Can’t change homepage display from ‘your latest posts’ to ‘a static page’
-
This is a new WP domain that I created as an author’s website for a new book I published. I selected the Lexionic theme as it matched my desired format. I accidentally selected the ‘your latest posts’ option for my homepage display and then edited the page with my own content (using the given templates) and published it along with a few other pages. After reading more about WP sites, I see that I should have selected ‘a static page’, so I can have a static landing page as well as a separate blog and posts page. When I go to setting -> reading from the dashboard, and click on the ‘static page’ option, and then click the dropdown menu in the ‘Homepage’ box, I can only see the 3 other pages I created – about, blog and book news, but not the homepage that is active now with the ‘your latest posts’ setting. How can I tag or copy or duplicate the current home page so I can use it as the home page after I change the reading settings to ‘a static page’? Likewise when I go to pages from the dashboard, I cannot see the current home page, just the 3 other pages I created.
I just want to copy the current home page and save and rename it so I can select it as the homepage when I switch to the ‘static page’ setting.
Why can’t I see the current home page when I click on pages? it must be hidden?
The blog I need help with is: (visible only to logged in users)
-
To resolve this and keep your current homepage design, follow these steps:Step 1: Create a New Static Page for Your Homepage
- Go to Pages > Add New from your WordPress dashboard.
- Name it something like Home or Homepage.
- Manually copy the content from your current homepage:
- If you used a page builder (like Elementor, Gutenberg, or WPBakery), check if it allows duplicating content.
- If the theme provides reusable blocks or templates, try saving the current layout.
- If there’s no direct copy option, you may need to manually recreate the page.
- Click Publish once you’ve added the content.
Step 2: Assign It as Your Static Homepage
- Go to Settings > Reading in your WordPress dashboard.
- Select A static page under Your homepage displays.
- In the Homepage dropdown, select the newly created Home page.
- In the Posts page dropdown, select your Blog page (or create a new page for blog posts if needed).
- Click Save Changes.
Step 3: Verify and Adjust Menu Links
- Go to Appearance > Menus and ensure your navigation menu includes the correct homepage link.
- If needed, update your theme’s settings or widgets to ensure the right page is displayed.
Now, your homepage should be set as a static page while keeping your blog posts on a separate page.
-
Jessica, thanks for the information provided. I previously did step 1, actions 1 and 2, but always get hung up on action 3, copy the content from your current homepage. That page does not show up when I go to pages from the dashboard, so there is no way to copy it. I did not use a page builder – I just edited the template using WordPress.com.
I then tried to manually recreate the page, as you suggested, but I couldn’t get the formatting to appear anywhere as nice as what is currently on the page, due to unfamiliarity with using the editor.
I’d really like to copy what I already have in the homepage, but can’t figure out how to do it.
-
OK, I figured out how to copy the content from the existing homepage and used it to create a new homepage and changed the settings to use it as the static homepage.
However, on the new home page, I cannot figure out how to hold the image in the left column (the book cover) stationary while scrolling down the content on the right column. It works for the other pages, eg, About, but not for the home page. Must be a setting somewhere that I need to correct, maybe ‘lock’ ?
-
Ensure the Book Stack block is sticky. Select the block and then choose “position sticky” from the right panel.
-
Thanks for the tip. Position sticky is what I needed to know. Not yet working but I’m closer to finding the solution.
-
I’m still unable to get the cover photo in the left column of the homepage to remain visible (sticky) while scrolling down the content in the right column. I went to Appearance -> Editor -> Templates and selected the homepage template. I went into list view, opened book column so I could click on Book Stack and then set the position to ‘sticky’ in the block view on the right side edit window. Saved it but it still doesn’t work. Can anyone help me with the settings to make this work???
website: sinisbooks.com. check the cover image on the left side not staying in view when scrolling down.
-
Hi, I cannot recreate the issue you’re having.
Are you using a static page as your homepage or your latest post in the Reading settings? And what template are you using in your homepage? The reason for asking is that your two pages (about and book news) have the book cover sticky as both use the Page template. So your homepage might use a different template.
To learn what template a page is using, navigate to the page and select the page tab. Scroll down and you can see the name of the template used next to the template field. https://imgur.com/ZU93AU7
As for me, I’m able to change the theme with my content and have the book cover stay visible when scrolling down. In my case, I let the Reading settings to display my latest posts, and just edit the blog home template with my content.
Here’s an image for your reference. https://imgur.com/oUx3BPk
I hope this helps.
-
Hi, Fran. I’m using a static page as my homepage, not the latest blog in Readings setting.
I’m using the Lexionic theme. I used the Lexionic page template for the About and BookNews pages, and the Lexionic homepage template for my home page. Different templates, but from the same theme.
For some reason, the sticky feature works for the other pages but not for the home page. I make and save the sticky position setting in the editor and save it but it doesn’t work. Can’t understand why…….
-
If you’re using a static page for your homepage, you don’t need to edit the theme’s home template. You should instead edit the page you have designated as your homepage in your Reading settings. This way, your static homepage will use the same Page template as your other pages.
On the contrary, if you edit the theme’s blog home template, you need to let your site to display the latest post for the home template modification to take effect. You don’t have to worry you’ll lose the customization when the theme got updated, as the user’s changes are saved in the database.
I think the problem may lie in the way you copy the content of the existing homepage template:
“OK, I figured out how to copy the content from the existing homepage and used it to create a new homepage and changed the settings to use it as the static homepage.”
I need to see the block structure (via the list view) of your home page to better understand it. Would you mind giving us the screen shot, like this? https://imgur.com/oUx3BPk
Or, since you’re a paid plan customer, you might want to contact the support team as their Happiness Engineer can better guide you through a live chat. https://wordpress.com/support/contact/
-
Here is the block structure for the homepage template. It’s the same settings used with the template for the other pages. Same settings for both templates, but one works and the other doesn’t. Can’t understand it…..
-
The book stack block must not display the cover image directly. It’s a group block with a Book Cover Artwork template part nested underneath. The book cover is in this template part. And because your homepage is a static page, you must edit the page, not the template. https://imgur.com/6O8US0I
Creating a custom homepage can sometimes baffle us, especially for a block theme because it introduces new elements, like the template and template part. Its workflow also differs from that of a classic theme. But it becomes far more intuitive once you master it.
I would recommend you check this page to learn more about how to create a custom homepage (particularly the custom homepage template creation section, and how to apply it to your home page). https://wordpress.com/support/create-a-custom-homepage/ While this page will help you learn more about site design, https://wordpress.com/support/category/design-your-site/
-
Fran, thanks for your help! I tried to edit the page as you suggest, but the page view only shows the right column content, not the header and left column (with the book cover). So I am forced to do edits to the homepage template to try and fix the sticky image not working problem. See image below of setting for both the template and page so you can see why I’m forced to work with the template settings.
homepage template settings: https://imgur.com/a/BuFiAwP
-
Hi, John.
Let me try to lay out more detailed steps to create a custom homepage for you. I hope this is clear enough to follow.
First, create a Front Page template for your static page by following these steps. (Your image shows you’ve created it, but let’s begin again from the start. This means you must delete your current Front Page template as it can only be created once.)
- Navigate to Appearance > Editor.
- Select Templates > Add New Template.
- Select Front Page.
- Afterward, when asked to choose a pattern, click the Skip button at the bottom right corner.
- You will be presented with a blank canvas.
- In this canvas, you would add 2 blocks: a header, and a content blocks.
- To add those blocks, select the Block Inserter “+” icon, and add each of the blocks one by one. First, search for a header block, then a content block. Your Front Page Template blocks structure will look like this image. https://imgur.com/ic0XBIW.
Second, copy the content of your Blog Home template, because you want your custom homepage content to match this.
- Navigate to Appearance > Editor.
- Select Templates.
- Look for the Blog Home template. Click to open.
- Select and copy the Columns block (don’t include the header block) by clicking the three-dot option on the block toolbar. https://imgur.com/ffQxCa2
- Later, you would need to paste this content to your page that would be your static homepage, before that you might want to temporarily paste it to a notepad for easier access later.
Third, add a new page designated to be your static homepage. These steps will be rather tricky and unintuitive, but please bear with me.
- Return to your site’s dashboard.
- Add a new page. This page’s content will be auto-generated from the Pages template. For now, simply title it like a regular page; for example, “My Home”. https://imgur.com/ExPDzE1
- Hit publish.
- Navigate back to the Reading settings and set your My Home page as the static page. This action will apply your Front Page template to your My Home page, where you can later paste in the previous content from the Blog Home template you copied earlier.
- Now navigate to My Page page and edit.
- Paste in the Columns block you copied earlier under the Content block. (Remove the paragraph block that was there before). Your final My Home page will be like this https://imgur.com/KpVApD6
- Save and refresh your site’s front end. You should see your new homepage.
- Now every time you want to make edits to your homepage, you would need to do it on this My Page page. Changes to this page automatically update the front end. Always modify this page (not the Front Page template) if you want to change the content of your static homepage. This is because the Block Themes are following the separation of content and template.
Please give it a try and let me know the outcome. Good luck!
-
Thanks for the detail instructions, Fran.
I will give it a try over the weekend and let you know how it goes.
-
Fran, good news. I deleted the cusomized homepage template and recreated the homepage content using the page template and now the sticky image feature is working perfectly on my homepage.
Thanks so much for your kind assistance!!!
Issue is now resolved!
John
-
Hey John, I’m happy to hear it worked out for you. I hope the website highlights your fascinating memoir. 😊
- The topic ‘Can’t change homepage display from ‘your latest posts’ to ‘a static page’’ is closed to new replies.
WordPress.com Forums 