How to Enable Template Editing in Non Block Based Themes in WordPress
Do you want to enable template editing in non block based themes or classic themes in WordPress.
If yes then in the article we have shared the step by step process to do this easily.
Template editing was first introduced in WordPress 5.8 where it was disabled by default. However, it can be activated by adding a code snippet.
This feature was later on fully released in WordPress 5.9 update and it marked the introduction of new block themes and the site editor.
It is important to know that if you have installed a block based theme then template editing features comes activated as it supports then new site editor.
On the other hand if you are using a customizer based theme or a non block or classic theme then to activate the template editing feature you will have to add a code snippet or include theme.json.
We are not going to talk about theme.json in this tutorial as it is a separate topic on its own.
And keeping this in mind, in this tutorial we are going to share how can you easily enable template editing in non block themes.
How to enable template editing in non block based themes
Before we move forward, it is important to know that this article is just for informational purpose and we recommend you try this feature on a local site and not a live site.
Keeping this in mind below we have shared all the steps and you can navigate by clicking on links.
Login to WordPress admin (optional)
To enable template editing in non block based themes, the first step is to login to your WordPress dashboard and for this you will have to visit https://yoursite.com/wp-admin
On visiting the link above, it will take you to the login page where you will have to enter your credentials
Locate functions.php file
Once you have successfully logged in, the next step is to navigate to the theme file editor in the Appearance Menu.
Doing this will show you all the theme files and here you will have to find the functions.php file in the list.
Add the code for enabling template editing
On finding the functions.php file, the next step is to open it and scroll down to the very bottom.
Once you are at the bottom, you need to add the below mentioned code snippet at the very end and save the changes
add_theme_support( 'block-templates' );
Check if template editing is enabled in non block based theme
After you are done adding the code snippet, the next step is to Add a new post or edit an existing one and look for template editing tab in the sidebar under Post Settings.
If you have correctly followed the process then you will see a Template tab like the one above and it will allow you to create and edit templates in non block based themes.
And that’s it you have successfully added support for template editing in non block based themes.
Now before you leave, again, I would like to stress on the fact that this tutorial is only for informational purposes and we do not recommend enabling it on production / live sites.
Enable Template Editing in non block themes- Video
Having said that,
I hope you will find this tutorial helpful and are able to easily enable template editing in non block based WordPress themes.
In case you have any queries feel free to get in touch.
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