Sidebar widgets. New sidebars Super WordPress plugin


Reading time: 3 minutes. Published November 29, 2016

Hello! We continue to analyze the most interesting and most useful plugins for the WordPress site! Today you will learn about a super useful plugin that will allow you to create new sidebars for your website, in unlimited quantities! You can display sidebars anywhere on your site. You can add sidebars to your website using a simple shortcode or php code. It will be very easy to add sidebars to posts, pages, widgets, sidebars, footers, headers, etc.

You can create sidebars for specific pages or posts by specifying the page name in the settings. For example, you can create a sidebar that will only be displayed for one post. You can configure the display of sidebars for specific users. Very simple settings. Super useful plugin!

Add sidebar widget plugin WordPress

You can install the plugin directly from the WordPress admin panel. Go to the page: Plugins – Add new, enter the name of the plugin in the search form, press Enter, install and activate the plugin.


Further, After installing and activating the plugin, go to the page: Sidebars – Add New. Provide a name for the new sidebar. Clicking on the field “Select content type” you can choose where exactly the new sidebar will be displayed. If you select the type - pages or posts, then you can choose which specific pages the sidebar will be displayed on.


Further, at the bottom of the page on the right, in the field "Action" you can select the value – Shortcode / Template Tag. You will have a shortcode and php code that you need to paste into the place on the site where the sidebar you created will be displayed. In field "Visibility" You can select the users for whom this sidebar will be displayed.

Further, go to page: Appearance - Widgets. Here you will see all created sidebars. Just drag the widget into the sidebar and it will be displayed in the place where the sidebar is installed.


If you want to add a sidebar to a post or page, open the page or post for editing. Insert the sidebar shortcode into the page content. Refresh the page.


All is ready! Your widgets will be displayed on the page.


To make the sidebar appear only in the sidebar, you need to go to the settings "Action" don't change anything.

** Manage and replace sidebars and other widget areas on your site with Custom Sidebars, a flexible widget area manager. **

Make custom sidebar configurations and be able to choose what widgets display on each page or post of your site.

Display Different Sidebars on Pages and Posts

Custom Sidebars allows you to dynamically display custom widget configurations on any page, post, category, post type, or archive page.

Custom Sidebars allows you to display custom widget configurations on any page, post, category, post type, or archive page.

“Custom Sidebars will go on my “essential plugins” list from now on. I am pleased by how easy it was to figure out and by how many options are available in the free version.” –

“This plugin does exactly what it says. It’s light, integrates well into WordPress and gives you tons of possibilities.” –

Every part of Custom Sidebars integrates seamlessly with the Widgets menu for simplicity and control. No confusing settings pages or added menu items, just simple core integration.

A Simple Flexible Sidebar Manager

** Custom Sidebars Includes: **
* Unlimited custom widget configurations
* Set custom widgets for individual posts and pages, categories, post types, and archives
* Seamless integration with the WordPress Widgets menu
* Works with well-coded themes and doesn’t slow down your site
* Set individual widget visibility – for guests, by user role, by post type, for special pages or categories
* Author specific sidebars – display a custom sidebar for each of your authors
* Clone and sync widget settings – quickly edit complex configurations
* Import and export custom sidebars – backup and share sidebars

Install Custom Sidebars and see for yourself why it’s the most popular widget extension plugin available for WordPress with over 200,000 active installs.

Custom Sidebars Is Fully-Loaded

If you manage multiple WordPress sites, run an agency, or offer WordPress management services, Custom Sidebars is developed and supported by the team at WPMU DEV. Get the same quality and support for all your WordPress needs when you become a member:

  • for all things WordPress
  • site performance optimization for unlimited sites
  • for all your sites! (Not heard of her yet? She’s our award winning image optimization plugin)
  • security hardening
  • backups including 10GB cloud backups
  • site manager
  • and with dedicated resources

Get Custom Sidebars for targeted marketing, better widgets for each level of your membership site, or just to clean up bloated content on each page… then try all our others.

Contact and Credits

Screenshots

Installation

There are two ways of installing the plugin:

  1. Download the plugin, extract the zip file.
  2. Upload the custom-sidebars folder to your /wp-content/plugins/ directory.
  3. Active the plugin in the plugin menu panel in your administration area.

From inside your WordPress installation, in the plugin section.

  1. Search for custom sidebars plugin.
  2. Download it and then active it.

Once you have the plugin activated you will find all new features inside your “Widgets” screen! There you will be able to create and manage your own sidebars.

FAQ

Why can’t I see a widget menu?

This plugin requires your theme to have widget areas enabled, if you don’t have widget areas enabled you probably need to use a different theme that does!

Where do I set my sidebars up?

You have a sidebar box when editing a entry. Also you can define default sidebars for different posts and archives.

Why do I get a message ‘There are no replaceable sidebars selected’?

You can create all the sidebars you want, but you need some sidebars of your theme to be replaced by the ones that you have created. You have to select which sidebars from your theme are suitable to be replaced in the Custom Sidebars settings page and you will have them available to switch.

Everything is working properly on Admin area, but the custom sidebars are not displayed on the site. Why? It appears that only an Admin can choose to add a sidebar. How can Editors (or any other role) edit customs sidebars?

Any user that can switch themes, can create sidebars. Switch_themes is the capability needed to manage widgets, so if you can’t edit widgets you can’t create custom sidebars. There are some plugins to give capabilities to the roles, so you can make your author be able to create the sidebars. Try

Can I use the plugin in commercial projects?

Custom Sidebars has the same license as WordPress, so you can use it wherever you want for free. Yay!

Reviews

The premium version used to work flawlessly but not anymore as they discontinued it and the free one has not been updated for the past 8 months. I was using it with Genesis framework but recently all the widget items from the custom sidebars go missing so I have to reimport them again from the backup. it happens randomly with no error log.

Compared to other plugins the filters are too limited. E.g. one can"t define a sidebar which is displayed on pages, but not on the homepage. EDIT: Changed from 3 star to 2 star rating because the support replied with an irrelevant answer.

Contributors & Developers

“Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Widget Area Manager” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.

Contributors

Changelog

3.2.3

  • Added “custom_sidebars_allowed_pages_array” filter to allow pages where Custom Sidebars can be loaded.
  • Fixed problem with double function declaration when Gutenberg is in use.
  • Removed “Sidebar Location” from build-in/theme sidebars to avoid misunderstandings.
  • Updated “WPMU Dev code library” to version 3.1.0.

3.2.2

  • Fixed a unlocked A tag.

3.2.1

  • Fixed a problem with sidebar replacement on front page.

3.2.0

  • Added ability show/hide widgets depend on screen size, using CSS media queries.
  • Added integration with “WP Multilang” – now you can choose a sidebar to depend on “WP Multilang” language.
  • Allow using categories and tags for pages.
  • Improved plugin initialization now, plugin classes are loaded only on necessary admin pages.
  • Improved UX for Custom Sidebars Metabox on special pages: “Front Page”, “Blog Page” and “WooCommerce Shop Page”.
  • Updated “WPMU Dev code library” to version 3.0.9.

3.1.6

  • Fixed an export problem on PHP 5.2, json_encode() have only one parameter.

3.1.5

  • Fixed a problem with saving an entry sidebars replacement.
  • Added ability to allow change sidebars by an entry author.

3.1.4

  • Fixed a problem with widgets display on IE11.
  • Handle custom taxonomies.
  • Updated “WPMU Dev code library” to version 3.0.6.

3.1.3

  • Added version to scripts, to avoid browser cache problem.
  • Fixed problems with widgets alignment on mobiles.
  • Improved custom sidebar edit modal, now it remembers “Advanced Edit” status.
  • Load JavaScript templates only on the widgets page.

3.1.2

  • Added integration with Polylang – now you can choose sidebar depend on Polylang language.
  • Added integration with WPML – now you can choose sidebar depend on WPML language.
  • Added check to avoid warnings when user delete term which is assigned to “Sidebar Location”.
  • Updated “WPMU Dev code library” to version 3.0.5.

3.1.1

  • Improved asset directories.
  • Improved widgets on very small screens.
  • Fixed bulk edit problem with resetting sidebars.
  • Fixed few notices on import screen.

3.1.0

  • Added a quick and a bulk edit to custom post types.
  • Added nonce check for set location, import & export actions to avoid CSRF vulnerability.
  • Fixed a problem with getting sidebars settings for nested pages with more than 2 levels.
  • Fixed a problem with widget visibility on taxonomy archive page.
  • Fixed a typo on Import/Export screen.

3.0.9

  • Added ability to turn off “Custom Sidebars” for certain roles.
  • Fixed a problem with a category, category archive, and post in category replacement.
  • Fixed a problem with removed “Category Archive” from “For Archives” options.
  • Fixed build in taxonomies problem on “Sidebar Location” edit window.

3.0.8.1

  • Fixed CSRF vulnerability. Props for .

3.0.8

  • Added bulk sidebars edit.
  • Fixed category archive and entry in category replaceable.
  • Visibility of “Custom Explain” link is limited only to front-end.

3.0.7.1

  • Fixed visibility of Custom Explain – now it is visible only for administrators.

3.0.7

  • Added ability to replace sidebars for category archive.
  • Added ability to replace sidebars for custom taxonomy archive.
  • Added ability to turn on Custom Sidebars Explain mode from Admin Bar.
  • Fixed a replacement problem on 404 pages.
  • Improved “Sidebar Location” popup – added a message when we do not have any replaceable sidebar.
  • Refactored “Column Sidebars” on post list screen.

3.0.6

  • Added width to “Custom Sidebars” column on entries list screen to avoid uncontrolled column width.
  • Added ability to add new sidebar using the only keyboard, after you fill name just push enter to move to the description field. Hit enter on description field to add a new sidebar.
  • Fixed “WPMUDEV Frash” message for pro version.

3.0.5

  • Improved columns display on post list screen – now “Custom Sidebars” column is hidden by default.
  • Prevent to load assets on front-end.
  • Updated “WPMU Dev code library” to version 3.0.4.
  • Fixed a CSS glitch on media library.
  • Fixed a JavaScript conflicting with CiviCRM plugin.
  • Fixed a problem with taxonomies.

3.0.4

  • Improved “Create a custom sidebar to get started.” box.
  • Upgraded “WPMU Dev code library” to version 3.0.3.
  • Fixed a problem with empty taxonomies, now we can see all taxonomies, including empty.
  • Fixed fetching posts.
  • Fixed a problem on the Customizer page – removed clone option.
  • Fixed Widgets Screen for Right to Left languages.

3.0.3

  • Removed WP Checkup banner.

3.0.2

  • Fixed compatibility issue with uBlock Origin and AdBlock Plus.
  • Fixed getting started box not appearing.

3.0.1.0

  • Added the “Create custom sidebar to get started.” box.
  • Fixed a problem with the link to disable accessibility mode.
  • Fixed UX problem with “plus” icon on visibility options.
  • Show advertising for “WP Checkup” in the whole admin area.

3.0.0.1

  • Fixed a problem with wp_enqueue_script() which was called too early.
  • Fixed a problem with advertising, which should stay close when you close it.

3.0.0.0

  • Fixed a conflicting with other plugins.
  • Improved functionality, free and pro versions have now the same functionality. The only difference is that the free version includes ads.

2.1.2.0

  • Fixed a problem with empty selectors.
  • Remove unnecessary HTTP header – it is only needed when we run cs-explains.
  • Update Dash notice.

2.1.1.9

  • Fixed problem with import widgets created before Custom Sidebars plugin was installed.
  • Fixed problem with sidebars on Front Page.

2.1.1.8

  • Added support and widgets links on the plugins page.
  • Fixed export problem, when two or more widget has the same name.
  • Fixed few “Undefined index” warnings.
  • Improved import preview screen.
  • Improved RTL languages ​​on widgets screen.

2.1.1.7

  • Rollback last change with front page.

2.1.1.6

  • Fixed a bug when we try to use to get property of non-object in “maybe_display_widget()”.
  • If front page is a page, then we have now the same rules like we have on on page.

2.1.1.5

  • Added new filter “cs_replace_post_type” to filter post type inside function “determine_replacement()”.

2.1.1.4

  • Fixed problem with sorting and filtering.

2.1.1.3

  • Added check if there the function mb_strtolower() .

2.1.1.2

  • Sidebars are now sorted by name.

2.1.1.1

  • Fixed a problem with unclickable items on widgets admin screen.

2.1.1.0

  • Fixed undefined index in Sidebars Editor.

2.1.0.9

  • Fixed issue with broken link icon for cloned widgets.

2.1.0.8

  • Small improvements in the admin UI: Better scrolling, fix JavaScript errors and PHP notices.
  • Update third party libraries.
  • Small improvements in code.

2.1.0.4

  • Fix missing text-domain in translation.

2.1.0.3

2.1.0.2

  • Close possible security hole (XSS vulnerability).

2.1.0.1

  • Fix incompatibility with PopUp plugin.

2.1.0.0

  • Fixed: Sidebars could not be created on certain webserver setups.

2.0.9.9

  • Fixed: Minified CSS files included now.

2.0.9.8

  • Better: Add context-guide how to changes settings for static front-page.

2.0.9.7

  • New: Assign a Sidebar to 404 pages via the Sidebar Location dialog.

2.0.9.6

  • Fixed: In some browsers the “Add sidebar” popup was partially hidden.
  • Fixed: Sometimes the dropdown list of a multiselect list remained open.
  • Fixed: Plugin now correctly loads the .po files to translate to other languages.
  • Some other small improvements.

2.0.9.4

  • Fixed: For some users the plugin was not loading anymore after updating to 2.0.9.1.

2.0.9.3

  • Fixed: Z-index issue in Dashboard where wide widgets where covered by the main-menu.
  • Fixed: Added compatibility for static front-page sidebars with version 2.0.9.

2.0.9.2

  • Fixed: Sidebar Locations “Front Page” and “Post Index” now work correctly.

2.0.9.1

  • Fixed: Sidebars now support unicode-text in name/description.
  • Minor: New debugging output that explains why a sidebar/widget is displayed.

2.0.9

  • Fixed: Fixed issue with WP sidebar chooser right after creating a new sidebar.
  • Fixed: Fixed various issues when flagging a sidebar s replaceable.
  • Fixed: Plugin will not load in accessibility mode but display a notice instead.
  • Minor fix: Make code compatible with PHP 5.2.4.
  • Minor fix: Slight improvement of AJAX stability.
  • Minor fix: Plugin now requires capability “edit_theme_options”.

2.0.8

  • Fixed: Fixed issue with settings not being saved correctly.

2.0.7

  • Fixed: Fixed issue with some people losing some sidebar settings after update.

2.0.6.1

  • Minor fix: Use WordPress core functions to get URL to JavaScript files.
  • Minor fix: Refactor function name to avoid misunderstandings.

2.0.5

  • Fixed: Meta box in post editor did show missing sidebars (e.g. after switching the theme).
  • Fixed: PHP warning about strict standards.

2.0.3

  • Fixed: JavaScript errors on Windows servers are fixed.

2.0.2

  • Fixed: Dashboard notification is now removed when clicking “dismiss”.

2.0.1

  • PHP 5.2 compatibility layer.

2.0

  • Complete UI redesign!
  • Many small bugfixes.

1.6

  • Added: WordPress filter “cs_sidebar_params” is called before a custom sidebar is registered.
  • Added: Add setting “CUSTOM_SIDEBAR_DISABLE_METABOXES” in wp-config.php to remove custom-sidebar meta boxes.

1.5

  • Added: Custom sidebars now works with BuddyPress pages.

1.4

  • Fixed: Individual post sidebar selection when default sidebars for single posts are defined.
  • Fixed: Category sidebars sorting.
  • Added: WP 3.8 new admin design (MP6) support.

1.3.1

  • Fixed: Absolute paths that lead to the outdated browser error.
  • Fixed: Stripped slashes for the pre/post widget/title fields.

1.3

  • Fixed: A lot of warnings with the PHP debug mode on.
  • Improved: Styles to make them compatible with WP 3.6.
  • Fixed: Creation of sidebars from the custom sidebars option.
  • Removed: Donate banner. Thanks to the ones that have be supporting Custom Sidebar so far.

1.2

  • Fixed: Searches with no results shows default sidebar.
  • Added: RTL support (thanks to Dvir http://foxy.co.il/blog/).
  • Improved: Minor enhancements in the interface to adapt it to WordPress 3.x.
  • Fixed: Slashes are added to the attributes of before and after title/widget.

1.1

  • Fixed: Where lightbox not showing for everyone (Thanks to Robert Utnehmer).
  • Added: Default sidebar for search results pages.
  • Added: Default sidebar for date archives.
  • Added: Default sidebar for Uncategorized posts.

1.0

  • Fixed: Special characters make sidebars undeletable.
  • Added: Child/parent pages support.
  • Improved interface to hundreds of handles of sidebars easily.
  • Added: Ajax support for creating an editing sidebars from the widget page.

0.8.2

  • Fixed: Problems with Spanish translation.
  • Fixed: Some CSS issues with WordPress 3.3.

0.8.1

  • Fixed: You can assign sidebars to your pages again.

0.8

  • Fixed: Category hierarchy is now handled properly by the custom sidebars plugin.
  • Added: Sidebars can be set for every custom post type post individually.
  • Improved the way it replaces the sidebars.
  • Improved some text and messages in the back-end.

0.7.1

  • Fixed: Now the plugin works with themes like Thesis that don’t use the the_header hook. Changed the hook where execute the replacement code to wp_head.
  • Fixed: When a second sidebar is replaced with the originally first sidebar, it is replaced by the first sidebar replacement instead.

0.7

  • Fixed: Bulk and Quick editing posts and pages reset their custom sidebars.
  • Changed capability needed to switch_themes, and improved capability management.

0.6

  • New interface, more user friendly.
  • Added the possibility of customizing the main blog page sidebars.
  • Added the sidebars by category, so now you can personalize all the post that belongs to a category easily in a hierarchical way.
  • Added the possibility of customizing the authors page sidebars.
  • Added the possibility of customize the tags page sidebars.
  • Added, now it is possible to edit the sidebars names, as well as the pre-widget, post-widget, pre-title, post-title for a sidebar.
  • Added the possibility of customize the sidebars of posts list by category or post-type.

0.5

  • Fixed a bug that didn’t allow to create new bars when every previous bars were deleted.
  • Fixed a bug introduced in v0.4 that did not allow to assign bars per post-types properly.
  • Added an option to remove all the Custom Sidebars data from the database easily.

0.4

  • Empty sidebars will now be shown as empty, instead of displaying the theme’s default sidebar.

0.3

  • PHP 4 Compatible (Thanks to Kay Larmer).
  • Fixed a bug introduced in v0.2 that did not allow to save the replaceable bars options.

0.2

  • Improved security by adding wp_nonces to the forms.
  • Added the pt-widget post type to the ignored post types.
  • Improved i18n files.
  • Fixed screenshots for documentation.

To add the necessary plugins and additions to a page in WordPress, you just need to drag the widget you are interested in onto the sidebar in the admin panel. Thus, even beginners in the WordPress engine can easily modify their sidebar (and not only it).

Sometimes theme developers provide several possible sidebars to choose from, where you can drag a widget . But there are also themes where there are 1-2 sidebars, and they are used purely for the needs of the theme itself (that is, you cannot push new widgets there).

And it even happens that you just wanted to add a new sidebar to differentiate logic or with a different design.

First you need to register your sidebar. This can be done in the file functions.php in the template folder. Some template developers create special ones. function for registering sidebars. For example, function twentyten_widgets_init() () . This is not important. Just find the place in the code where the registration occurs. It looks something like this:

Register_sidebar(array("name"=>"Site description", "before_widget" => "

", "after_widget" => "
"));

How to add your own sidebar?

When you find a section of code where sidebars are registered, you can register yours in a similar way. As an example:

Register_sidebar(array("name" =>"Second sidebar", "id" => "secondary-widget-area", "before_widget" => "

  • ", "after_widget" => "
    • ", "before_title" => "

    ", "after_title" => "

    ",));

    Name— the name of your sidebar. it will be displayed in the admin panel.

    id- unique identificator. You will need it when adding it to the page (more on that below).

    before_widget— code/text that will be inserted before each widget.

    after_widget— accordingly, the code/text that will be inserted after each widget.

    before_title— code/text that will be inserted before the widget header.

    after_title— code/text that will be inserted after the widget header.

    After adding the above code to the file, save it and go to the widgets page in the admin panel. Now, just like with other sidebars, you can drag and drop the necessary widgets onto the new one. In order for this sidebar to display on your website, you need to open the corresponding template file, namely sidebar.php , and find the code:

    ...

    You need to add it between the opening and closing tags where you want your sidebar to appear. It will be something like this:

    ///...
    For beautiful output, you can include this code in a block:

    As you may have already noticed secondary-widget-area when displayed on the page, this is the name of the sidebar. It must be exactly the same as the name specified when registering in the file functions.php . Now, editing the file style.css give the sidebar the desired look.

    The sidebar in WordPress has become an integral part of the site. Its use opens up enormous opportunities for theme developers and users of the WordPress platform. On all kinds of blogs, a large amount of time is devoted to describing the addition, deletion and settings of the sidebar. In this matter, my blog was no exception; today I will try to talk about as many settings as possible and all possible manipulations of the sidebar of a WordPress site.

    I am specifically publishing this article before writing the next article on sidebar output and its implementation in the template. When writing a lesson, I want to already have the necessary base of material about WordPress sidebars, so as not to stop and tell everything down to the smallest detail.

    After a short digression, let’s move on to our “rams” and plunge into the essence of working with themes, namely, let’s look at the WordPress side menu.

    Before starting the story and delving into the code and settings, I’ll outline a few nuances that you most likely know related to side panels:

    Site sidebar- the right or left part of the site, responsible for providing additional information and participating in site navigation. It is possible to use both the right and left side speakers simultaneously.

    Usage sidebar in WordPress has a wider range of actions, it can be placed anywhere, in the header, on the side, in the basement, and accommodate a wide variety of elements, which will be discussed in this article.

    Registering a sidebar in WordPress. How to Add a Sidebar in WordPress

    The output of a WordPress sidebar occurs according to a certain principle, using a call in the template files and registration in the functions.php file with the register_sidebar() function.

    Be careful, before registering a sidebar, make sure that it has not been previously registered. If there are multiple registrations with the same id, errors may occur. Before editing third-party templates, you should make sure that the sidebar is not “tied” to any template functionality.

    First of all, open the functions.php file and write the sidebar registration function:

    Function my_register_sidebars() ( /* registering the right sidebar */ register_sidebar(array("id" => "right-side", // unique id for the site, assigned to the right sidebar "name" => "Right column", // title sidebar, which will be displayed in the admin panel "description" => "Drag widgets to add them to the sidebar.", // description displayed in the admin panel for the sidebar "before_widget" => "

  • -list "after_widget" => "
    • ", // in this and the previous line we specified the container in which the sidebar will be placed "before_title" => "

    "after_title" => "

    ")); /* registering the left sidebar */ register_sidebar(array("id" => "left-side", // unique id for the site, assigned to the right sidebar "name" => "Left column", // name of the sidebar , which will be displayed in the admin panel "description" => "Drag widgets to add them to the sidebar.", // description displayed in the admin panel for the sidebar "before_widget" => "
    ", // widgets are displayed by default
  • -list "after_widget" => "
    • ", // in this and the previous line we specified the container in which the sidebar will be placed "before_title" => "

    ", // if left empty, will be displayed in

    "after_title" => "

    ")); /* register a sidebar for the footer */ register_sidebar(array("id" => "footer-side", // unique id for the site, assigned to the right sidebar "name" => "Bottom sidebar", // name sidebar, which will be displayed in the admin panel "description" => "Drag widgets to add them to the sidebar.", // description displayed in the admin panel for the sidebar "before_widget" => "
    ", // widgets are displayed by default
  • -list "after_widget" => "
    • ", // in this and the previous line we specified the container in which the sidebar will be placed "before_title" => "

    ", // if left empty, will be displayed in

    "after_title" => "

    ")); ) add_action("widgets_init", "my_register_sidebars");

    By inserting this code into the functions.php file, we registered two side sidebars at once - right, left and a separate sidebar for the footer. You can also register only one sidebar or add more as needed, for example in the middle of the page.

    The sidebar is registered, now you need to display it in the right place. This is exactly what we will do next.

    How to add a sidebar to a WordPress theme

    The principle of adding sidebars

    If you are writing a theme for your website, and have registered a sidebar for WordPress widgets so that there is something in it, then you can safely display it in the right place using the following code:

    When writing templates to order or for third-party use, it is worth checking the availability of WordPress widgets, you can read about them. Perhaps the user of your theme will refuse to use a sidebar on the site and will have no use for empty blocks on the page. To test the use of widgets and add a sidebar in a WordPress theme, use the following:

    We checked whether widgets exist in the right sidebar and displayed them on the page. By analogy, by replacing only the sidebar ID value (right-side) with the one we need, we can display all the blocks on the page in the required place.

    Where to add the code to display a sidebar in WordPress

    For sidebars in WordPress, the sidebar.php template file is reserved. It is in it that in most cases everything necessary is described (panel wrappers, conditions for output on certain pages, etc.)

    If you have one sidebar, then add its code to sidebar.php, and connect it in the right place in the index.php file using the function:

    When using multiple side bars, you will need to create additional files such as sidebar-right.php, sidebar-left.php and sidebar-footer.php.

    Having placed the required section of code in the required file, connecting to the index one will occur as follows:

    You choose the location of the connection yourself. The value in brackets must correspond to the file name (sidebar- right.php), highlighted in bold.

    How to remove the sidebar in WordPress?

    I explained in detail how to add a sidebar in WordPress, now let’s go backwards and start removing it. I’ll make a small plan on how to remove the sidebar in WordPress (before editing files, be sure to make copies of them and use them, do not edit from the admin panel):

    • Go to the theme folder and open the following files functions.php, sidebar.php and index.php;
    • We look for and delete the registration of the sidebar in the functions file, as it looks described above in the article.
    • go to the sidebar.php file and delete the sidebar call (you need to delete everything related to dynamic_sidebar(), there is also an example above).
    • go to the index file and delete the connection of the sidebar files (get_sidebar()).

    It's a tedious job and may be a problem for those who don't know, but if you really need it, then you'll figure it out.

    First introduced in WordPress 2.2, widgets revolutionized the WordPress world and have become an integral part of it ever since. Almost no theme is complete without installing widgets.

    In short, widgets allow users to display useful attractive and/or functional features for their websites. They may display options such as a search function, links to related posts, blog archives, and more.

    Today's widget plugins fall into two categories: custom and general. This review presents both of them. We tried to select them in such a way that there is a separate plugin for each function.

    1. SiteOrigin Widgets Bundle (free)

    A plugin for widgets that can be called “all-in-one”. It has 20 amazing widgets and all the features you need.

    Here are some of its options:

    • Call to action buttons.
    • Contact form.
    • Google Maps.
    • Price table.
    • Reviews.
    • Image slider.
    Widgets are fully customizable, have an endless number of colors and more than one and a half thousand icons.

    2. WooSidebars (free)

    WooSidebars uses conditional logic. This means you can customize the widget area for individual pages.

    For example, the widgets you want to display on your home page will likely be different from the widgets you want to have on a typical blog post. WooSidebars will make this process easier for you.

    3. Relevanssi (free)

    By default it has a built-in search function and widget. Unfortunately, most users consider it a rather primitive plugin.

    If you want to make it easier for your visitors to find useful content, Relevanssi can help you do that. The plugin does a better job of sorting by relevance than the default option.

    Once you install the plugin, you will have to use the default search widget, but it will now work based on Relevanssi.

    4. Ninja Forms (free)

    Sidebar– a convenient place to place a contact form where your visitors can find you.

    Not every contact form plugin has a special widget, but if you need one, pay attention to this plugin - it is extremely easy to use and has many settings and additional fields.

    5. Testimonials Widget (free)

    The widget on the website is perfect for expanding your circle of communication and forming the desired opinion among visitors.

    Testimonials Widget allows you to display reviews as text, images or videos in stylish sliders. You will be able to display reviews based on a specific category.

    6. Recent Posts Widget Extended (free)

    Most visitors expect to see links to your posts in your sidebar. Now, essentially speaking, there are three types of navigation widgets: by recent posts, by popular posts, and by related posts.

    This plugin belongs to the first category. It allows you to display thumbnails and excerpts for each post - you can also focus on the latest posts from a given category. The plugin allows you to organize your posts by publication date or latest comments.

    7. WordPress Popular Posts (Free)

    If you don't like the latest entries, what about the popular ones? After all, these records are popular for a reason? Perhaps they provide the most valuable information to readers or appeal to them for some other reason.

    This plugin displays thumbnails of posts, plus you can target popular posts based on category or time range. You can even have widgets for different popular posts, each with different settings.

    8. Contextual Related Posts (Free)

    Related Posts is the most complex navigation widget - it requires an algorithm to determine related posts.

    This plugin uses both the title and content of a post to discover related posts. However, you can skip posts or entire categories you want. Related posts can be displayed as thumbnails, plus posts can be cached to improve site speed.

    9. Monarch (with Elegant Themes Membership starting at $89/year)
    Most of us have already added social media buttons to our blogs - why not? However, not all bloggers understand that the sidebar area is a great place for such buttons.

    Monarch is perhaps the best social media plugin out there, with a user-friendly interface, tons of advanced features, and a great design.

    10. Image Widget (free)

    Do you want to make your website more attractive? Then why not use the sidebar area to showcase images?

    If you want to host a single image, Image Widget is a great choice.

    Image Widget allows you to display any image from your library. You can also adjust image settings such as size, alignment, and title. You can insert your own URL into the image, which the user will be redirected to when clicked.

    11. Instagram Feed (free)

    Perhaps you prefer Instagram images to images from your media library? If so, then this plugin is perfect for you. With 300,000+ downloads, it has an excellent rating of 5 out of 5.

    Instagram Feed allows you to display thumbnail, medium, and full-size images. You can also use multiple Instagram accounts. The images do not have to be from your account - but you will be able to display images from any non-private account. And, if visitors like what they see, they can choose to download additional images by clicking the "Load More" button.

    12. Slider Revolution ($19)

    If you want a more dynamic sidebar for your images, you may want to consider this plugin.

    With a powerful set of features and an affordable price, WinningWP recently claimed that Slider Revolution is the best slider plugin. It comes with a special slider widget that allows you to place scrollable images in any area of ​​the widget.

    13. Compact Archives (free)

    A blog archive is a great way to encourage visitors to read older, evergreen content. However, if you've published several years of posts at once, your visitors will have a hard time understanding them, not to mention the fact that they take up too much space.

    If you want to use blog content compression, try using this plugin. It offers several formatting options to ensure that the displayed archive matches the widget area perfectly.

    14. Meks Smart Author Widget (free)

    Meks Smart allows you to display author information in a stylish widget. It can be used for both multi-author blogs and personal blogs.

    15. Thrive Leads (from $67)
    Most WordPress themes display a sidebar on every page. This approach allows you to use a sidebar area to display a list of email addresses.

    Choosing the best plugin in this case is a matter of endless debate. In this review, we bring you Thrive Leads. The plugin has a special built-in widget, plus a large number of great templates and design options.

    16. Taqyeem ($22)

    If you post reviews on your blog, you might want to link to some of those reviews in your sidebar. This will allow visitors to instantly assess the quality of the product.

    Taqyeem is perhaps the best plugin for reviews. It uses a great design with customizable colors, fonts, and style choices for reviews.

    The plugin supports three types of widgets: for the best, for the most recent and random reviews.

    17. Business Contact Widget (free)

    A sidebar is an ideal place for work contact information, especially if you have a similar community outside of your blog.

    This plugin will allow you to add addresses, phone numbers and email addresses to jQuery tabs. You can also add other features to your contact widget's tabs, including contact forms and Google maps.

    The plugin has several customization options: icon style, icon size and tab color.

    18. Poll, Survey, Quiz & Form by OpinionStage (Free)

    Do you have a burning question you want to ask your visitors? Maybe you want an answer to your most pressing question? Or maybe you just want to make people smile?

    This plugin will help you in any case - with its help you can even hold competitions.

    The widgets look great and allow you to upload your own images and apply your own branding. It is possible to generate income by requiring the visitor to subscribe to a newsletter or by receiving advertising revenue.

    19. Google Maps Widget (free)

    Want to show visitors your physical location on a map? Then you need this plugin - specifically designed to work with Google maps.

    It has customizable sizing and zoom levels, and allows you to use your cards to create custom pins.

    20. WP PRO Advertising System ($29)

    Since the sidebar is displayed on almost every page of the site, the information posted in it is almost guaranteed to be read. Running ads can be very lucrative.

    WP PRO is one of the best ad management plugins. It includes 15+ ad styles, including widget ads, of course. All these ads are displayed in stylish tiles.

    By adding the WooCommerce addon, you can even directly sell advertising space on your site.

    21. Awesome Weather Widget (free)

    Sometimes weather can have a big impact on an event - such as a rental holiday or an outdoor event where the action takes place outdoors. If the weather can help your business, why not provide your visitors with the information they need using a weather widget.

    Weather widgets look great and have customizable color schemes. Best of all, the weather data is provided by OpenWeatherMap, so you can trust it.

    22. YouTube Channel Gallery (free)

    If you also publish your content on YouTube, you may want to use your sidebar area to promote your channel. Use this plugin for this.

    Channel Gallery allows you to display thumbnails from your video in any area of ​​the widget - all you need is a YouTube API key. When a visitor clicks on one of the videos, it starts playing. You can also add widgets that showcase multiple YouTube videos on one page, allowing you to promote multiple videos and channels at the same time.

    23. Widget Content Blocks (free)

    Content Blocks is perhaps the most versatile on today's list. Why? Because it can unlock the functionality of any plugin that will use the widget area - even without a dedicated widget.

    The text widget now only supports HTML formatting by default. If you try to add a shortcode, it won't work.

    This plugin solves this problem by allowing you to add shortcodes to the widget area, as well as insert design elements from all your non-widget plugins. Just make sure the element is sized appropriately for the sidebar, as many plugins weren't designed to fit into such a tight space.

    An even better plugin solves this problem by using the WordPress visual editor in the widget area. This means that you will be able to format your widgets like any other post/page. You can add media, links or HTML formatting to your widgets in a few clicks.

    24. PHP Code Widget (free)
    This plugin is similar in functionality to the previous one, except that it allows you to insert PHP code into the default widget text. This makes it a must-have for WordPress developers.

    25. Widget Importer & Exporter (free)

    This plugin will allow you to transfer your widgets from one site to another. If you have sidebar settings that you like, the plugin will allow you to add them to any of your sites.

    Final Thoughts
    This concludes our review of the best widget plugins.
    

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