---
title: "Is there a workaround for the Navigation block? This Week in WordPress 248"
date: 2023-04-17
author: "Courtney Robertson"
featured_image: "https://courtneyr.dev/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/this-week-in-wordpress-248-featured-1.jpg"
categories:
  - name: "WordPress"
    url: "/category/wptips.md"
  - name: "Speaking"
    url: "/category/speaking.md"
---

# Is there a workaround for the Navigation block? This Week in WordPress 248

Struggling with the Navigation block in a block theme? On This Week in WordPress 248, I shared a workaround: build the menu in a classic theme first, then switch, because the block theme can pull that menu in. I joined [Nathan Wrigley](https://wpbuilds.social/@nathan)colleague and [Michelle Frechette](https://profiles.wordpress.org/michelleames/)colleague for the live panel.

## 🎙️ Episode details

- **Show:** This Week in WordPress 248, “Cute Puffins,” from WP Builds
- **Host:** Nathan Wrigley
- **Panel:** Michelle Frechette and me, Courtney Robertson
- **Live:** Monday, April 17, 2023. The podcast followed on April 18.
- **Topics:** the Navigation block, PHP versions, contributor funding, and women in core
- **Show notes:** [This Week in WordPress 248 on WP Builds, with news links and a transcript](https://wpbuilds.com/2023/04/18/this-week-in-wordpress-248/)

 Captions and an interactive transcript are in the player controls (Transcript button).The captions are YouTube’s automatic captions, cleaned for repeated lines and names but not checked against the audio. WP Builds also publishes a full transcript on the show notes page.

## 💸 Funding contributors without financial barriers

I gave the short version of the WP Community Collective: fund contributors on any of the 21 Make WordPress teams, and work tied to official WordPress events, so money stops being a barrier. That could include helping selected speakers from underrepresented groups get to WordCamps. We were about halfway to that year’s goal.

## 🧭 The Navigation block, and which PHP version you run

I called the Navigation block the part of block themes most in need of refinement. In fact, the team had moved some improvements slated for 6.2 to a later release.

On PHP, I said core was only beta compatible with the PHP 8 versions still supported at the time. If your site ran anything as old as PHP 5, check your hosting panel and test thoroughly before upgrading.

I also explained the Rollback Update Failure feature plugin, which differs from a similar core plugin. Building on the move directory feature in 6.2, it helps a site roll back gracefully if a plugin update fails, so the site stays up. And please, don’t run updates on live without testing.

## 🎤 Women in core and how welcome changes

Michelle, Ebony and I had recently done an interview together. Josepha shared there that her first core contributions weren’t as welcoming as the project later became, and that women contributing in core helped shift that.

## 🧪 What can you take from the Navigation block episode?

- **Site builders:** try the classic menu workaround if the Navigation block slows you down.
- **Site owners:** check your PHP version today, on staging first.

Also, more conversations like this one live in [my podcast and speaking archive](https://courtneyr.dev/category/speaking/).

## 🗓️ Archival note

This panel streamed live on April 17, 2023, and WP Builds published it the next day. I added this post on November 9, 2026, from the publisher’s automated transcript. I reviewed the transcript, not the recording.





[](https://courtneyr.dev/2023/04/17/navigation-block-this-week-in-wordpress-248/)Courtney RobertsonIs there a workaround for the Navigation block? This Week in WordPress 248