Create a shared site design

LESSON 4.1

A theme and its templates

Your goal: Distinguish page content from a shared template.

A block theme enables the Site Editor. On your practice site, activate an official block theme such as Twenty Twenty-Five from Appearance → Themes. Theme changes can affect layout, so export first. If Appearance does not show the Site Editor, confirm the active theme supports it; a classic theme or a page builder has a different workflow.

See it in practice

A page stores its individual content. A template decides how that content is displayed alongside a title, header and footer. The Content block is the slot for the page’s own blocks. Deleting it can make several pages appear empty even though their content still exists.

Try a small change

Open the Site Editor from Appearance. Inspect a Page template in List View and locate its Content block. Compare it with the blocks in your Services page.

What should happen, and why?

Template changes apply to every page using that template. Content edits on Services should remain specific to Services.

I read this lesson and tried the small change.

LESSON 4.2

Global styles and reusable patterns

Your goal: Make consistent choices without repeating every edit.

Styles in the Site Editor set shared choices such as typography and colors. Start with a readable text/background pair and a modest set of spacing values. Block-level overrides can still change an individual block. When a style seems inconsistent, check whether a local override is winning.

See it in practice

A template part, such as Header, is shared by templates that use it. A synced pattern also shares content between its instances. An unsynced pattern is a starting copy that can be edited independently. Use a synced “Demo website — no real bookings” notice when you want the same wording everywhere.

Try a small change

Change a global text style, then inspect Home and Services. Create a synced demo notice, insert it on two pages and edit one instance.

What should happen, and why?

Both synced instances change together. Use an unsynced copy when two sections should start alike but develop different content. Review the items listed by Save before confirming a shared change.

I read this lesson and tried the small change.

GUIDED BUILD

Put the lesson to work.

Export a backup, activate a block theme and locate its Page template.
Set readable shared colors and typography, then check two pages.
Create a shared demo notice and verify that a change reaches both instances.

Check your work

I can identify the page Content block in a template. Shared styles appear consistently on two pages. I understand which changes affect multiple pages.

These are your own practice confirmations. We do not inspect your external WordPress site.

BREAK / FIX

Find the cause. Check the repair.

Every page now shows a header and footer but no page content after a template edit.

Reproduce this only on a disposable practice copy if it is safe. Otherwise explain the diagnosis and recovery steps in your notes.

Hint 1 — Where to look

Open the template used by those pages, not each page’s content.

Hint 2 — The principle

A shared template needs a place to render individual page content.

Hint 3 — Explained repair

Restore the Content block in the Page template or restore the template revision. Save and confirm Home and Services render their distinct content again.

I tested the repair or wrote a reasoned recovery plan.

A theme and its templates

See it in practice

Try a small change

Global styles and reusable patterns

See it in practice

Try a small change

Put the lesson to work.

Check your work

Find the cause. Check the repair.

Five questions. As many tries as you need.

Keep these references