How do you apply a template to the Post or Page where you want to add content?

Hi @neobunny you can change the template a page/post is using by accessing page settings and clicking the template name being used.

However, it depends on the template you want to add to the page editing. If you are editing the Home template this template is used to display content on your front page and cannot be assigned to a page. There are a few other default templates that cannot be assigned to a page.

Can you give me more information about the which template are you editing and to where you want to assign it?

Thank you thelmachido! My question is so basic that I cannot find any answer, and yes, I’m probably missing something. I just want to know how to use a template on a new Page, so that all the Pages are similar. Here is what I am doing:

From the dashboard, I go to Pages. Then I “Add New”- this opens the new page. There is no sign of a template. This is what is on the new page (list view shows nothing):

This is what is in the sidebar. I do not want to edit the Page template, I just want to use it to add content. How do I get the template onto the page so I can use it to add content?

OK I guess this is just so basic that I must not be asking correctly.

There must be a way to get the template on to the newly created and opened Page in order to add content. That is my question, how to make the template (or outline) appear, so when I use the “list view” (three bars) on the left column of the page being edited, I see the template there to follow.

For example, when I create a new Page there is only blankness, no template. I understand that by accessing page settings and clicking the template name being used I can *select* the template, but after selecting and clicking, no template appears in the sidebar when I click on the wanted template. Instead, all it does is pop up an “edit template” button clicking the button takes me to a new window where the template is visible, available for editing.

I don’t want to edit the template, I merely want to use the default template.

What am I missing here? Thanks if you can help or explain.

(No, I’m not confused about the difference between Posts and Pages. I’m just sticking to Pages here to try to be clear; the same thing is true of trying to use the “template” on Posts–no template seen in the sidebar, only “edit template”.)

• This reply was modified 1 year, 8 months ago by neobunny.

I don’t want to edit the template, I merely want to use the default template. What am I missing here? Thanks if you can help or explain.

I see how this can be confusing, by default all pages use a default template called Page and all posts use a default template called Single. These are default templates that come with the theme, they’re assigned automatically when you create a new page or post. You have the option to change the template obviously. I think maybe the screenshot below might explain better what I am referring to.

The short video below shows how you can browse all the default templates that come with your theme.

I just want to know how to use a template on a new Page, so that all the Pages are similar.?

If you want to use the same template for your pages and posts I would suggest creating a new template that you will assign to your pages and posts when editing them.

I do not want to edit the Page template, I just want to use it to add content. How do I get the template onto the page so I can use it to add content?

Content for the template can be added by going to Appearance > Site Editor and picking the template. Any content you add to the template will be displayed on every page using the template.

I hope I managed to clear up a few things for you, if you have any questions please feel free to ask.

Hi, thank you so much for trying to explain. I am trying to understand how the block editor works, so I just want to use the default templates for now. Here is what I am doing: I go to the dashboard and select Pages and click Add New. This opens a new page. There is no template visible in the list view. In the sidebar, the page settings show that the template is “Page”. If I click that, still no template shows up. Here is an image.

If I go to to Appearance > Site Editor and pick the template, I will be editing the template. I don’t want to edit the template, I just want to add content using the template.

Is there no way to actually use the default template without altering the template itself, so that it is not reusable? What am I missing here?

(I’m not confused by the difference between Posts and Pages and the fact that they have different templates. If I can understand how the one works, the other is pretty much the same, so I’m just sticking to Pages for now.)

• This reply was modified 1 year, 8 months ago by neobunny.

Hi @neobunny

In the page editor there is no template to display because you are editing/creating/writing the content of the page, not the template.

In the Site Editor you will notice that the page template contains a block named Post Content. It is this Post Content block that displays whatever is in the content area of the Page Editor, so all the other parts of the template are not relevant in the context of the Page Editor, and this is why you only see the content area in the page editor.

Instead of thinking that the template is applied to the page (in the page editor), it may be helpful to flip the thought process around to instead imagine the page content is applied in the template.

“Instead of thinking that the template is applied to the page (in the page editor), it may be helpful to flip the thought process around to instead imagine the page content is applied in the template.” Thank you very much! I really couldn’t understand what was going on. I appreciate your efforts to make it clear!

Thanks you I will mark this solved, I hope it helps someone else who is baffled.