Video

Transcript

Hi everyone, welcome back to the Getting Started series. I’m Shawn, and in this lesson, we’re exploring Patterns. These are part of the WordPress Gutenberg functionality, and all Refoundry blocks are fully compatible with them.

Patterns are a powerful tool for organizing reusable content across your site. In the next lesson, we’ll explore Reusable Component Blocks—an exclusive feature for Refoundry Pro users that builds on the concept of patterns and provides even more flexibility. But since patterns remain a useful feature within WordPress, it’s important to cover them here.

In this lesson, we’ll look at the two types of patterns: unsynced patterns and synced patterns, how they appear in the list view, and how to create, edit, or detach them when needed.

Patterns in WordPress are pre-designed block layouts that streamline content creation. They let you reuse sections or layouts without having to rebuild them each time, helping you maintain consistent design across your site.

Unsynced patterns act as starting points that you can customize independently with each use. For example, I’ll go back to the post from the previous lesson and insert an unsynced pattern we’ve saved.

You can insert a pattern using the block inserter or the slash command, which we’ve demonstrated before. Let’s use the slash command and insert a quote slider.

Notice the black double diamond icon next to it. When it appears in the list view, you’ll see it displays as regular blocks. This tells us we can fully customize this instance—adding or changing content without affecting other uses of the same pattern elsewhere.

If you want to edit the starting point of an unsynced pattern, you’ll need to do that in the Appearance > Editor > Patterns section. Let’s navigate there now.

Here in the editor, I can search for patterns or go directly to the one we used. Let’s select it. I want to update the wrapping container to have a pink background. Once I click Save, the new starting point is updated.

Back on the page, if I refresh the content and insert the same pattern again, the new instance now shows the pink background. But notice that the previous instance on the page remains unchanged—this demonstrates how older versions retain the original design, even as we update the starting point.

Next, let’s talk about synced patterns. These are ideal for content or sections that need to remain identical across multiple pages and placements. Any changes made to a synced pattern will be reflected across all instances where it’s used.

For example, we have a Get Started callout that appears throughout our site. Using a synced pattern ensures that any updates we make to this callout—whether it’s content or design—will be applied everywhere it’s used.

You can identify synced patterns by the purple double diamond icon. Watch the list view as I insert it—you’ll see it shows up as a pattern without revealing any child blocks. This means we can’t edit individual blocks here.

If we need to make changes, we use the Edit Original button, which opens the full site editor. From here, I can update the content, change a link, or adjust the design. Once I click Save, every instance of the callout across the site will reflect these changes.

This is what makes synced patterns so powerful. A single update applies to all instances, saving time and maintaining consistency.

But what if we need to change the content just for one instance? In that case, we can detach the synced pattern by clicking Options > Detach. Now it becomes a set of regular blocks, and any changes I make will apply only to this instance.

If I decide I want to reuse this version elsewhere, I can save it as a new pattern. Let’s create a new one—give it a name, select a category if needed, and choose whether it’s synced or unsynced. Then, click Add, and it’ll be available in the Patterns library for future use.

If you have any questions or want to explore further, feel free to reach out to us through our website or book a demo. Happy building, and see you in the next lesson!