Adding Custom Widget Areas to WordPress Theme
Posted on 18th June 2023
In this article we will walk through the process of adding custom widget areas to a WordPress theme. Widget areas can be very useful when developing themes, as they allow for greater flexibility and customization. By default, WordPress comes with a handful of built-in widget areas such as the sidebar, header, and footer. However, sometimes these default widget areas are not enough. This is where custom widget areas come in handy.
Creating a Custom Widget Area
The first thing we need to do is register our custom widget area. We can do this by adding the following code to our theme’s functions.php file:
function my_theme_widgets_init() {
register_sidebar( array(
'name' => __( 'Main Sidebar', 'my-theme' ),
'id' => 'sidebar-1',
'description' => __( 'This is the main sidebar.', 'my-theme' ),
'before_widget' => '<div id="%1$s" class="widget %2$s">',
'after_widget' => '</div>',
'before_title' => '<h3 class="widget-title">',
'after_title' => '</h3>',
) );
}
add_action( 'widgets_init', 'my_theme_widgets_init' );
In the code above, we are using the register_sidebar()
function to register our custom widget area. This function allows us to specify a number of options for our widget area, such as its name, id, and description. We are also using the before_widget
, after_widget
, before_title
, and after_title
options to specify the HTML that should be displayed before and after our widget area and its title.
Once our custom widget area is registered, we can then add it to our theme. We can do this by adding the following code to our theme’s template files:
<?php if ( is_active_sidebar( 'sidebar-1' ) ) : ?>
<div id="secondary" class="widget-area" role="complementary">
<?php dynamic_sidebar( 'sidebar-1' ); ?>
</div>
<?php endif; ?>
In the code above, we are using the is_active_sidebar()
function to check if our custom widget area is active. If it is, we then use the dynamic_sidebar()
function to output our widget area. We can also use this function to output other built-in widget areas such as the sidebar, header, and footer.
Adding Widgets to Our Custom Widget Area
Now that we have our custom widget area set up, we can start adding widgets to it. Widgets can be added via the Appearance > Widgets page in the WordPress admin. Simply drag and drop the widgets you want to add into your custom widget area.
And that’s it! You should now have a fully functioning custom widget area in your WordPress theme.
In the following steps we will be adding a custom widget area to the WordPress Twenty Seventeen theme. This can be done in any theme but the method may be slightly different.
1. Open your child theme’s functions.php file and add the following code:
// Register Custom Sidebar
function my_custom_sidebar() {
$args = array(
‘id’ => ‘my_custom_sidebar’,
‘class’ => ‘my_custom_sidebar’,
‘name’ => __( ‘My Custom Sidebar’, ‘text_domain’ ),
‘description’ => __( ‘This is my custom sidebar.’, ‘text_domain’ ),
‘before_title’ => ‘
‘,
‘after_title’ => ‘
‘,
‘before_widget’ => ‘
‘,
);
register_sidebar( $args );
}
add_action( ‘widgets_init’, ‘my_custom_sidebar’ );
2. The code above will register a new sidebar called “My Custom Sidebar”.
3. Now we need to add some code to our template files to display the sidebar.
Open the header.php file and find the code that looks like this:
Just below that, add the following code:
4. The code above will check if the sidebar is active and if it is, it will display the sidebar.
5. Now we need to style the sidebar. Add the following CSS to your child theme’s style.css file:
#my-custom-sidebar {
background-color: #eeeeee;
padding: 10px;
}
#my-custom-sidebar h2.widget-title {
color: #000000;
}
6. The code above will style the sidebar with a light gray background and black widget titles.
And that’s it! You’ve now added a custom sidebar to your WordPress theme.
If you want to add a custom widget area to your WordPress theme, you can do so by following these steps:
1. Registering the Sidebar
The first thing you need to do is register the sidebar in your theme’s functions.php file. You can do this by adding the following code:
__( ‘Main Sidebar’, ‘my-theme’ ),
‘id’ => ‘sidebar-1’,
‘description’ => __( ‘This is the main sidebar.’, ‘my-theme’ ),
‘before_widget’ => ‘
‘,
‘before_title’ => ‘
‘,
‘after_title’ => ‘
‘,
) );
}
add_action( ‘widgets_init’, ‘my_theme_widgets_init’ );
?>
In the code above, we are registering a sidebar with the id “sidebar-1”. We are also giving it a name and description. The before_widget and after_widget parameters are used to specify the HTML that should be output before and after each widget in the sidebar. The before_title and after_title parameters are used to specify the HTML that should be output before and after each widget’s title.
2. Adding the Sidebar to Your Theme
Once you have registered the sidebar, you need to add it to your theme. You can do this by adding the following code to your theme’s sidebar.php file:
This code will output the sidebar with the id “sidebar-1”. If you want to output multiple sidebars in your theme, you can do so by adding the following code:
3. Adding Widgets to the Sidebar
Once you have registered and added the sidebar to your theme, you can start adding widgets to it. You can do this by going to the Widgets page in the WordPress admin area. You will see a list of available widgets on the left side and your sidebar on the right side.
Simply drag and drop the widgets you want to add to the sidebar. Once you are done, click on the Save button to save your changes.
4. Styling the Sidebar
Once you have added the sidebar to your theme, you can start styling it. The HTML output by the sidebar is very basic, so you will need to add your own CSS styles to make it look the way you want.
You can do this by adding the following code to your theme’s style.css file:
#sidebar-1 {
width: 25%;
float: right;
padding: 30px;
}
#sidebar-1 h2.widget-title {
font-size: 18px;
font-weight:bold;
}
#sidebar-1 ul {
list-style: none;
padding: 0;
}
#sidebar-1 li {
margin-bottom: 20px;
}
In the code above, we are adding basic CSS styles to our sidebar. You can style it however you want.
5. Adding a Custom Widget Area
If you want to add a custom widget area to your theme, you can do so by following the same steps as above. Simply register the sidebar in your theme’s functions.php file and add it to your theme.
You can then start adding widgets to the sidebar from the Widgets page in the WordPress admin area.