Blocks Move Beyond the Post Editor

WordPress’s block editor introduced a component-like approach to content creation, but the ecosystem has been expanding well past that initial release. Block variations extend existing blocks with styled alternatives, and block patterns stitch blocks together into reusable, predefined layouts. Between blocks, variations, reusable blocks, and patterns, users already have substantial layout tooling inside the editor.

The next phase targets global elements: menus, headers, footers, and templates. Full-site editing (FSE) aims to bring that same block-based flexibility to the entire site structure, not just individual posts or pages. For theme developers, this signals a shift from crafting markup in PHP templates toward assembling themes from block templates and template parts—files that are more like HTML shells than traditional theme code.

You can try it today on WordPress 5.6 or later by installing the TT1 Blocks theme and the Gutenberg plugin. The theme itself contains just two PHP templates; the rest is HTML files for block templates and their parts. This is the direction the project is heading, and experimenting with it now gives developers a clear view of what theme development will look like once FSE officially lands.

What FSE Means for Developers

Embracing full-site editing is a significant mental shift. The block editor already changed how content is created, but FSE moves blocks outside the editor and into the very structure of a theme. For those who have only recently become comfortable building with blocks in posts, this is a new layer of abstraction. It also nods to Matt Mullenweg’s 2015 guidance to “learn JavaScript, deeply,” as the block ecosystem becomes increasingly tied to client-side tooling.

Documentation is still catching up, and both the block editor and FSE remain under active development with changes arriving in each WordPress release. Some developers are understandably waiting for the ecosystem to settle before investing in the new paradigm. Despite that, there is clear momentum toward a future where templates are designed in the editor rather than hard-coded in theme files.

The most anticipated milestone is the official release of a default theme that supports FSE. For many, that will be the first hands-on moment with a block-based theme—an experience comparable to opening up a traditional WordPress theme for the first time and digging into its markup.

Staying Updated on FSE Progress

For developers and curious users alike, several official channels track FSE development and testing:

  • Make WordPress Design – Lists FSE as a current priority with project overviews, though recent updates are sparse.
  • How to Test FSE – Step-by-step instructions for setting up a local FSE site and contributing to testing efforts.
  • TT1 Theme Repo – Tracks issues and progress specifically related to the TT1 Blocks theme.
  • Gutenberg Plugin Repo – Where block and editor-related issues are reported and tracked.
  • Theme Experiments Repo – A collection of other themes experimenting with blocks and FSE.
  • #fse-answers – A compilation of responses to frequently asked questions about FSE.
  • #fse-outreach-experiment – A Slack channel dedicated to FSE discussions and updates.