How to add a second sidebar widget for use on separate pages or posts: The following tutorial covers the process of building a second widget compatible sidebar that can be used on specific pages or posts. Using a different WordPress sidebar for pages and posts allows the user to display different sidebar content on a given post or page. In addition, the user could add the duplicate sidebar widgets plugin to add the same widget content to both sidebars.
Adding a Second Widget Sidebar to WordPress
This process assumes your using Kubrick or a theme based on Kubrick. Please backup any files before editing.
- Navigate to Design ->Theme Editor from your WordPress admin panel
- Open the functions.php file from the theme file list and find:
if ( function_exists('register_sidebar') ) register_sidebar(array( 'before_widget' => '<li id="%1$s" class="widget %2$s">', 'after_widget' => '</li>', 'before_title' => '<h2 class="widgettitle">', 'after_title' => '</h2>', ));
- Replace it with the following code, then update the file:
if ( function_exists('register_sidebar') ) register_sidebar(array('name'=>'Sidebar 1',)); register_sidebar(array('name'=>'Sidebar 2',));
You should now have two widget compatible sidebars that show up under Design-> Widgets.
Next we will add a Sidebar template to use for Sidebar 2 and then call it into the page or post we wish to have display the new sidebar. - Download the sidebar2.zip file and upload the sidebar2.php within to your WordPress wp-content/themes/your-theme-name/ directory
- Now to use Sidebar 2, simply replace the following code found in any of your template files. For example (Single Post) single.php
<?php get_sidebar(); ?>
- With the following code:
<?php include("sidebar2.php"); ?>
Note: You can build a custom template that specifically calls in Sidebar 2 and elect to use it whenever you write a page that you wish to use this alternate Sidebar.