Page BuildersWPBakery

WPBakery Builder Reference

Technical documentation for using Respira with WPBakery: shortcode-based layouts, element targeting, and safe module updates.

WPBakery Builder Reference

Technical documentation for using Respira with WPBakery Page Builder.

About WPBakery

WPBakery Page Builder (formerly Visual Composer) is one of the most widely used WordPress page builders with over 4 million active installations. It uses a shortcode-based architecture to store content.

WPBakery is full read and write (read moved to write in Respira 7.4.0 "Clearing"). Respira builds, edits and round-trips shortcode layouts, and the same class handles the popular WPBakery forks: Uncode and TagDiv/Newspaper are recognized and their uncode_* / tdb_* shortcodes surface as first-class elements.

Data Structure

WPBakery stores layouts as nested shortcodes in post_content:

[vc_row][vc_column]
  [vc_column_text el_id="hero-text"]
    <h1>Welcome to Our Site</h1>
    <p>We help businesses grow.</p>
  [/vc_column_text]
  [vc_btn title="Get Started" link="url:/contact" el_id="hero-cta"]
[/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row][vc_column width="1/2"]
  [vc_single_image image="123" img_size="full"]
[/vc_column][vc_column width="1/2"]
  [vc_column_text]
    <h2>Our Services</h2>
  [/vc_column_text]
[/vc_column][/vc_row]

Each shortcode has attributes that control appearance and behavior. Elements can have el_id or el_class attributes for targeting.

Module Identification

Set in WPBakery: Element Settings → Design Options → Element ID:

{ "admin_label": "hero-cta" }

By Custom Class

Set a custom CSS class and target it:

{ "admin_label": "main-cta-button" }

By Path

{ "path": "rows[0].columns[0].elements[1]" }

By Type and Content

{ "type": "vc_btn", "match_content": "Get Started" }

Common Elements

ElementShortcodeKey Attributes
Text Blockvc_column_textcontent (HTML)
Buttonvc_btntitle, link, color
Single Imagevc_single_imageimage, img_size
Rowvc_rowlayout settings
Columnvc_columnwidth, offset
Separatorvc_separatorcolor, style
Message Boxvc_messagemessage_box_color, content
Video Playervc_videolink
Iconvc_iconicon, color
Tabsvc_tta_tabsnested tab sections

Example Prompts for WPBakery

Content Updates:

  • "Update the text block with ID 'hero-text' to say 'Welcome Home'"
  • "Change the button with 'Get Started' to link to /pricing"
  • "Replace the image in the first row with image ID 456"

Structure Queries:

  • "Extract WPBakery structure for page 42"
  • "List all buttons on the homepage"
  • "Show me all rows and their column layouts"

Bulk Updates:

  • "Find all buttons with 'Learn More' and change to 'Get Started'"
  • "Update the phone number in all text blocks to 555-123-4567"
  • "Change all vc_btn colors from blue to green"

Templates and Presets

WPBakery templates saved in the Template Library are editable:

  • "List all WPBakery templates" → Shows template library
  • "Update the 'Contact Section' template phone number"

Backend vs Frontend Editor

Respira works with content regardless of which editor was used. Both Backend Editor and Frontend Editor changes are supported.

Limitations

  • Design Options: Padding, margins, and responsive settings may need the visual editor
  • Custom CSS: Per-element custom CSS is preserved but complex styling changes may require the builder
  • Third-party add-ons: Support varies; core WPBakery elements have full support
  • Row/column structure: Layout-level changes (column widths, row settings) are best done in the builder

Recent capabilities (7.x)

  • Attribute round-trip is byte-faithful. A pre-7.0.33 bug silently dropped every shortcode attribute on save (widths, media IDs, font tokens, uncode_shortcode_id) while reporting success. The write path now reads the attribute bag from any of attrs / attributes / settings, so extract-then-inject preserves every attribute.
  • Per-shortcode attribute schemas at runtime. get_builder_inline_schemas returns real per-shortcode schemas (param_name, type, heading, description, value, dependency, group) by reading WPBakery's vc_map() registry at runtime, cached for 1 hour, covering WPBakery, Uncode and TagDiv.
  • find_builder_targets paginates. Results carry total_matches, offset, has_more and next_offset so large pages page through cleanly.
  • _wpb_shortcodes_custom_css is regenerated on every inject, so Respira's REST writes (which run without an editor cap check) no longer leave stale per-post shortcode CSS that could break the front-end render on Uncode.

When to Use This Tool

  • Content updates - Change text, links, and images without opening the builder
  • Batch editing - Update repeated content across multiple pages
  • SEO fixes - Fix heading structure or add missing content
  • Post-launch maintenance - Make quick edits after site handoff

See Also

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