Full Site Editing

WordPress supports multiple editors and editing modes, and tracking which editor to use can become overwhelming. In the WordPress community, we sometimes call the default editor the block editor or the “editor.” In addition, you have the classic editor, which you can add via a plugin, and the Site Editor for site editing.

To answer the question about which editor to use, you should always create content in pages and posts using the block editor and only use the Site Editor to change other parts of your site.
If you follow this simple rule, you can avoid some of the confusion.

In this lesson, I give you some quick tips about which editor to use depending on what part of your site you want to update.

Different editors and editing modes

Editor, alias block editor -The default editor for post and page content. Uses blocks.

Site Editor -This is where you create and edit site templates such as category archives, search results, and the 404 page.

The classic editor -This was the default editor before WordPress 5.0. It is only supported via the classic editor plugin. This editor does not use blocks.

What is an editing mode?

Editing modes are alternative ways to view and edit content and templates.
The built-in code editor is in one editing mode. You may have also used the full-screen mode or spotlight mode.

You may hear or read that if you are editing a template for a specific page, you are in the template editing mode. This is because you can edit templates by clicking the Edit link in the Template section in the block editor. When you are done editing, you return to the block editor. The template editing mode and the template editor are two names for the same screen.

In the Site Editor, you can choose an editing mode where you can only see a single template part or pattern on your screen. This screen is the default when you create a new pattern or template part. It is useful when you want to edit your site header or site footer without distractions. This is sometimes called “editing in isolation“.

Decision tree for which editor to use

I want to:

Update my homepage

• …My site shows a static page on the front:
  To edit content, select your chosen static page and edit it in the block editor.
  To change the layout, open the Site Editor. Make your changes to the template that is shown when you first open the Site Editor.
• …My site does not use a static page on the front:
  To change the layout, open the Site Editor. Make your changes to the template that is shown when you first open the Site Editor. This template may be called index, home, or front page.

Change the design of my blog

• …My site shows a static page on the front, and my blog is on a separate page:
  To change the layout, open the Site Editor. Select the Template list. In the list of templates, select Home.
• …My site shows the blog on the homepage:
  To change the layout, open the Site Editor. Make your changes to the template that is shown when you first open the Site Editor. This template may be called index, home or front page.

Edit a page template while viewing my page content

Open your page in the block editor. Next, open the Summary panel in the document sidebar.
Here, you will find the name of your current template. Clicking on the template name opens the template editor:

If you choose to edit the template in the Site Editor instead, you will only see a placeholder post content block, not the content from your chosen page.

Change my site title

You can change the site title text from your WordPress settings menu or by using the site title block.

Update the blocks in my site footer

First, open the Site Editor, select Patterns, and then select template parts. Select the footer template part from the list to start editing.

Create a new header or footer

First, open the Site Editor and select Patterns.
Next, select “Create pattern.” From the drop-down menu, choose “Create template part.” Select between a header or footer and add a custom name for your new part. Once in the editor, place your blocks and save.

Add a new footer or header to a specific page

To use the new template parts on a specific page, you need to do two things:
– Create a new template for the page.
– Add the template part to the template.
Open the page in the block editor and select New in the Templates panel in the sidebar.
Insert the parts you created in the previous step (Remove pre-existing parts so that you do not get duplicate headers and footers).

Add a new text to the 404 page

– The 404 page is a site template; you can only edit it in the Site Editor, not the block editor. First, open the Site Editor and select the templates list from the navigation sidebar.
Select the 404 page from the list of available templates. -If the template does not already exist, you can create it from the “Add New” button.

Change the content of a category page

All category pages: The category page is a site template; you can only edit it in the Site Editor, not the block editor. Select the category template from the list of available templates. – If the template does not exist, create it using the “Add New” button.

How much content can I add to the templates?

This is a question I get from many users. Templates are structural, they are meant for creating page layouts, and not meant for writing new content.

If you add content to your templates, it will be saved in the database, but it is tied to your active theme. If you switch themes, you cannot edit it. Switching back to your old theme will make the templates available again, so they are not “gone gone” 😊.

That is why I recommend always keeping your long-form content in your pages and posts and only adding very small amounts of content that you can easily replace in your template.
Content suitable for templates can include initial branding, slogans, and similar types of shorter introductions, opening hours, current offers, and contact information. This is the type of content you may have added in the customizer or footer widgets in an older classic theme.
You can store these shorter pieces of content in a Google Doc, for example, to make them easy to copy if you switch themes.

When to choose the classic editor

If blocks feel too complicated, you can use the classic editor for your content while keeping the site editing features for the rare occasions when you want to make changes to your site footer, 404 page, etc. While I want to encourage everyone to try blocks, this can be a good option if you want to use the classic editor but not fall behind. By combining a block theme and the classic editor plugin, you can keep the content editor you are familiar with but still have access to making changes to parts of the website that you could not change if you used a classic theme.