. [Skip to note 6 content](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/parse_blocks/?output_format=md#comment-content-4141) 2. [Joseph Dickson](https://profiles.wordpress.org/josephdickson/) [ 6 years ago ](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/parse_blocks/#comment-4141) 3. [You must log in to vote on the helpfulness of this note](https://login.wordpress.org?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fdeveloper.wordpress.org%2Freference%2Ffunctions%2Fparse_blocks%2F%23comment-4141) Vote results for this note: 6[You must log in to vote on the helpfulness of this note](https://login.wordpress.org?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fdeveloper.wordpress.org%2Freference%2Ffunctions%2Fparse_blocks%2F%23comment-4141) 4. **Example using `parse_blocks()` to display a block from a post** 5. ```php post_content ); foreach ( $blocks as $block ) { // YouTube's block name if ( 'core-embed/youtube' === $block['blockName'] ) { echo apply_filters( 'the_content', render_block( $block ) ); break; } } } ?> ``` 6. **Place within [The Loop](https://codex.wordpress.org/The_Loop)** 7. ```php ``` 8. If used in The Loop it renders the first YouTube video embedded within a post. Can be used with other blocks by assigning their blockName. 9. * This embed example is now defunct as of WordPress 5.6 changing to the block name to core/embed and adding variations. I’ll submit a new sample. * [Joseph Dickson](https://profiles.wordpress.org/josephdickson/) [5 years ago](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/parse_blocks/#comment-4661) 10. [Log in to add feedback](https://login.wordpress.org/?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fdeveloper.wordpress.org%2Freference%2Ffunctions%2Fparse_blocks%2F%3Freplytocom%3D4141%23feedback-editor-4141) 11. [Skip to note 7 content](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/parse_blocks/?output_format=md#comment-content-5389) 12. [Ulrich](https://profiles.wordpress.org/grapplerulrich/) [ 5 years ago ](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/parse_blocks/#comment-5389) 13. [You must log in to vote on the helpfulness of this note](https://login.wordpress.org?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fdeveloper.wordpress.org%2Freference%2Ffunctions%2Fparse_blocks%2F%23comment-5389) Vote results for this note: 5[You must log in to vote on the helpfulness of this note](https://login.wordpress.org?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fdeveloper.wordpress.org%2Freference%2Ffunctions%2Fparse_blocks%2F%23comment-5389) 14. Use [serialize_blocks()](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/serialize_blocks/) to convert the parsed block back to content. 15. [Log in to add feedback](https://login.wordpress.org/?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fdeveloper.wordpress.org%2Freference%2Ffunctions%2Fparse_blocks%2F%3Freplytocom%3D5389%23feedback-editor-5389) 16. [Skip to note 8 content](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/parse_blocks/?output_format=md#comment-content-3382) 17. [Jb Audras](https://profiles.wordpress.org/audrasjb/) [ 7 years ago ](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/parse_blocks/#comment-3382) 18. [You must log in to vote on the helpfulness of this note](https://login.wordpress.org?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fdeveloper.wordpress.org%2Freference%2Ffunctions%2Fparse_blocks%2F%23comment-3382) Vote results for this note: 2[You must log in to vote on the helpfulness of this note](https://login.wordpress.org?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fdeveloper.wordpress.org%2Freference%2Ffunctions%2Fparse_blocks%2F%23comment-3382) 19. Example of returned array for a Paragraph block: 20. ```php array ( 0 => array ( 'blockName' => 'core/paragraph', 'attrs' => array ( 'textColor' => 'vivid-red', 'backgroundColor' => 'luminous-vivid-amber', ), 'innerBlocks' => array ( /* Child blocks if they exists (used in Column Block for example) */ ), 'innerHTML' => 'This is a block content!', 'innerContent' => array ( 0 => 'This is a block content!', ), ), ) ``` 21. [Log in to add feedback](https://login.wordpress.org/?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fdeveloper.wordpress.org%2Freference%2Ffunctions%2Fparse_blocks%2F%3Freplytocom%3D3382%23feedback-editor-3382) 22. [Skip to note 9 content](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/parse_blocks/?output_format=md#comment-content-3702) 23. [André Maneiro](https://profiles.wordpress.org/oandregal/) [ 6 years ago ](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/parse_blocks/#comment-3702) 24. [You must log in to vote on the helpfulness of this note](https://login.wordpress.org?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fdeveloper.wordpress.org%2Freference%2Ffunctions%2Fparse_blocks%2F%23comment-3702) Vote results for this note: 1[You must log in to vote on the helpfulness of this note](https://login.wordpress.org?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fdeveloper.wordpress.org%2Freference%2Ffunctions%2Fparse_blocks%2F%23comment-3702) 25. As of Gutenberg 7.7, for this input: 26. ```javascript

This is a new paragraph.

``` 27. the output of `parse_blocks` will be: 28. ```php Array ( [0] => Array ( [blockName] => core/paragraph [attrs] => Array ( [placeholder] => Summary [textColor] => accent [backgroundColor] => secondary ) [innerBlocks] => Array() [innerHTML] =>

This is a new paragraph.

[innerContent] => Array ( [0] =>

This is a new paragraph.

) ) ) ``` 29. [Log in to add feedback](https://login.wordpress.org/?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fdeveloper.wordpress.org%2Freference%2Ffunctions%2Fparse_blocks%2F%3Freplytocom%3D3702%23feedback-editor-3702) 30. [Skip to note 10 content](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/parse_blocks/?output_format=md#comment-content-5123) 31. [Khoi Pro](https://profiles.wordpress.org/khoipro/) [ 5 years ago ](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/parse_blocks/#comment-5123) 32. [You must log in to vote on the helpfulness of this note](https://login.wordpress.org?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fdeveloper.wordpress.org%2Freference%2Ffunctions%2Fparse_blocks%2F%23comment-5123) Vote results for this note: 0[You must log in to vote on the helpfulness of this note](https://login.wordpress.org?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fdeveloper.wordpress.org%2Freference%2Ffunctions%2Fparse_blocks%2F%23comment-5123) 33. In case you wish to check if current post content is Gutenberg-blocks or using Classic editor: 34. ```php global $post; $blocks = parse_blocks( $post->post_content ); $is_gutenberg_page = ( ! empty( $blocks ) && '' !== $blocks[0]['blockName'] ); ``` 35. If post content is Classic Editor, it has only one block, but `blockName` is empty. 36. * There is a better way for this. Function [has_blocks()](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/has_blocks/). * [Lovro Hrust](https://profiles.wordpress.org/lovor/) [4 years ago](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/parse_blocks/#comment-6112) * Currently, a much less costly method would use the [has_blocks()](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/has_blocks/) function, which accepts either the unparsed post content or a wp_post object.` $fullContent = get_the_content( $pid ); if ( has_blocks( $fullContent ) ) { doit(); } ` or ` if ( has_blocks( $post ) ) { doit(); } ` * [Brian Layman](https://profiles.wordpress.org/brianlayman/) [3 years ago](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/parse_blocks/#comment-6242) 37. [Log in to add feedback](https://login.wordpress.org/?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fdeveloper.wordpress.org%2Freference%2Ffunctions%2Fparse_blocks%2F%3Freplytocom%3D5123%23feedback-editor-5123) You must [log in](https://login.wordpress.org/?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fdeveloper.wordpress.org%2Freference%2Ffunctions%2Fparse_blocks%2F) before being able to contribute a note or feedback.