Wherever I turn, it seems like everybody is talking about the same – Bricks. A visual website builder slash theme, a clean-code and flexible solution, which has quickly become the new best thing. It’s on the wave, and everyone tends to predict a bright future for Bricks builder.
At the beginning of 2022, the Crocoblock team also saw this potential and launched their very first JetEngine integration. Initially, JetEngine served as a dynamic data provider, allowing Bricks users to create custom fields and meta boxes and select them as a data source, so the builder would render JetEngine data. At that time, Bricks was still a rookie, but look how it’s gaining popularity now!
That’s why now we have the whole six Crocoblock plugins integrated with Bricks. To be exact:
- JetEngine;
- JetSmartFilters;
- JetBooking;
- JetAppointment;
- JetSearch;
- JetFormBuilder.
But first, let me tell you more about Bricks.
Table of Contents
- Bricks Builder 101
- JetEngine and Bricks
- How JetSmartFilters and Bricks Work Together
- JetBooking and Bricks Integration
- Using JetAppointment with Bricks
- JetSearch for Bricks
- JetFormBuilder and Bricks Combo
- Final Thoughts
Bricks Builder 101
“Just Build It,” says the motto on the homepage, and we get some familiar vibes, indeed. 😉 Bricks is a WordPress builder and a theme using a default WordPress template structure. The builder took everyone by surprise since it offered a website-building toolkit, a template library, and – most importantly – unbloated DOM, speed, and flexibility.
Here is what Bricks brings to the table:
- Gutenberg compatibility;
- 100+ elements to mix and match;
- WooCommerce builder;
- Query Loops;
- Conditional Logic and role settings;
- Integrations;
- Popup builder;
- global CSS classes;
- clean code and optimized DOM;
- compelling performance, and more.
A developer’s dream, isn’t it?
Bricks offers an LTD pricing plan for $599 and yearly plans starting at $79 per site.
Another reason why many people switch to Bricks is its incredible performance combined with a visual builder functionality:
“Did some test creating exacting the same page in same environment, and the increase in speed and stability was dramatically higher! It’s really great!” (Crocoblock community)
Some are even convinced that Bricks builder for WordPress would be able to challenge Elementor:
“Elementor is like getting a ready made remote controlled car for Christmas. It’s cool… it has flashing lights, controls are easy. Bricks […] is like your sweaty dad coming in from toys’r’us with a huge bag full of lego technics, dumping it on the floor and telling you to make it your bloody self. C’mon… You’ve been doing this a while now. Dump the remote control and build one yourself.” (Crocoblock community)
Whatever the case, one thing is certain: after the initial integration, Crocoblock and Bricks users started to crave more. Our CTO, Andrew Shevchenko, created a poll asking the community whether they want Crocoblock to elaborate, and 60% of the members voted in favor. Finally, the improved and more solid integration has seen the light; we improved it, taking the users’ suggestions into account, and then added even more essential plugins that seamlessly work with Bricks.
JetEngine and Bricks
JetEngine was the first Crocoblock plugin with Bricks integration, just because what can we do without custom post types, taxonomies, relations, glossaries, advanced Query Builder, and other perks this plugin offers, right?
It has all the necessary widgets integrated, but it’s not the exact copy of the widgets available for Elementor or Gutenberg because Bricks has a bit different logic when it comes to fetching dynamic data, so some of the extra widgets are not necessary.
It means that it is now possible to create a listing item layout using Bricks builder functionality and pull the needed data from custom fields via several dynamic widgets. Afterward, you will be able to output the created architecture in the Bricks editor using the Listing Grid widget.
To create a listing item, make sure to activate the corresponding toggle in the Bricks > Settings > Post types and activate the toggle to make Listing items editable with Bricks.
In case you want to mix it with Gutenberg, activate the other toggle, “Load Gutenberg data into Bricks.”
And, of course, you can enjoy all the 19 JetEngine modules integrated with Bricks.
💡 Note that the User Geo Location feature is not integrated with Bricks yet. However, you can use it on the Gutenberg pages of your Bricks-powered site.
How JetSmartFilters and Bricks Work Together
“Thanks you Crocoblock team so much for hearing us. I have been waiting for using JetSmartFillter with Bricks since the first time Bricks realese.” (Crocoblock community)
JetSmartFilters and Bricks are compatible to offer the full power of advanced filtering.
Now, there are two providers for filters: JetEngine and Bricks Loop, which means that it works with JetEngine listing and the native Bricks Query Loop.
JetBooking and Bricks Integration
Implement the JetBooking plugin to provide clients with property or equipment booking functionality. The setup is straightforward and guided by a Wizard.
⚡ JetBooking is now integrated with WooCommerce, so you are free to connect all the variety of payment methods and use a cart if needed.
Also, there are many other useful integrations, such as Google Calendar, GetResponse, Zapier, Make, etc.
Using JetAppointment with Bricks
JetAppointment is a plugin for booking services on an hourly basis. It’s a powerful JetEngine add-on (requires it to work properly) with many necessary integrations and features, such as integration with WooCommerce and Zoom, custom workflows to set up confirmation/cancellation links, notification and reminder emails, recurring payments, variable hourly pricing, and much more.
⚡ Crocoblock Support Team uses the JetAppointment plugin for booking Zoom appointments.
Check out the use case and a step-by-step guide on how to create such functionality with JetAppointment.
JetSearch for Bricks
JetSearch is the way to make website searches effective, convenient, and attractive for users. The great asset here is the Search Suggestion in a frame of the AJAX search that this plugin provides.
What else? Well, we know that the native WordPress search engine is not that good. So, check out our new free experimental AI Search tool described here.
JetFormBuilder and Bricks Combo
JetFormBuilder is a free plugin based on the Gutenberg interface. It doesn’t mean that it’s not compatible with website builders. On the contrary, it adds flexibility to all of them!
See, every form plugin has its own UI, right? Most of them have a dedicated one, which, of course, has its own limitations in terms of styling, field combination, etc.
Our developers thought about the idea of combining the native Gutenberg editor and the powerful form builder functionality to make it not only extremely compatible with anything but also able to combine various fields available in Gutenberg.
For instance, if you want to add an image in between the inputs, feel free to do it using the native image block. Or, if you want to add a social login block provided by one of the third-party plugins, it will also work great.
The JetFormBuilder widget is available in the Bricks editor for seamless form styling.
Final Thoughts
Bricks is another winning integration implemented by the Crocoblock team. It supports six Crocoblock plugins: JetEngine, JetSmartFilters, JetBooking, JetSearch, and JetAppointment, and it makes a great combo with JetFormBuilder, which means more flexibility and higher performance. Thanks to the Bricks’ extraordinary speed and optimization, those who prefer JetPlugins will be able to build high-fidelity pages without bloated code.
Feel free to test out the new integrations and enjoy the combined powers of Bricks builder and Crocoblock plugins for creating complex dynamic websites.
