Some of our templates offer the option to add sidebars to the layout, which contain widgets. These sidebars and widgets are managed in one place, but can appear on multiple (or all) pages in your site.

By default all templates, except for the full-width template, contain a left sidebar that features your site’s navigation menu. Other common widgets that are used in sidebars include social media profile icons, buttons, contact information or various feeds, such as a directory feed or E-Net feeds.

To work with sidebars, there are a few screens you’ll need to become familiar with:

  • Image showing the sidebars admin menuAll Sidebars: This admin page will show you a list of all custom sidebars that have been created for your site.
  • Add New Sidebar: This admin page is where you will create a new sidebar, which is first step required prior to editing the sidebar and assigning it to a page.
  • Edit Sidebars: This admin page is where you will add, remove and modify widgets to the individual sidebars. If you have prior WordPress experience, this is the same as the Appearance > Widgets admin page.
  • Menus: This admin page is where you will add, remove and modify navigation menus that appear in the left sidebar of various templates. If you have prior WordPress experience, this is the same as the Appearance > Menus admin page.

Each site comes with a default sidebar that will automatically appear in the Edit Sidebars admin page. It cannot be removed, but can be modified to contain any combination of widgets you desire. The only thing that cannot be removed (or moved) is the navigation menu from the default left sidebar.

 

Creating Custom Sidebars

  • Hover over the Sidebars admin menu item
    Image showing the sidebar menu button
  • Click on Add New Sidebar
    Image showing the add new sidebar button
  • Give your sidebar a name in the filed labeled Enter Title Here.
    Image showing the sidebar title field
  • Click the blue Publish button to create the sidebar.Image showing the sidebar publish button
  • Now that the sidebar has been created, use the instructions below to populate your new sidebar.

Editing Sidebars & Using Widgets

  • Hover over the Sidebars menu item
    Image showing the sidebars menu item
  • Click on Edit Sidebars
    Image showing the edit sidebars button
  • Locate the sidebar you intend to edit
    Image showing the location of available sidebars
  • Drag & drop the widget you want to add into the sidebar you want to modify
    animation showing how to add a widget to a sidebar
  • Modify the widget according to the widget’s settings, and click the blue Save button on the widget.
  • To delete a widget, click on the widget title bar you intend to remove, then click the red Delete link.
    Image showing the location of the delete widget button
  • If this is a custom sidebar, you can add the sidebar to individual pages using the Sidebar Options metabox when editing a page.