Reusable blocks and synced patterns

  • patterns
  • reusable-blocks
  • synced-patterns
  • page-editing

Updated

A synced pattern is a section you save once and reuse on many pages, like a CTA band, a contact strip, or a disclaimer. Change it once and every page updates. Older versions of WordPress call these Reusable blocks. WordPress renamed them to patterns in version 6.3, and your old reusable blocks are now synced patterns.

Synced or not synced?

When you save a pattern, WordPress asks whether it should be Synced:

Synced pattern Not synced pattern
What it's for Content that must match everywhere: an offer, a disclaimer, opening times A starting layout you'll change on each page
Editing one copy Changes every page that uses it Changes only that page
Old name Reusable block None (added in 6.3)

If you're not sure, ask yourself: when this changes next year, do you want to edit one place or every page? One place means synced.

Create a synced pattern

  1. Select the block that holds the section, or Shift-click to select several blocks.
  2. Open the ⋮ (Options) menu in the block toolbar.
  3. Choose Create pattern, or Add to Reusable blocks on older WordPress versions.
  4. Type a Name and, optionally, pick Categories.
  5. Leave Synced turned on. Turn it off for a not synced pattern.
  6. Click Add.

The blocks you selected become a copy of the new pattern, so the page you're on is already using it.

Add it to another page

  1. Open the block inserter.
  2. Go to the Patterns tab (Reusable on older versions).
  3. Open My patterns and click your pattern to add it. You can also type its name in the inserter's search box.

Don't put one synced pattern inside another.

Edit a synced pattern everywhere

  1. Click the pattern on any page that uses it.
  2. Click Edit original in the block toolbar.
  3. Make your changes and save.

Every page that uses the pattern shows the change. You don't need to update those pages one by one.

How do I change one copy without changing the others?

Any change you make to a synced pattern shows up on every page that uses it. If one page needs a different version:

  1. Select the pattern on that page.
  2. Choose Detach from the ⋮ menu (Convert to regular blocks on older versions), then confirm.
  3. Edit it. That copy no longer updates with the others.

Once you save, that copy stays detached. To get it back in sync, delete the detached blocks and add the pattern again.

If only the text or a link differs from page to page, newer WordPress versions have overrides: while editing the original pattern, select a core Paragraph, Heading, Button, or Image block, open Advanced in the block sidebar, and click Enable overrides. That block can then hold different content on each page while the rest of the pattern stays in sync.

Manage patterns

Edit, rename, or delete patterns from the patterns screen. Where it lives depends on your theme:

  • Most classic themes: Appearance → Patterns.
  • Block themes: Appearance → Editor → Patterns.
  • Classic themes with editor styles (including Dirigible): Appearance → Design → Patterns.

Looking for Appearance → Patterns? That's where Patterns used to be on Dirigible sites. Since WordPress 7.1 it's under Appearance → Design → Patterns.

You can also get there from the editor: select a pattern on the page and choose Manage patterns from the ⋮ menu. On older versions, use the Manage link in the inserter's Reusable tab.

From the patterns screen you can Export as JSON and Import pattern from JSON to copy a pattern to another site.

Common mistakes

  • Deleting the pattern itself. Deleting a synced pattern from the patterns screen removes it from every page that uses it. To take it off one page, delete the block on that page instead.
  • Editing in place and expecting one page to change. If the toolbar shows Edit original, you're looking at a synced copy. Detach it first.
  • Detaching by accident. A detached copy looks the same, but it stops getting your updates. If a page didn't change when the others did, check whether it's still a pattern in List View.

Tips

  • Name patterns by what they are ("Footer CTA", "Office hours strip"), not by the page they're on.
  • After you change a pattern, check a few pages that use it.
  • For a starting layout you'll change on each page, detach it right after you add it. Newer WordPress versions also let you save an unsynced pattern.
  • To start every new page from the same layout, see Use a starting template.

If your site runs on Dirigible

  • Overrides only work on core WordPress blocks. Text inside Dirigible blocks, such as a Hero headline, stays the same in every copy of a synced pattern.
  • Update blocks in Dirigible → Tools & Maintenance checks synced patterns as well as pages and posts. See Use the Tools & Maintenance page.
  • For longer content you reuse across many pages, such as a policy or a product description, Dirigible Manifest's Snippets may suit better. See Create documents, reusable snippets, and a knowledge base.

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