How do you Create and Use Block Patterns in WordPress

Creating the same content repeatedly across numerous publications can quickly become tedious and, above all, very time-consuming. Fortunately, WordPress block patterns offer a convenient solution to save time and effort with just a few clicks.

This feature can significantly simplify your workflow if you want to create a text insert to use in all your blog posts or add a call-to-action or a custom table to every page. This blog provides detailed instructions on creating, customizing, and managing block patterns like a pro.

What is a Block Pattern in WordPress?

A block pattern is an essential collection of blocks—such as a Title block, an Image block, and a Button block—that you can create using the WordPress content editor.

Once you save this content and formatting with the “Create pattern” option, you can synchronize this set of blocks for reuse across all your site’s publications, including posts, pages, and custom post types, with just a simple switch.

When you opt for synchronization, any changes you make to the pattern will automatically update wherever it is implemented on your site.

A Gutenberg block is a robust container within the WordPress content editor (Gutenberg). It effectively displays text, media, widgets, and embedded content while allowing you to create dynamic layouts and customize the style of your publications.

Before we explore the details of creating a block pattern in WordPress, let’s examine some of the benefits of synced patterns.

• By using a synced pattern, you can save time and effort, eliminating the need to recreate the same content across your entire site each time.
• The content of a synced pattern is consistently maintained across your entire WordPress site. When you modify a synced pattern in one location, such as a blog post, that change will instantly update everywhere else the pattern is used.
• Synced patterns are typically used to modify blocks in the main content area of your publications.
• You can easily create and save a synced pattern in just a few clicks from the WordPress content editor or Site Editor interface. We will delve into this in more detail later.
• The “synced patterns” feature is a key addition to the WordPress content editor. It was implemented in version 6.3, released in August 2023. This feature effectively replaces the outdated “reusable blocks” functionality.

WordPress synced pattern feature (known initially as reusable blocks) benefits those who need to use the same content across multiple pages or posts on their website.

To clarify its benefits, here are several situations where utilizing a synced pattern is particularly useful:

• At the end of every blog post, you must include an “Author” section featuring a small photo of yourself and a brief introductory text.
• Ensure you add Links to Your Social Media Profiles to compel readers to follow you on these platforms.
• Incorporate strong Calls to Action (CTAs) that drive visitors to take specific actions, such as subscribing to your newsletter or downloading a white paper.
• Place a Contact Form in various strategic locations throughout your site. In addition to your dedicated Contact page. To maximize visibility, integrate this form into your Services or About page.
• Include a Reservation Form or your business’s opening hours in your publications wherever relevant.
• Lastly, remember to Insert Affiliate Links to promote products and services you recommend to your readers effectively.

Create a Block Pattern in WordPress

Here’s a simple step-by-step procedure for creating a block pattern. Here, we’ll use a practical example: creating a call-to-action insert.

Create or Modify a Text

To start, create a new post by navigating to Posts >> Add New. You can also edit an existing post or page. Give your publication a title, and then add your desired text.

Create a WordPress Block Pattern

To create our call-to-action insert, we will combine several blocks into one. The optimal choice is the “Cover” block, which allows for quickly adding a background image.

You can also use the “Group” block, which effectively consolidates multiple blocks within a single container. Start by adding the “Cover” block using the block inserter at your page’s top left.

Press the “Upload” button to add the specific image to the background. For example, I found an image on Unsplash, a bank of royalty-free images.

After that by adding the specific title, then customize it by navigating to the settings of the block:

To add a “Button” block inside your “Banner” block, press anywhere within the “Banner” block to bring up the inserter.

Then, choose the “Button” block. Customize this button just as you did with the title; you can adjust the size, background color, margins, borders, and more.

Here’s the final result you’ll achieve:

Save The Block Pattern

After being satisfied with the result, press the “Banner” block to reveal the block settings (indicated by three dots). Select this option, then choose “Create pattern.” Name the block (for example, “CTA Block”) and click “Save.”

Congratulations! Your WordPress block pattern has been successfully saved and is ready to be used in your publications.

Additionally, there’s another way to add block patterns to your WordPress site directly from the content editor. Press the three dots (page options) in the top right corner when editing a post or page. Then, in the “Tools” section, select “Manage patterns.” In the open interface, you can create your pattern by clicking the “Create pattern” button.

Adding a Block Pattern to Publication

If you want to add your block pattern to the end of your new blog post, start by creating the post.

Determine the exact location where you’ll insert your block pattern—whether at the end or within the content itself.

Next, access the block inserter. Look for the tab with two overlaid diamonds, where you will find your synced patterns, formerly known as reusable blocks.

The “Patterns” tab showcases all the other available patterns. Take action and seamlessly integrate your block pattern into your post.

Here you will find the (non-synced) patterns you’ve created in the first category: “My Patterns.” The following categories contain ready-to-use patterns, organized into different sections such as Text, Gallery, Headers, and more.

Press on the pattern of your choice to add it to your content. If you find this pattern feature helpful, you’ll soon accumulate a substantial list.

This will make it easier for you to manage and organize your block patterns as you continue to create.

How Do You Manage Your Block Patterns in WordPress Administration?

To effectively manage your block patterns, navigate to the “Patterns” page. You can access this screen by going to the content editor and clicking the “Manage my patterns” button, found in the “Synced patterns” tab (previously labeled as “Reusable blocks”) of the block inserter.

Once you’re there, you’ll see a list of all the block patterns you’ve created. The following details are displayed for each pattern:

– The name of the block pattern

– The date it was created

Clicking on “Screen options” also allows you to show or hide the date and select the number of elements you want to display per page.

You can see the available actions for each pattern by hovering your mouse over its name. The options include:

– Modifying the pattern

– Deleting it (Trash)

– Exporting it as a JSON file, which allows you to import it to another site, for example.

Additionally, in WordPress, you can select multiple block patterns to perform bulk actions. This means you can delete or edit several block patterns at once.

The below final task has to be performed to modify the state of the blocks patterns, for example (public, private, pending review, or draft).

How Do You Manage Your Block Patterns in The Site Editor

You can manage all your patterns in the Site Editor, found under the Appearance >> Editor menu, in the “Patterns” section. The patterns are categorized into “Synced” and “Standard”.

From this interface, click the three dots below your block pattern to take action: rename, duplicate, or delete it. For content modifications, press on your pattern and make the necessary changes.

Conclusion

Here, you learned about the WordPress block pattern feature. You now know create and use block patterns in WordPress. Use this knowledge to develop identical content sections in multiple places throughout your site. This will save you valuable time while ensuring consistency in the visual presentation of your posts.