How template changes affect existing pages

Documentation / Templates and reusable content

Template-bound pages are assembled from the current template and their stored page content. A template change can therefore affect existing pages when they render; it is not limited to pages created afterward.

Identify the affected pages

Check explicit page selections, ancestor-template inheritance, and collection defaults. A page without an explicit template field can still depend on the template through inheritance. Do not estimate impact only by looking for manually selected overrides.

Review representative dependents before editing: a short page, a long page, a page with media or Rows, and relevant translations. Record which editable-area codes they use.

Preserve content connections

Shared section content comes from the template. Page-specific content fills matching Editable codes. If you remove or rename a code, the associated page content may no longer appear in the rendered position. This is not proof that the content was automatically migrated or intentionally deleted.

An empty page-specific slot can leave the template's own child content in place. Check the actual saved result rather than assuming an empty local value always removes shared fallback content.

Changes to header locking or template body settings can also change what pages display or which controls they expose. Supported local overrides remain a separate layer and can make two dependent pages look different.

Review after the save

Save the template, reopen dependent pages, and inspect both their editor boundaries and normal website output. Check headings, text, media, links, spacing, and mobile order. A successful template save is not evidence that every dependent page still has suitable content.

Do not assume restoring one page revision restores the shared template too. Review recovery at the layer that changed.

See Saving, recovery, and troubleshooting for revision handling.