Editing and managing content blocks

Editing a block changes every article using it at once. That is the feature and the risk.

Editing a block changes every article using it at once. That is the feature and the risk.

Edit one

1. Open the content blocks list.
2. Check which articles use it. This step is not optional.
3. Edit and save.

Look at the usage list first

A block written for one article and later reused in eight reads differently in each. An edit that makes sense where you are looking can be wrong in the other seven.

Open one or two of them and check the block still fits before saving.

Removing a block from an article

Removing it takes the passage out of that article without affecting the block or the others. That is the right move when an article has outgrown it, rather than editing the block to suit one case.

Deleting a block

Removes the passage from every article that used it, leaving a gap. Check the usage list and decide what replaces it in each before deleting.

The pattern to avoid

A block edited to fit one article, then edited back by somebody else, then forked into two nearly identical blocks. At that point you have the duplication you were trying to avoid, with extra steps.

When a block does not fit an article, take it out of that article rather than bending it.

See also

• Creating and inserting a content block
• Letting agents update content blocks