What is Full Site Editing?
Full site editing is a common term for a set of new WordPress features namely: site editor, global styles, numerous site/post/page specific blocks, navigation block, query block, templates, and block themes.
The idea of the project is to be able to build all parts of your website like the header, footer, and sidebar with blocks rather than just the post and pages, as is the case now.
The first version of the full site editing project was introduced with the release of WordPress 5.8 on July 20, 2021.
Common Terminologies of Full Site Editing
Site editor: This makes it possible for users to modify the blocks that their theme is made up of. Though users will need to install and activate a block-based theme in order to use this feature.
Blocks: These are units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage.
Block patterns: Patterns are collections of blocks combined together as a unit that can be inserted as starter content that is meant to be changed by the user every time. Once inserted, they exist as a local save rather than global.
Block templates: A template is preset of blocks and could include predefined attributes or even placeholder content.
Block template parts: Just like block templates, block template parts include preset of blocks and HTML markup. They’re usually written in HTML and do not include any PHP.
Reusable block: A block that is saved and later shared as a reusable, repeatable piece of content.
Global styles: This gives users the ability to apply such things as font style, colors, buttons, etc. throughout the entire site.
Block Theme: A theme built to support Full Site Editing. The core of a block theme is its block templates and block template parts.
So how do you enable full site – editing on your website?
Interestingly, enabling full site editing manually is a bygone. Once you activate a full site editing theme, it is enabled.
Changes to site creation
With full site editing, you will be able to build an entire page layout using blocks. Cover block, for example, can now be used as your hero image.
A page can be a single template or a collection of template parts, and you can even build, make an edit, and preview templates and template parts in the new site editor:
Removal of the customizer and menu screen from the admin toolbar
Because pages are built using blocks, the customizer and menu screen are now removed when you activate a full site editing theme. Nevertheless, users can add menus to a theme using the Navigation block.
And since the customizer will be removed from the toolbar, there are unanswered questions about the site icon and favicon which are only found there.
Default colors and typography with global styles
In the site editor, you’ll find a new sidebar panel called global styles. Here, you can select site-wide defaults that will apply throughout the site and per different block types.
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