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 makes managing WordPress block patterns easy, and is designed for both hybrid classic/block themes, block themes, and is compatible with most page builders through its shortcode support. Pattern Wrangler allows you to curate the pattern experience for your clients, controlling down to the pattern and category what the client sees in the block editor.
<iframe loading="lazy" class="youtube-player" width="750" height="422" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tFnnki9ZOLg?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen="true" style="border:0;" sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox"></iframe>
<blockquote>
❤️ <a href="https://app.instawp.io/launch?s=pattern-wrangler-20-demo&d=v2" rel="nofollow ugc">Spin up a free demo</a>.
</blockquote>
Here are the major features:
<ul>
<li>New Patterns Screen – A new Patterns screen now shows at a glance all of the patterns available for your site. You can sort through both local and registered patterns, and selectively disable or enable whatever patterns you’d like your client to see. A real-time preview is available by clicking on the pattern. </li>
<li>New Categories Screen – Manage both registered and local categories in one intuitive interface. Bulk-disable categories, or map them to existing ones.</li>
<li>Hide All Patterns – Completely hide patterns from the block editor in one click. This also hides the Patterns menu item.</li>
<li>Selective Hiding – Hide core, remote, theme, or plugin patterns while keeping your custom patterns visible. You can also hide synced and unsynced patterns together or separately. If you need to hide WooCommerce patterns, you can do so by hiding all plugin patterns, or using the Patterns View to disable the patterns individually.</li>
<li>Category Management – Disable, map, and rename registered categories from themes and plugins for better organization. This will help you keep local and registered patterns organized together. For example, you’d like to create a “Call to Action” category for a local pattern, but a registered category already exists, do you have a duplicate in the patterns view. In this case, map the registered category to the local one and remove the duplicate.</li>
<li>Output Patterns Anywhere – Use a shortcode or PHP function to display local patterns in page builders, widgets, your theme, or in other blocks. This works well in Multisite and allows you to use synced patterns across the network.</li>
<li>Pattern Preview – Preview a pattern on the frontend with shortcuts in the block editor.</li>
<li>Cross-Site Pattern Copying – Transfer patterns, including the remote images, between WordPress sites effortlessly. This is useful if you’re copying a pattern from one site to another or copying a pattern from a production site to a development site.</li>
</ul>
Available features on the Patterns screen include:
<ul>
<li>Sort between Local and Registered patterns.</li>
<li>Filter between categories and pattern source.</li>
<li>Click a pattern to view a real-time preview in a lightbox.</li>
<li>Copy registered patterns to a local copy.</li>
<li>Export all patterns to JSON.</li>
<li>Copy a pattern to the clipboard.</li>
<li>Disable each pattern individually.</li>
<li>Quickly edit local patterns.</li>
<li>Add new patterns or import patterns from JSON.</li>
</ul>
Available features on the 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>
<blockquote>
Pattern Wrangler integrates seamlessly with block-based and classic themes offering a hybrid setup with unmatched flexibility. <a href="https://app.instawp.io/launch?s=pattern-wrangler-20-demo&d=v2" rel="nofollow ugc">Spin up your own demo</a> to see Pattern Wrangler in action.
</blockquote>
<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.
Fully compatible with most themes, including block themes. Ideal for hybrid setups and page builders. If you need to use a block in a page builder or classic editor, you can create a new pattern, configure the block, and use the built-in shortcode. If you need to use the pattern in a template, you can use the built-in PHP function, which is available for all local patterns.
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 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