EC Lightbox

EC Lightbox is a minimal WordPress plugin that adds a modern lightbox to galleries using GLightbox.

The plugin is opt-in by behavior: once activated, it only applies its lightbox functionality to blocks where you explicitly add a custom CSS class (for example, a Gallery block). Everywhere else, WordPress behaves normally.

Features

• Uses GLightbox for a clean, responsive lightbox.
• Works with WordPress core blocks (e.g. Gallery, Image).
• Opt-in activation via a custom CSS class (ec-lightbox).
• Groups images by gallery container (each block with ec-lightbox is its own gallery).
• Includes a Settings page in WordPress Admin.
• Configurable behavior: loop, touch navigation, zoom.
• Local vendor assets by default (no hard dependency on external CDNs).

Requirements

• WordPress 5.0+
• PHP 7.0+
• A block-based setup (Gutenberg) is recommended.

How to enable EC Lightbox on a Gallery block

1. Insert a Gallery block.
2. Select the Gallery block itself (not a single image inside it).
3. In the block sidebar, configure:
   • Link to → None
   • Disable “Open in lightbox” / “Enlarge on click” if present.
4. Open the Advanced panel.

5. Add the following class: ec-lightbox

6. Update or publish the post.

When users click an image inside that gallery, EC Lightbox will open and allow navigation through the gallery.

Note: Make sure individual images inside the gallery do not have click settings assigned. If these WP-native actions remain enabled, WordPress will attach its own click/lightbox behavior, overriding this plugin.

⚙️ Settings Page (WordPress Admin)

A configuration screen is available at:

Settings → EC Lightbox

Available options:

• Loop images
• Enable touch navigation
• Enable zoom
• Autoplay videos (for future video support)

All settings are passed directly to the lightbox JavaScript on initialization.

🧩 Filters & Developer API

1. Modify GLightbox options programmatically

add_filter( ‘ec_lightbox_js_options’, function ( $options ) { $options[‘loop’] = true; $options[‘zoomable’] = false; $options[‘openEffect’] = ‘zoom’; // Any GLightbox option is accepted return $options; }); ` Options merged from: 1. Plugin defaults 2. Admin settings 3. This filter (highest priority)