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What is Full Site Editing?

Full Site Editing (FSE) is a modern approach to WordPress theme development that uses blocks for every part of your site - from the header and footer to post content and page layouts.

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FSE Features in Bifrost Noise

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Block-Based Templates

All templates in Bifrost Noise are HTML files containing block markup:
index.html
<!-- wp:template-part {"slug":"header","tagName":"header"} /-->

<!-- wp:group {"tagName":"main","layout":{"type":"constrained"}} -->
<main class="wp-block-group">
	<!-- wp:query-title {"type":"archive"} /-->
	<!-- wp:post-template -->
		<!-- wp:post-title /-->
		<!-- wp:post-excerpt /-->
	<!-- /wp:post-template -->
</main>
<!-- /wp:group -->

<!-- wp:template-part {"slug":"footer","tagName":"footer"} /-->
Block markup uses HTML comments with the format <!-- wp:block-name {...attributes} /-->. This makes templates readable and editable in both code and the Site Editor.

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Template Hierarchy

Bifrost Noise includes templates for various content types:
TemplatePurposePriority
front-page.htmlHomepage (static or blog)Highest
home.htmlBlog archive pageHigh
single-post.htmlSingle blog postsMedium
single-music_artist.htmlArtist pagesMedium
single-music_album.htmlAlbum pagesMedium
archive-music_artist.htmlArtist archiveMedium
archive-music_album.htmlAlbum archiveMedium
taxonomy-music_genre.htmlGenre taxonomyMedium
page.htmlStatic pagesLow
index.htmlFallback templateLowest

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Template Parts

Reusable template parts that can be included in any template: 
parts/
├── header.html          # Site header
└── footer.html          # Site footer
Include template parts using: 
<!-- wp:template-part {"slug":"header","tagName":"header"} /-->

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Site Editor

With FSE, users can customize the entire site through the WordPress admin:
1

Access the Site Editor

Navigate to Appearance → Editor in the WordPress admin
2

Choose What to Edit

  • Templates (page layouts)
  • Template parts (reusable components)
  • Patterns (content layouts)
  • Styles (global design settings)
3

Make Changes

Use the block editor interface to modify templates and styles
4

Save

Changes are saved to the database and override theme files
Customizations made through the Site Editor are stored in the database and will persist even if the theme is updated. To reset to theme defaults, use the “Clear customizations” option.

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Block Patterns

Bifrost Noise includes pre-designed block patterns that users can insert into templates:
  • Archive Headers: Title and description layouts for archives
  • Query Loops: Different layouts for displaying posts
  • Post Metadata: Author bylines and post meta displays
  • Single Headers: Featured layouts for single post/page headers
Patterns are PHP files that register block patterns:
patterns/post-byline-default.php
<?php
register_block_pattern(
	'bifrost-noise/post-byline-default',
	[
		'title'       => __('Post Byline: Default', 'bifrost-noise'),
		'description' => __('Displays post author, date, and categories.', 'bifrost-noise'),
		'categories'  => ['posts'],
		'content'     => '<!-- wp:group {"layout":{"type":"flex"}} -->'
			. '<!-- wp:post-author {"showAvatar":false} /-->'
			. '<!-- wp:post-date /-->'
			. '<!-- /wp:group -->',
	]
);

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Global Styles

All design settings are defined in theme.json, including:
  • Color palettes
  • Typography scales
  • Spacing presets
  • Layout settings
  • Block-specific styles
Users can customize these through Appearance → Editor → Styles.

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Benefits of FSE

User-Friendly

Non-developers can customize the entire site without code

Consistent Interface

Same editor for content, templates, and site design

Version Control

Templates are plain HTML files that work with Git

No PHP Required

Templates use block markup instead of PHP template tags

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Next Steps

Theme.json

Learn about global style configuration

Patterns

Explore block pattern development

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