As with most themes, you get sidebars to publish widgets to. This theme offers up to 28 sidebar positions. This introduction and tutorial is in two parts, one for the actual sidebars and the other redirects you to a more indepth introduction of how sidebars work…specifically dynamic sidebars.
Prelude Sidebars
As mentioned, you get up to 28 sidebar positions with this theme. You can see them on the live demo site HERE or view the screenshot below:
Header Sidebar
This is a special sidebar that is only available when using the Header Style 2 option.
Left and Right Sidebars
Some sidebars are basic while others are dynamic (adjustable to available space) and some won’t show unless you turn them on from the customizer. With the Left and Right sidebars, you get two sets of each, one for the blog section of your site and one for actual pages:
- Blog Left Sidebar
- Blog Right Sidebar
- Page Left Sidebar
- Page Right Sidebar
This means that if you publish a widget to the Blog Right Sidebar, this will not show on the Page Right Sidebar…and vice versa. If you want the same widget to show on both, you will need to publish a new one to the Page Right Sidebar.
Showcase Sidebars
You get one Showcase sidebar group for the bottom of your page. They are not turned on by default because it helps save space and clutter in your widget’s admin area and the customizer. Why have something showing if you don’t plan to use them, right! To turn on either one, follow these steps:
- Go to Appearance >> Customize >> Site Options
- If you want the bottom showcase sidebars, then look for the “Turn on the Bottom Showcase Sidebars” and check that box
- Click “Save & Publish” at the top.
When you have either one turned on, you will find that in the customizer, there is a new tab added titled “Showcase Options” where you will find custom settings for both the top and bottom showcase (if you have both enabled).
In addition to the new customizer settings being added, you will now see Showcase sidebars added to the widgets admin area:
Show Widgets on Select Pages Only
To show widgets on select pages, you will need a plugin like Display Widgets. Or, if you use Jetpack, the Widget Visibility feature will also do the job.