Customizer Image Selection is not reflected in the Carousel of the exported WordPress theme

[yusuf]

Experimental Test in Blocs: Carousel Image Customization via Customizer Item Types

I conducted an experimental test in Blocs with the following setup:

1. I created two Customizer Item Types named slider1 and slider2, both set to the Image Selection type.
   

   

2. I added Blocs’ standard Carousel brick to the page.

3. Inside the Carousel item, I selected an image and assigned it to the slider1 Customizer Item.
   

   

4. I exported the project as a WordPress theme and imported it into WordPress.

5. Finally, I selected test images via the Customizer to control the slider content.
   

   

Result

Unfortunately, this approach did not work as expected. The images selected via the Customizer were not reflected in the Carousel on the frontend.

Additional Notes

I am aware that this functionality can be achieved by writing a custom JavaScript-based slider, and I have created a very basic one purely for testing purposes.

One possible solution for me would be to create my own custom brick and use it if necessary. However, I prefer a native Blocs-based solution for long-term sustainability, maintainability, and future compatibility.

[yusuf]

Hi @Norm and community — quick question: is this a bug, or an expected limitation of the Carousel brick when using Customizer Image Selection in WordPress exports?

[Norm]

I’m looking into this one.

[yusuf]

Thanks Norm, much appreciated.
Happy to provide any additional details if needed.

[yusuf]

Update after targeted testing in the 6.4 beta:

Based on the assumption that this might be related to lazy-loading behavior — and also to test the updated slider in 6.4 — I specifically tried enabling “Disable Lazy Load.”

Without changing anything else in the setup (same Customizer Item Types, same Carousel, same export), this consistently resolves the issue. The images selected via the Customizer are now correctly reflected in the Carousel on the frontend.

This strongly suggests the problem is tied to the Carousel’s lazy-load lifecycle in WordPress exports — likely an initialization or timing issue where the Customizer-provided image URL isn’t applied early enough.

Given these results, it feels much more like a fixable implementation detail than an expected limitation.

Side note: the updated slider behavior in 6.4 is looking really solid so far