Updates to the Meta Branded theme homepage

[derek (Derek Rushforth)]

@cuo_wu

May I ask how these are implemented? Can I achieve other effects that I want?

This was built using our new Blocks API. It’s still an early preview that we plan on posting more about it soon.

@manuel

Blocks API: First production usage

The Blocks API is a new framework for building modular, composable layouts in Discourse. It lets theme developers assemble pages from self-contained, reusable components that can be placed into defined layout areas. The Meta theme is our first production deployment of it.

The framework features a rich set of developer tooling: enable developer tools and you can inspect the block structure of any page with a built-in overlay that visualizes all active layout areas and their components.

Beyond the homepage, we’re also using blocks to render custom category banners that show each category’s subcategories:

This is still an early preview of the system in a production context. We’re planning to publish documentation and more examples soon. PR: DEV: Add Block API for declarative, validated UI extension points