Marie Comet

Lock Reusable Blocks in the editor to avoid unintentional global changes. 
Editing reusable blocks in posts is locked, and you have access to two actions when you select a reusable block in the editor: 
– Edit the reusable block (opens the block editing page in a new tab) 
– Convert to regular blocks (native action)
Options are availables in Settings > Writing screen to hide Edit and Convert reusable blocks buttons in block overlay.

Lock Reusable Blocks

All plugins should be like this. Simple one job plugins that do one thing well. I follow this philosophy in my own plugins and it is good to see others doing the same.

Good plugin


This should be a feature of WP and not a plugin. It's really useful for building large sites and not having clients mess them up afterward due to the ability to edit useable blocks.


Should be a feature of WP and not a plugin


This plugin doesn't get enough attention. THIS is the way reusable blocks are supposed to work. Letting the user know what they are doing: editing the reusable block side wide, or just editing a single instance. Clean, simple, obvious. Couldn't be better!



I have been following the problems with reusable blocks for years now. On Github there seems to be a consensus that this issue is somehow resolved since block locking became a feature. But still, it is way too easy to accidentally edit reusable blocks in an unintended way, even with WP 6.2. Actually it used to be good when Gutenberg just released. Back then, reusable blocks where one of the few features that they completely nailed from the start. Why this was changed in such a bad way, is a complete mystery to me.



Thanks for writing this essential plugin. Hope it makes it into core!


This is the way reusable blocks should work by default

Ronald Huereca

Pattern Wrangler, a pattern manager, helps curate a bloated pattern library, and makes managing a complicated WordPress block pattern library a breeze. If you manage dozens of layouts, are in love with reusable blocks (or synced patterns), you will love this plugin.
This handy plugin is designed for both classic and modern themes, block themes (including FSE – Full-site editing), and is compatible with page builders through its shortcode support and PHP code snippets. Pattern Wrangler allows you to manage a complicated and heavy library for your clients, controlling down to the block pattern and category what the client sees in the block editor when building layouts.
The plugin features several pattern builder helpers, such as duplicating a pattern, deleting reusable blocks, copying theme templates to a synced pattern, version control snapshots (similar to pattern revisions), and much more. This not only helps you manage patterns, but build them as well.
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Here are the major features:
<ul>
<li>Comprehensive Pattern Grid View – This view shows at a glance all of the available items for your site. You can sort through both local (synced and unsynced) and registered layouts, and selectively disable or enable whatever items you’d like your client to see. A real-time preview is available by clicking on the pattern.</li>
<li>Hide All Patterns – Completely hide items from the block editor in one click. This also hides the menu item.</li>
<li>Disable Patterns One-by-One – Hide core, remote, theme, or plugin items while keeping your custom ones visible. You can also hide synced and unsynced layouts together or separately. You can disable each pattern individually, or in bulk.</li>
<li>Pattern Category Management – Disable, map, and rename registered pattern categories from themes and plugins for better organization. This will help you keep local and registered items organized together. For example, you’d like to create a “Call to Action” category for a local pattern, but a registered category already exists, resulting in a duplicate. In this case, map the registered category to the local one and remove the duplicate one.</li>
<li>Output Anywhere – Use a shortcode or PHP function to a local pattern in page builders, widgets, your theme, or in other blocks. This works well in Multisite and allows you to use reusable blocks across the network.</li>
<li>Pattern Preview – Preview a pattern as it would appear on the frontend with shortcuts in the block editor.</li>
<li>Pattern Builder Features – Quickly duplicate a pattern, copy a local pattern to a synced pattern, delete, copy, and export as needed.</li>
<li>Version Control Features – Save a snapshot as you build patterns, for quick restoration later. These differ from pattern revisions in that revisions are stored per save, whereas “Pattern Versions” are more explicit. As a result, you can restore, export, copy, and create a new item from any stored version.</li>
<li>Cross-Site Pattern Copying – Transfer any pattern, including the remote images, between WordPress sites effortlessly using this built-in block. Paste in a block pattern, and it’ll do some sanity checking, and download any remote images to your media library. This is useful if you’re copying a pattern from production to local, and need to bring along the images.</li>
</ul>
Available features include:
<ul>
<li>Sort between Local and Registered items.</li>
<li>Filter between pattern categories and pattern source.</li>
<li>Bulk-assign pattern categories for easier sorting and organization.</li>
<li>Click a pattern to view a real-time preview in a lightbox.</li>
<li>Copy theme layouts to a local database-stored copy.</li>
<li>Export any pattern to JSON, whether it is a registered or synced pattern.</li>
<li>Copy a pattern to the clipboard.</li>
<li>Disable each pattern individually.</li>
<li>Quickly edit unsynced layouts and reusable blocks.</li>
<li>Shortcuts to quickly create, edit, export, and import items.</li>
<li>Quickly build patterns and preview them as needed, in a friendly user-interface.</li>
</ul>
Available features on the Pattern Categories screen include:
<ul>
<li>Sort between local and registered categories.</li>
<li>Disable and map registered categories to local ones.</li>
<li>Easily create new categories.</li>
<li>Delete local categories as needed.</li>
<li>Bulk options allow you to disable, and enable registered categories.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Quick Links</h3>
<a href="https://docs.dlxplugins.com/v/pattern-wrangler" rel="nofollow ugc">All Features and Documentation</a> | <a href="https://github.com/sponsors/DLXPlugins" rel="nofollow ugc">Sponsor Us</a> | <a href="https://dlxplugins.com/plugins/pattern-wrangler/" rel="nofollow ugc">Pattern Wrangler Home</a>
<blockquote>
Source code is available on <a href="https://github.com/DLXPlugins/pattern-wrangler" rel="nofollow ugc">GitHub</a>. Code contributions and sponsorships appreciated.
</blockquote>
<h3>Requirements and Compatibility</h3>
Requires WordPress 6.8 or higher. 6.9 is recommended.
This plugin is fully compatible with most themes, including block themes and the Full-Site Editor. It is ideal for hybrid setups (blocks + classic) and/or page builders. A common use-case is if you need to use a block plugin in a non-block layout. You can create a new pattern, configure the block, and use the built-in shortcode to display it. If you need to use the pattern in a template, you can use the built-in PHP function, which is available for all unsynced and synced patterns. If you’re on a network, the built-in shortcodes and PHP functions work network-wide, so you can have a synced pattern from Site A show up on Site B.
This plugin has been tested almost exclusively with <a href="https://wordpress.org/themes/ollie/" rel="ugc">the Ollie theme</a>, which is a phenomenal block theme. All the 202x themes have also been tested, as well as Blocksy, Astra, and GeneratePress.
If you have any issues with the previews, please be patient in your support requests, and also specific as to which themes or plugins may be involved.
<h3>Integrations</h3>
This plugin integrates well with the following:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/synced-pattern-popups/" rel="ugc">Synced Pattern Popups</a>: Synced Pattern Popups helps you create popups using the WordPress editor you already know, not yet another builder.</li>
<li><a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/block-visibility/" rel="ugc">Block Visibility</a>: Easily create dynamic content in WordPress that will increase conversions, enhance the user experience, and improve your workflow.</li>
<li>Spectra, Kadence, and GenerateBlocks.</li>
</ul>
If you have an idea for other integrations, please leave a support thread.
<h3>Help This Plugin Grow</h3>
❤️ Please help spread the word about this plugin through your kind review and by telling others about this plugin.

Pattern Wrangler – Manage Block Patterns and Pattern Categories

Curate, build, and manage your block patterns, registered patterns, synced patterns, and pattern categories efficiently with Pattern Wrangler.

Lock Reusable Blocks vs Pattern Wrangler – Manage Block Patterns and Pattern Categories