These days, we take the instruments we’ve got at our disposal without any consideration. We use them each single day with out questioning who created them and what for. Individuals, basically, don’t wish to know the way the sausage will get made. 

Working example: WordPress remains to be the world’s main CMS because of its lively group and lively third-party builders. These are the individuals who be sure that your expertise with WP stays as seamless and pleasant as doable. However most customers don’t even know who they’re. Who constructed Gutenberg? Divi? Elementor?

So, let’s change that. Right this moment, I’ll let you know all it is advisable find out about Thomas Ehrig, the founding father of the group favourite, Bricks Builder. 

An Elusive Man: Ehrig’s Beginnings

After hours of on the lookout for each crumb of data I can discover about Ehrig on-line, I’ve come to the conclusion that we’re coping with a person who does his finest work within the shadows. 

His Twitter solely has ~100 tweets and hasn’t been up to date since 2020. His LinkedIn account nonetheless lists Codeer as his present work, a Cyprus-based firm that has no on-line presence in any respect. My hours of looking out solely unearthed three interviews with him, and one in every of them isn’t even out but (on the time of penning this)

However right here’s what I did discover:

Thomas Ehrig is a self-taught internet developer from Dresden, Germany. He began coding in 2008 when he was simply round 19 years outdated. Like different builders, Ehrig turned rapidly enticed by the digital nomad way of life, and by 2015, he left Prague to go see the world. He began heading east, earlier than settling for a while in Barcelona, earlier than increasing his horizons by going to Southeast Asian international locations like Vietnam.

And that’s about it, besides this: all over the place his title is talked about, you may hear good issues about him. One blogger stated that he’s a group hero, and one other talked about his expertise and good perspective. Looks like this enigma, nevertheless invisible he could also be, conjures up lots of people in his journey.

Working with WordPress

Ehrig’s first time with WordPress was in 2008, nevertheless it wasn’t till 2014 that he gained some notoriety in the neighborhood. That was the 12 months he launched Worx: a easy WordPress theme for portfolios. This rapidly drew the eye of WP customers, incomes a spot in CreativeMarket’s 2014 High 100.

From there, will probably be years till Ehrig unveils a brand new product. In March 2020, he launched HappyFiles: a streamlined and intuitive WP media library. 

This little plugin proved to be successful. To this present day, its roadmap remains to be being up to date. However this isn’t Ehrig’s magnum opus. That’s but to return. So, let’s transfer ahead precisely one 12 months later.

Brick By Brick: Creating His Personal WP Builder

Ehrig launched Bricks Builder in March 2021. This no-code, visible website builder for WordPress has options like:

• Visible Drag-and-Drop Interface: Permits you to create and customise layouts with out ever studying easy methods to navigate a codebase.
• Responsive Design: Create web sites that look superb on all gadgets.
• Stay Preview: See your web site as you edit.
• Intensive Template Library: Contains photos and galleries, movies, buttons, kinds, and themes.
• International Blocks: Create set types for your complete web site.
• Third-Occasion Integrations: Connects to widespread instruments akin to Unsplash and Google Fonts.
• Dynamic Information Assist: Content material that adapts to modifications.

Now, these are cool and all — however many different website builders have already got these. So, past options, what does Bricks Builder provide that others can’t?

Thomas Ehrig solutions that query: He says that an important facet of Bricks Builder is that it’s community-driven. The truth is, it’s why he developed it within the first place.

He seen that, whereas different builders are already feature-rich and have in depth ties to the WordPress group, few of them truly provide full transparency and responsiveness to suggestions. He felt that there was a void that he may fill by creating a light-weight and revolutionary product that truly listens to its person base.

And he succeeded.

When you’re curious about studying extra about Bricks Builder, you’ll be able to learn our full evaluate of the product right here, or you’ll be able to try one in every of our comparability articles like this one.

What’s Subsequent?

Ehrig helps full improvement transparency. Due to his coverage, we’ve got an outline of what’s but to return to Bricks Builder. Their present roadmap contains updates in progress, akin to a reside AJAX search, world elements, a star score element, and native sorting and filtering.

They’re additionally planning so as to add dynamic knowledge to SVG and as a code component, a element that brings the person again to the highest of the web page, and a password on your complete website.

You may also view their concept board, which shows person solutions. A number of the hottest unimplemented solutions are GSAP animation, an alternate template for question loops, a lot more choice to the picture gallery, and a nestable carousel.

The Backside Line

Thomas Ehrig challenges the notion that builders will need to have an lively social media or repository to be productive and to community. He’s nowhere to be seen until he desires to. The truth is, the one approach to contact him is thru electronic mail and by submitting a suggestion to the Bricks Builder concept board.

We could not know a lot about him, however based mostly on what we all know, he’s a succesful and charismatic developer with an upstanding character. Somebody whose rules are as stable as his grasp of design and improvement. However past creating HappyList and Bricks Builder, his most vital contribution is that this:

What he’s accomplished is construct a group that shares his ardour and create a website builder that they deserve — that we deserve. He’s actually one in every of a form.