Overview
Widgets are known as tools or content which are can be added, arranged or removed from the sidebar(s) of your website or blog. Widgets make it easier for users to customize the content of the sidebar(s). If the sidebar does not show up, you might have to add at least one widget. More information about widgets can be found by checking out the Related links on the right.
In order to show you how to add a widget, the following video will include a quick overview of how widgets work, then please take a closer look below for more specific examples and settings.
Widget can be accessed from the My Sites -> Customize. (Option will be shown to the right of Themes on that menu.)
This action will lead you to the Customizer, where you can add and remove, or configure widgets for your site.
Adding and Configuring Widgets
In the Customizer, choose Widgets tab. Your theme’s available widget areas should appear (maybe it will look a little bit different from this):
When you want to insert a widget, first choose a widget area. Click on Add a Widget in the panel. The Customizer will show all of the widget options that you can insert.
Scroll the alphabetized list of widget options, or else you can use the search field at the top to find your desired one. After that, choose a widget to add it. The Customizer will show a box to configure the widget’s settings.
After you finished updating the necessary field, choose Close on the bottom left of the widget box. A widget can also be reopened and updated by using the small down facing arrow, or be removed by clicking Delete.
These widget panels can also be reordered. All you need to do is hover over and mouse-click to select and drag it up or down, up to the position you’d like it to appear. After all the changes, please remember to save them by clicking the blue Save & Publish button at the top of the panel.
You can find more information about a particular widget by clicking the Related section on the right side of this page.
Widget Visibility
You can configure the widgets to appear only on certain pages (or they ca be hidde on certain pages) by choosing the Visibility button.
There are six aspects that control visibility: Page type, date, tag, taxonomy and category. For instance, in case you want the Archives widget to appear only on category archives anderror pages, click “Show” from the first dropdown and choose two rules: “Page is 404 Error Page” and “Category is All Category Pages.”
Widgets can also be hidden based on the current page. For instance, If you do not want th Archives widget to appear on search results pages, click “Hide” and “Page” is Search Results.”
Each of the visibility rule will be handled separately. There is no way, e.g., to only display a widget on posts that are categorized as “Summer” and also tagged is “Picnic.”
Removing Widgets
If you need to remove a widget from the sidebar, click the Delete link in the configuration options as how above.
Accessibility Mode
In case you want to have a more accessible way to add widgets, go to My Sites Settings WP Admin Appearance Widgets and toggle Screen Options to turn off the drag and drop feature.
In accessibility mode, you can insert widgets to your sidebar using Add links which lies next to each widget name.
And you are able to modify widgets using the Edit links.
Instruction to enable Accessibility Mode Via Keyboard
These following instructions will help you enable Accessibility mode if you use screen reader and keyboard navigation:
- Choose My site -> Setting -> WP Admin -> Appearance -> Widgets.
- Press ‘L’ to skip from lists after lists till you see ‘HELP’. Or else, press ‘landmark’ command one time to reach ‘NAVIGATION MENU’.
- Scroll down and you will hear ‘screen option – collapse’
- Press ‘ENTER’ to open drop down menu.
- You will find “Enable accessibility mode” is the only option available. Choose that option and you can have keyboard options for many of the widgets.
If you find any trouble or see any other accessibility issues while using a keyboard, please contact support for necessary assistance.
Troubleshooting
Why are sidebar elements showing up on my blog that aren’t listed under my widgets?
Some of the older themes provide a set of sidebar elements. For instance, the Nuntius theme provides a search bar and an archives list as default sidebar elements. If you go to My Sites Customize Widgets, you will find these elements NOT appear among your Current Widgets. In order to remove these sidebar elements, choose My Sites Customize Widgets and insert more widgets to the widget area. This action will replace all sidebar elements with the widget(s) you have changed.
Using Widgets Effectively
Widgets offer variety of ways to insert more interest and content to your site. Please visit best advice and tutorials on how to use widgets.
