WordPress Contributors Consider Renaming Full-Site Editing

WordPress Executive Director Josepha Haden Chomphosy is proposing contributors rename the terms “full-site editing” and “full-site editor” to something more user friendly. The terms came into use as WordPress moved into the Customization phase and are still used to differentiate the work being done on site editing as opposed to content editing in the block editor.

Haden Chomphosy has identified two issues with using the term “full-site editing:”

It was already possible to edit every part of a WordPress site using code. The term “full site editing” differentiated between phases of a project, rather than a new capability in the CMS.

To us, “full site editing” implies the use of blocks, but for new users there’s no reason for them to expect anything else. The term isn’t descriptive of what makes it unique.

Contributors who work in WordPress every day may not be fully aware of how specialized some of these terms are and how little they mean to a newcomer. Haden Chomphosy proposes WordPress adopt a new term that is “immediately meaningful for new users of our software, while also being an easy to reference term for all of us building and supporting the software.”

She opened a conversation today on updating our shared lexicon to use a new term for this aspect of editing and asked for feedback on additional contexts that need to be considered.

Ideas are already pouring in as it’s much easier to name something than to build it. “Site Editor” has been one of the must popular suggestions so far, but participants in the discussion have also suggested “Template Editor” and “Theme Builder,” as well as “Builder” and “Site Builder.”

“Future view, looking back from collaborative editing, what I would want to tell a user: The Editor,” Rob Glidden said. “In the WordPress editor you and your team can edit posts, pages and themes in the same, consistent user interface.”

WP Engine developer advocate Nick Diego suggested it’s too late to unring the bell on full-site editing and that WordPress should stick with the term.

“Many still refer to the Editor as Gutenberg,” Diego said. “I would be hesitant to introduce a new name when ‘Full Site Editing,’ now that it has been so publicly talked about, will likely live on for years and years to come.

“I kind of like the term ‘Full Site Editing.’ For new users in WordPress, it implies that they will be able to edit their entire site, which is true. Of course, there are many Classic themes and page builders that also allow you to do the same thing, but a theme that supports FSE differentiates it from traditional Classic themes.”

The discussion was just opened today and the community is invited to participate with comments on the post. Those who have knowledge of what users, clients, and people outside of WordPress call the editor in the context of full-site editing should also weigh in to help contributors get a better picture.