Back when I released version 1 of Pattern Wrangler, a friend asked me, “How can you view all the patterns in one place?” It didn’t exist, except in the full-site editor, which is only available for block themes. The answer was to build my own Patterns viewer and make it as easy as possible to preview and manage patterns.
The result is Pattern Wrangler 2.0, with a new patterns view screen and bonus Multisite support. Let’s go over what’s new.
New Enhanced Patterns View Screen
Old Patterns Screen Showing Local Patterns
New Patterns Screen Showing Local and Registered Patterns
The old patterns screen left a lot to be desired. It’s a post type list view screen, and there isn’t much you can do to customize the pattern editing experience. This new pattern interface combines the old with the new, merging both features from the FSE patterns screen and the classic static pattern post list.
Here’s what the new pattern view can do to aid in pattern organization and creation.
View Registered and Local patterns together
Registered patterns usually come from a theme or plugin, so they aren’t shown on the traditional patterns screen. With Pattern Wrangler 2.0, both are shown together in an easy-to-sort interface.
Show Local and Registered Patterns Together
View a real-time preview of the pattern
An iframe preview is available for each pattern, whether local or registered. Click on the pattern preview to show a larger preview in a modal.
View a Live Preview of the Pattern
Disable any registered or local pattern
You’re able to disable any registered or local pattern in just a few clicks. This allows you to curate what your client sees when they insert a pattern with the traditional inserter.
Disable Any Local and Registered Pattern
Copy shortcodes to any local pattern
Any local (Synced or Unsynced) pattern can be output using a shortcode or built-in PHP function. Just click on “Get Code” from the context menu, copy the shortcode, and you’re ready to publish.
Getting a Shortcode for a Local Pattern
This feature also works well in Multisite installs if trying to get Synced Patterns across installs.
And so much more…
Sort between Local and Registered patterns.
Filter between categories and pattern source.
Click a pattern to view a real-time preview in a lightbox.
Copy registered patterns to a local copy.
Export all patterns to JSON.
Copy a pattern to the clipboard.
Disable each pattern individually.
Quickly edit local patterns.
Add new patterns or import patterns from JSON.
Multisite support comes to Patterns
If you’re on a Multisite install, you can Network Activate Pattern Wrangler and disable patterns network-wide with just a few clicks.
Pattern Wrangler Multisite Settings
You can also turn off remote/core patterns and adjust several global options, including disabling pattern export.
You finally have complete finite control over what goes into the Patterns list.
Pattern Wrangler 2.0 lets you disable and enable registered and local patterns individually. This allows you to curate the client experience. With the new patterns screen, this experience is visual and intuitive. It’s also a great way to see all your patterns in one place.
With Multisite support, this plugin is ready for VIP setups, with more planned, such as a shared pattern library if this feature proves popular.
You can find Pattern Wrangler for free on WordPress.org or through your WordPress admin (just type in “Pattern Wrangler”). You can also spin up a free demo to check out the latest. This plugin is great for hybrid block+classic setups, and works wonderfully for block themes.
