Templates are the foundation of your website’s structure in DigiFlash. They define how different types of content are displayed, from individual blog posts to archive pages, search results, and special pages like 404 errors. Understanding how to manage templates gives you complete control over your site’s layout and appearance.
What Are Templates in Full Site Editing
Templates in Full Site Editing are pre-designed layouts that determine how content appears on your website. Unlike traditional WordPress themes where templates are PHP files, DigiFlash uses block-based templates that you can edit visually through the Site Editor.
Each template consists of blocks arranged in a specific structure. Some blocks are static and appear on every page using that template, while others are dynamic and display content specific to the page being viewed. For example, a single post template includes a post title block that automatically shows the title of whatever post is being displayed.
Accessing Your Templates
To view and manage your templates, navigate to Appearance → Editor from your WordPress dashboard. In the Site Editor, click on Templates in the left sidebar. This displays a list of all available templates in DigiFlash.
The templates list shows the name of each template, a brief description of its purpose, and a preview thumbnail. You’ll see templates for different content types such as pages, posts, archives, and specialized layouts. DigiFlash comes with several pre-designed templates ready to use.
Understanding Template Types
DigiFlash includes various template types, each serving a specific purpose on your website. Understanding what each template does helps you know which one to edit when you want to change how certain pages look.
Front Page template controls the appearance of your homepage. This is one of the most important templates as it’s typically the first page visitors see. You can design your front page to showcase featured content, hero sections, calls-to-action, or any layout that represents your brand. The front page template only affects your homepage, whether you’re displaying your latest posts or a static page. To set what displays on your homepage, go to Settings → Reading and choose between showing your latest posts or selecting a static page as your front page.
Page templates control how standard pages appear on your site. The default page template applies to all pages unless you assign a different template. DigiFlash also includes specialized page templates like the Blank template, No Title template, and No Title & Spacing template for different design needs.
Single Post templates determine how individual blog posts are displayed. This template includes elements like the post title, featured image, post content, author information, publication date, and categories or tags.
Archive templates control how lists of posts appear. This includes your main blog page, category archives, tag archives, date archives, and author archives. The archive template typically shows post excerpts or summaries in a grid or list layout.
Index templates serve as the fallback template when no more specific template exists. This is the most general template in the hierarchy and ensures every page on your site has a layout to display content.
Search templates define how search results appear when visitors use your site’s search functionality. This template displays a list of posts and pages matching the search query.
404 templates control what visitors see when they land on a page that doesn’t exist. DigiFlash includes a custom 404 template you can personalize with helpful navigation or creative messaging.
Editing Templates
To edit any template, click on its name or preview thumbnail in the templates list. The template opens in the Site Editor, showing all blocks and their arrangement. You can click on any block to modify its settings, add new blocks using the + button, or remove blocks you don’t need.
When editing templates, changes you make apply to all pages using that template. If you edit the single post template, every blog post on your site will reflect those changes. This makes templates powerful for maintaining consistency across your site.
You can rearrange blocks by clicking and dragging them to new positions. The list view, accessible from the top toolbar, shows the complete block structure and makes it easier to navigate complex templates with many nested blocks.
Template Hierarchy
WordPress follows a template hierarchy to determine which template to use for displaying content. DigiFlash respects this hierarchy, starting with the most specific template and falling back to more general ones if a specific template doesn’t exist.
For example, when displaying a single post, WordPress first looks for a template specific to that post. If none exists, it looks for a single post template. If that doesn’t exist, it falls back to the singular template, then the index template. This hierarchy ensures every page has a template to use.
Understanding this hierarchy helps you create templates at the right level of specificity. If you want all posts to look the same, edit the single post template. If you want one specific post to look different, create a custom template for just that post.
Creating New Templates
DigiFlash allows you to create custom templates beyond the defaults. To create a new template, go to Appearance → Editor → Templates and click the Add Template button in the top section.
WordPress prompts you to name your template and select a template type. You can choose from various types including page, post, archive, or custom. After creating the template, you start with a blank canvas to design the layout exactly as you want.
Custom templates are useful when you need specific layouts for different sections of your site. You might create a landing page template without header and footer, a portfolio template with a unique gallery layout, or a sales page template optimized for conversions.
Assigning Templates to Content
After creating or customizing templates, you can assign them to specific pages or posts. When editing a page in the WordPress editor, look for the Template dropdown in the page settings panel on the right side.
Click the dropdown to see all available templates compatible with that content type. Select the template you want to use, and that page will display using the chosen template’s layout and structure.
This assignment system gives you flexibility to use different templates across your site while maintaining organized, reusable layouts. You can quickly change a page’s appearance by switching its template without rebuilding the entire page.
Customizing Template Parts Within Templates
Templates often include template parts like headers and footers. When you edit a template, you can choose which header and footer to use, allowing combinations of different template parts to create varied page layouts.
To change which header or footer a template uses, open the template in the Site Editor and click on the header or footer section. The block settings panel on the right shows a dropdown menu where you can select from all available headers or footers.
This modular approach means you can create numerous page variations by combining different templates with different template parts, all without duplicating design work.
Resetting Templates
If you customize a template and want to return to the original DigiFlash design, you can reset it. Open the template in the Site Editor, click the three dots menu in the top toolbar, and select the reset or clear customizations option.
This action removes all your changes and restores the template to its default state. Your content remains safe, only the template layout returns to the original design. This feature is useful for experimenting with different designs knowing you can always revert to the default.
Template Organization
As you create multiple custom templates, keeping them organized becomes important. Use clear, descriptive names that indicate each template’s purpose. Names like “Product Landing Page,” “Blog Post with Sidebar,” or “Minimal Page Layout” make it easy to identify the right template when assigning them to content.
DigiFlash’s template management system shows all templates in one location, making it easy to see what layouts are available and edit them as needed. You can preview templates before applying them to ensure they match your vision for specific content.