Adding Custom Sidebar to the Theme with Lightweight Sidebar Manager plugin

Sometimes it is required to display a suitable, separate sidebar on certain pages on the website. Apart from the default sidebar provided by the theme, you can create a custom sidebar and display it on particular pages with display rules.

To add custom sidebar you need to use Lightweight Sidebar Manager plugin, which is free and available on WordPress repository.

This plugin will replace the theme’s default sidebar with the custom sidebar. It means you can show different content on the custom sidebar for any page. It also allows replacing widget areas in header or footer. If you have plugins that provide their own widget area like WooCommerce, this plugin allows replacing those widget areas as well.

Below are the steps to use Lightweight Sidebar Manager plugin –

1. Install and activate the plugin on a WordPress site.
2. Settings can be found under Appearance > Sidebars.
3. Add New sidebar and enter a title for your custom sidebar.
4. Fill sidebar settings.

• Sidebar To Replace: Select the sidebar or widget you wish to replace. All available sidebar and widget areas in the theme will be listed here.
• Description: Add description for your custom sidebar. This is optional.
• Display On: Choose whether to display the custom sidebar on the entire website or on specific pages/posts. You can even exclude a particular page/post by adding them to the Exclusion Rule.
• User Roles: You can decide a user role for which custom sidebar should be visible. For excluded users, the default sidebar set with the theme will be visible.

5. Above steps will register the custom sidebar on site. This custom sidebar will appear under Appearance > Widgets. Here, you can add widgets to this sidebar and the same will appear on the sidebar according to the display conditions applied in the above step.

6. That’s it! Your custom sidebar will appear on pages/post/widget areas you selected with display rules.

Check following things if you are not able to see custom sidebar –

1. Default sidebar is enabled from the theme. As custom sidebar replaces default sidebar, it needs to be enabled from the theme.

2. If you have selected the sidebar to display on the header/ footer, check if the widget area is enabled for header/footer. Custom sidebar replaces the widget area in the header/footer so you need to enable it.

Using Lightweight Sidebar Manager plugin with Astra theme

Let’s support you want to show a different sidebar content on the main blog/posts page. Below is the example that shows how to add a custom sidebar to blog/posts page in Astra. It will replace the existing sidebar content on that page.

1. Install and activate the Astra theme and Lightweight Sidebar Manager plugin.

2. As we need to set a custom sidebar on the blog/posts page, we need to ensure the main sidebar is enabled on the blog/archive. To do so, simply enable the sidebar for the blog/archive from Customize > Post Types > Blog/Archive. This way, the sidebar will be enabled on the blog page and we can use custom sidebar to show different content.

3. Now follow the steps that are mentioned above to use Lightweight Sidebar Manager plugin.

4. Select Blog/Posts page in the Display rules and that will add a custom sidebar to the blog/posts page.

5. Similarly, you can add a custom sidebar to any other page on your website.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add a new sidebar?

The Lightweight Sidebar Manager plugin adds a custom sidebar that will replace the existing sidebar on your website. It does not create a new sidebar area and you cannot display multiple sidebars at once. It replaces the existing sidebar content and the default sidebar needs to be enabled on the website.

Can I show a custom sidebar on homepage? I want to show a promo offer on homepage sidebar.

Yes, this can be done with custom sidebar. To do so, ensure the sidebar is enabled on the homepage. You can enable it using Astra Meta Settings. Once done, the default sidebar will appear on the homepage. Now, use the Lightweight Sidebar Manager plugin to create a custom sidebar and choose to display on Homepage. Next, you can add the promo offer or any other content to this custom sidebar from Appearance > Widgets.

We hope the above information has been helpful to add a custom sidebar to your website. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to our support team.