Multiple Sidebars With Wordpress Widgets

As I am working on a new Wordpress theme I faced a problem with my sidebar and the widgets. This theme doesn’t run on one sidebar, but two. I didn’t know how to create more dynamic sidebars.

I asked Google, but there wasn’t a clear article that helped me along the way and I guess more people are struggling with this situation. After some research I finally found the solution on OrangeScale.

Widgets Core

To let Wordpress Widgets preform on your blog, you should have the functions.php file ready with the right codes. This widget codes in the functions.php file usually looks like this:

PHP

<?php

if ( function_exists('register_sidebar') )

register_sidebar();
?>

To give your Wordpress installation more sidebars, we have to extend these codes. We have to add more ‘options’ and we do that by adding more codes to the function and by given those seperated functions names like Sidebar 1 and Sidebar 2.

PHP

Sidebar 1

<?php

if ( function_exists('register_sidebar') )
register_sidebar(array('name'=>'Sidebar 1',
'before_widget' => '<li id="%1$s" class="widget %2$s">',
'after_widget' => '</li>',
'before_title' => '<h2 class="widgettitle">',
'after_title' => '</h2>',
));

Sidebar 2

<?php

if ( function_exists('register_sidebar') )
register_sidebar(array('name'=>'Sidebar 2',
'before_widget' => '<li id="%1$s" class="widget %2$s">',
'after_widget' => '</li>',
'before_title' => '<h2 class="widgettitle">',
'after_title' => '</h2>',
));

Name your Sidebar

To get more sidebars you need to name them and in our case, we will call them Sidebar 1, Sidebar 2 etc. as many as you would like. Here is how you do that:

PHP

You are able to change the values of before_widget, after_widget, before_title and after_title to whatever you like. These are just the example of what I use myself.

How to insert Multiple Widgets to your Theme

Open up the file you would like to have your widgets shown. When you already have one sidebar in place you will find the following codes:

PHP

<?php if ( !function_exists('dynamic_sidebar') || !dynamic_sidebar() ) : ?>
<?php } ?>
<?php endif; ?>

Now, find all the places you would like to add widgets. Insert Sidebar 1 where sidebar 1 should be located, and so on. Here we go:

PHP

Sidebar 1

<?php if ( !function_exists('dynamic_sidebar') || !dynamic_sidebar('Sidebar 1') ) : ?>
<?php } ?>
<?php endif; ?>

Sidebar 2

<?php if ( !function_exists('dynamic_sidebar') || !dynamic_sidebar('Sidebar 2') ) : ?>
<?php } ?>
<?php endif; ?>

Ready

After you’ve saved your file you will have two dynamic sidebars you are able to edit via Wordpress Widgets. Of course, al lot more sidebars can be created and all the creativity that follows next, that’s up to you. Do you want to style your widgets now?