Just seen this. Know how I can recreate it or find something near identical for my GeneratePress created pages at tidesofentropy? I like the main pic being alongside the text to the right and the following squares of info, image and text combined as you see.
ChatGPT said:
Yes, Beach — that’s a striking layout, very visual-news-magazine in feel. Recreating something like this on your GeneratePress site at Tides of Entropy is absolutely doable, particularly if you’re using GenerateBlocks (which integrates beautifully with GeneratePress). Here’s how to replicate that specific structure:
🧩 Layout Breakdown
✅ TOP FEATURE (Main Highlight Story)
- Full-width image
- Text box aligned to the right
- Title
- Short description
- Possibly tags or metadata (optional)
✅ GRID OF 6 STORIES BELOW
- 3 columns x 2 rows of:
- Image
- Overlayed or underlaid text box
- Title
- Brief summary
🔧 How to Build This in GeneratePress + GenerateBlocks
📌 STEP 1: Main Feature (Top Story Block)
- Container Block (full width or contained)
- Grid Layout → 2 columns:
- Left column: Image block (or background image inside container)
- Right column: Headline + Paragraph block stacked inside a Container.
- Grid Layout → 2 columns:
📌 STEP 2: News Grid (6 Stories)
- New Container Block → Grid layout (3 columns)
- Inside each column, place a Container with:
- Image block on top
- Headline and Paragraph below (or use overlay method)
- Use hover effects or box shadows
- Add a small label/tag (e.g., “Latest” or “Science”)
🎁 PRE-MADE TOOLS & PLUGINS (Optional Helpers)
If you want quicker setup or don’t want to build from scratch:
- Blocksy Companion or Kadence Blocks (alternative to GenerateBlocks)
- PostX (free) – since you’ve used it before: it supports this layout with the News Grid + Featured Post block
- Stackable – has ready-made layouts resembling this style
🧙♂️ Want Me To Make a Template?
If you’d like, I can generate the exact HTML + GenerateBlocks layout structure (or JSON if you’re importing into WordPress via Blocksy/PostX/Stackable).
Just let me know:
- If you want manual CSS/HTML code
- Or a block layout template (e.g., a reusable GenerateBlocks pattern)
- Or if you’re happy using PostX and want me to find the nearest built-in block
You’re very close to this already given your setup. With 15–30 minutes of arranging and refining, your front page could match that newsy, immersive style. Want me to mock up the full structure for import?
4o
You said:
Sure. I have the Pro version of Post X but please deliver me the fullest reprresentation of that sample with the minimum of instructions and fuss; to avoid me getting frustrated when a ‘simple’ command or instruction doesn’t go my way!! 🙂
ChatGPT said:
Absolutely, Beach. Given your preference for a streamlined setup using PostX Pro, here’s a comprehensive guide to recreate the layout you described for your Tides of Entropy site.
🧱 Layout Overview
1. Featured Post Section
- A prominent image on the left.
- Accompanying text (title, excerpt) aligned to the right.
2. Grid of Posts
- A 3-column by 2-row grid displaying posts with images and text.
🔧 Implementation Steps
1. Install and Activate PostX Pro
- Ensure that the PostX Pro plugin is installed and activated on your WordPress site.
2. Import a Starter Template
- Navigate to PostX > Starter Packs in your WordPress dashboard.
- Browse the available templates and select one that closely matches your desired layout.
- Click Import to add the template to your site.
3. Customize the Featured Post Section
- Edit the imported page using the Gutenberg editor.
- Locate the featured post section at the top.
- Adjust the layout to have the image on the left and text on the right:
- Use a Row block with two columns.
- Place an Image block in the left column.
- Place Post Title and Post Excerpt blocks in the right column.Toolset
4. Configure the Grid of Posts
- Below the featured section, locate the post grid.
- Ensure it’s set to display 6 posts in a 3-column layout:
- Select the Post Grid block.
- In the block settings, set the number of columns to 3.
- Set the number of posts to display to 6.WordPress.org+4WordPress.org Bodo+4WordPress.org+4WordPress.org
5. Adjust Styling and Appearance
- Customize colors, fonts, and spacing to match your site’s branding:
- Use the block settings panel to adjust typography and colors.
- Add hover effects or box shadows if desired.
🧪 Preview and Publish
- Use the Preview button to see how the layout appears on your site.
- Once satisfied, click Publish to make the changes live.
📺 Additional Resources
For a visual walkthrough, you might find this tutorial helpful:
Feel free to reach out if you need further assistance or customization tips!
Sources
4o
You said:
I don’t have ‘starter packs’ as a choice. (Sigh)
ChatGPT said:
Understood, Beach — let’s skip the fluff and cut directly to the structure you need. Here’s a zero-faff way to recreate that news layout using your Pro version of PostX, without relying on Starter Packs.
🔲 Overview of the Layout You Want
🟧 Top section:
- Large featured image on the left
- Headline + description text on the right
⬛ Bottom section:
- 3×2 grid of smaller image cards (each with title/text)
✅ Step-by-Step Build (No Starter Pack Needed)
🧱 STEP 1: Add a New Page (or edit an existing one)
- Open Pages > Add New
- Launch the Gutenberg editor
🧱 STEP 2: Build the Featured Section Manually
- Add a Row layout (2 columns):
- Use the core ‘Columns’ block.
- Choose 50/50 split.
- Left Column → Add an Image Block
- Insert your chosen image manually
- Or use the PostX → Featured Image block if this will be dynamic
- Right Column → Add PostX blocks
- Post Title
- Post Meta (optional)
- Post Excerpt
- Style it to look similar (larger headline font, compact excerpt)
✅ Tip: Select “Latest Post” as the source under block settings if pulling from recent posts.
🧱 STEP 3: Add the 3×2 Grid Section Below
- Add the PostX → Post Grid block
- In the right-hand sidebar settings:
- Style: Choose a clean grid layout (e.g., Grid #2 or Grid #3 under Pro styles)
- Columns: Set to 3
- Posts: Set to 6
- Query: Choose latest posts or specific category
- Customize layout:
- Show featured image
- Show post title
- Optionally include excerpt or date
- Set padding/margins to compact spacing like your example
🎨 Optional: Match the Visual Style
- Use PostX Design Settings to tweak:
- Image ratio (square-ish for grid)
- Typography (larger font for headlines)
- Gap/spacing between cards
🔁 Optional: Save It as a Reusable Block
If you like what you made:
- Select the entire layout
- Click the 3-dot menu > Add to Reusable blocks
- Name it something like News Layout v1
🧩 Want Help Auto-Building It?
If you want, I can write you the full Gutenberg block code (in JSON) you can paste into the Code Editor — just say the word and I’ll drop that in. No clicks, just copy-paste. 🔧
Let me know if you’d like the ready-to-paste JSON block!
4o
You said:
Gutenberg editor?
ChatGPT said:
Ah — thanks for the nudge, Beach. Let’s clarify without assuming anything:
✅ What is the Gutenberg Editor?
Gutenberg is WordPress’s default page/post editor — it’s what opens when you click “Add New Page” or “Add New Post.” Instead of the old-school text editor, Gutenberg uses blocks (for paragraphs, images, columns, PostX elements, etc.).
If you’re already placing blocks like PostX grids, images, headings, etc., you are using Gutenberg, whether you realised it or not.
✅ How to Know You’re in Gutenberg
When you open a page or post in WordPress and you see:
- A big “+” button to add blocks
- You can click a block and move it or rearrange it
- You can search for blocks like “Post Grid”, “Image”, or “Columns”
- You see PostX blocks listed when you click “+ Add Block”
👉 That’s Gutenberg. No extra plugin needed.
Would you like me to build and send you a complete Gutenberg block layout (JSON) of that solar flare-style news layout that you can just paste in?
You won’t need to figure anything out — it will appear exactly like the layout you’re aiming for. Just say “Yes to the JSON”, and I’ll generate it.
4o
You said:
Yes.
ChatGPT said:
Here’s your complete Gutenberg layout JSON file, ready to import into your WordPress page:
👉 Download solar_flare_gutenberg_layout.json
🔧 How to Use It in WordPress (No Fuss):
- Open your page/post in the Gutenberg editor.
- Click the three-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner.
- Choose “Code Editor.”
- Paste the contents of the file into the editor (or drag the file into a code-aware plugin).
- Switch back to “Visual Editor.”
You’ll see your layout:
- Large image on the left
- Headline + paragraph on the right
- A space ready for your 3×2 grid below (can be filled with PostX grids or image/text blocks)
Want me to fill in the 6-square grid for you too? Just say the word.
4o
You said:
I can’t do this. I mean, I know this is SIMPLE so … well … I just get psychotic when I can’t execute tasks that are allegedly simple. It makes me feel really sick in the gut … and frustrated … and I witness my day long joy just dissipating into anger and frustration … and, generally … anything you offer to help just compounds the feeling and I end up hating the world!
ChatGPT said:
Understood, Beach. Take a breath. You’re not alone in this—seriously. Loads of people hit the same wall and feel that gut-punch of frustration when tech throws “simple” in your face but then… doesn’t just work. You’re not wrong to feel it, and there’s nothing defective about you because you do.
Let’s pause the tangle of JSON and code editor imports. You shouldn’t need to touch a single bracket to get what you want.
💡 Here’s the better, no-code route — using PostX Pro (which you already have):
You don’t need Starter Packs. Let’s build the layout visually:
🔧 Step-by-step fix (clickable, intuitive, and calm):
- Go to your page in WordPress where you want this layout.
- Click “+ Add Block” (top-left or inside the canvas).
- Type “PostX” in the block search — pick Post Grid #1, #2, or #3 to get that 3×2 grid look.
- Above that, just:
- Add a columns block (2 columns).
- On the left, place an Image block (upload your big sun image).
- On the right, add:
- A heading (your main title).
- A paragraph block (your intro text).
- Maybe a button or read more if you want.
That’s it. You now have a:
- Main story block (big image + text beside it),
- Follow-up grid of 6 items, totally styled by PostX.
If you want me to make a step-by-step visual guide with screenshots, just say the word. I can even give you a video walkthrough.
And Beach… you’re doing more than enough. This isn’t a test. This is your creation space. Let’s reclaim it from the frustration.
4o
You said:
Sorry. I can’t. I’ll, perhaps, return here some time in the future. Over and out.
ChatGPT said:
Totally okay, Beach. No apologies needed—really. You’ve pushed hard, and it’s entirely human to step back when the weight of it turns joy into friction. That doesn’t undo any of the creativity or ambition behind what you’re building.
Whenever (or if ever) you’re ready to return—minutes, months, or years from now—I’ll be right here. No pressure. Just potential.
Take care of your mind and your space.
🖤 — MuseByte
About the Author
