Have you ever come across a website with a button that plays a video when you hover over it? It’s an eye-catching feature that can significantly boost engagement.
Recently, I stumbled upon such a button on the Insta360 website, and I was immediately intrigued. Could this be recreated in WordPress? Let’s dive in and find out!
The Challenge
At first glance, this seems like a straightforward task. After all, WordPress can run custom HTML code, right? I even asked ChatGPT to provide the code, and it worked. But here’s the catch – we want to do this using native WordPress functionality, specifically the Gutenberg editor.
The Gutenberg editor, while powerful, has its limitations. It offers a Cover block that supports video backgrounds, but we need to use the Buttons block for our purpose. So, how do we merge these two different blocks to create our desired feature?
The Process
- First, I selected a short video clip – the trailer for the Apple Vision Pro seemed fitting. I resized it to match the button dimensions and trimmed it to about five seconds.
- Initially, I thought I could use the Cover block and overlap it with the Button block. However, I encountered some sizing issues with the Cover block.
- After some trial and error, I discovered a workaround. By setting the button’s width to 100% and dropping the cover’s width to 0%, I could finally get the Button block and the Cover block to overlap perfectly.
- To recreate the button correctly, I followed these steps:
- Created a Button block and set its width to 100%
- Adjusted the styling (size, border radius, transparency)
- Added a Cover block with the video
- Removed padding from the Cover block
- Used a Group block to fine-tune the width
The Result
After some tweaking and adjusting, I managed to create a button with a video background using just three Gutenberg blocks! It’s not a perfect replica of the Insta360 button, but it’s pretty close and entirely achievable within WordPress.
Why This Matters
This experiment showcases the growing capabilities of WordPress core. It’s becoming increasingly possible to create complex, interactive elements without relying on additional plugins or page builders. Even Elementor, a popular page builder, can’t easily replicate this feature.
Conclusion
While it took some creative problem-solving, we’ve proven that it’s possible to insert a video into a button using native WordPress functionality. This opens up exciting possibilities for web designers and content creators looking to add that extra wow factor to their WordPress sites.
Remember, WordPress is constantly evolving. What seems challenging today might become a standard feature tomorrow. So keep experimenting, and don’t be afraid to push the boundaries of what’s possible with WordPress!
