Description
ReformBox extends WordPress Lightbox functionality beyond images. It currently supports Group, Paragraph, and Video blocks with poster images directly, while delegating Image lightbox behavior to WordPress core. For core/image, ReformBox only syncs the sidebar toggle with core lightbox settings.
This plugin is developed on GitHub.
Supported Blocks:
- Image Block – Uses WordPress core lightbox behavior (ReformBox panel toggles core
lightbox.enabled) - Video Block – Opens in a lightbox when a poster image is set (poster acts as the click trigger)
- Group Block – Supports both
samemode (same content in page + modal) andsplitmode (separate Preview/Modal direct child Group slots) - Paragraph Block – Click to open itself in a lightbox
Features:
- No-code lightbox creation via block editor controls
- Core-first image lightbox integration (
core/image) - Core-aligned overlay markup for custom lightboxes
- Core-aligned zoom animation
- ESC key and overlay click to close
- Accessible (ARIA attributes, focus management, keyboard navigation)
- Group split mode with Preview/Modal slot mapping
- Safe split fallback: if no Modal slot is assigned, Preview content is used
- Lazy-loaded assets (CSS/JS only loaded when needed)
- Self-lightbox videos defer preload/autoplay until opened
- Core image workflow integration without overriding core image rendering
- Global overlay background color and opacity controls in Settings > ReformBox
- Plugin list row includes a Settings action link for quick access
- Lightweight and performant
Installation
- In your WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Add New Plugin
- Search for
ReformBox - Click
Install Now, then clickActivate - Open the block editor and select any supported block
- Enable ReformBox in the block’s settings panel (for Image blocks, use
Enable Core Image Lightbox)
For Video blocks, add a poster image in the block settings before enabling ReformBox.
FAQ
-
Does ReformBox replace the core image lightbox?
-
No.
core/imageself-lightbox behavior is delegated to the WordPress core lightbox. ReformBox extends the surrounding workflow so images, videos, and container content can share a common modal workflow.For images, the ReformBox sidebar toggle only updates the core
lightbox.enabledsetting; the clickable link behavior and overlay rendering are still handled by WordPress core. -
Why does Video lightbox require a poster image?
-
Video self-lightbox uses the poster image as the visible in-page trigger and loads the full video inside the overlay. Without a poster image, ReformBox keeps the video lightbox toggle disabled.
-
How does Group split mode work?
-
Enable ReformBox on a Group block, then switch
Display ModetoSplit. Inside that parent Group, set direct child Group blocks toPreview,Modal, orPreview + Modal (Both)in the sidebar.Preview content is rendered in-page, `Modal` content is rendered inside the lightbox overlay, and unassigned child Groups (`none`) are rendered in both. If modal content is still empty, ReformBox automatically falls back to `Preview` content. Slot Type controls are shown only on direct child Group blocks of the split parent. -
Where can I change ReformBox overlay appearance?
-
Open
Settings > ReformBoxin WP Admin. You can set the ReformBox overlay background color and opacity there.
The same settings screen is also linked from the plugin row action (Plugins > ReformBox > Settings).
Reviews
Contributors & Developers
“ReformBox” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.
Contributors
“ReformBox” has been translated into 1 locale. Thank you to the translators for their contributions.
Translate “ReformBox” into your language.
Interested in development?
Browse the code, check out the SVN repository, or subscribe to the development log by RSS.
Changelog
0.3.3
- Unified ReformBox overlay controls into a single background color + opacity setting
- Improved consistency of overlay background rendering across ReformBox lightboxes
- Kept WordPress core lightbox appearance override separate from ReformBox overlay controls
0.3.2
- Improved overlay styling and close behavior to avoid unintended interactions with page content and WordPress core lightbox instances
0.3.1
- Clarified Image and Video lightbox behavior in the plugin documentation
0.3.0
- Improved internal code quality and release preparation for the plugin
0.2.0
- Added Group split mode and refined lightbox behavior for content and media blocks
0.1.0
- Initial release
- Group block as lightbox container
- Image/Video block self-lightbox
- Paragraph block as self-lightbox
- Core-aligned zoom animation
- Keyboard and accessibility support