Working with Widgets

Widgets appear in page sidebars and related widget areas. This article shows you how to open the Widgets hub, choose a sidebar position, add widgets, and edit or remove the widgets already in place.

Before you begin: Open the page or post whose sidebar you want to change. Widget settings apply to the content currently shown in the preview.

Widgets vs. modules

Widgets and modules both add content, but to different regions of the page:

Widgets Modules
Where they appear The page sidebar and related widget areas The main content area of the page
What they are for Supporting content beside the main area The page's sections, top to bottom
Where you manage them Widgets in the toolbar, or page Settings → Widgets Modules hub, or directly on the preview

If the content you want to change is part of the body of the page rather than the sidebar, see Working with Modules instead.

Open Site Edit

From My Sites, find the site you want to update and select SITE EDIT.

The SITE EDIT button on a site card

Open the page or post you want to change

Widget changes apply to the content currently loaded in the preview, so open the right page or post first.

  1. Open Pages and select the page you want, or use the Blog Posts filter to find a post.
  2. You can also browse to the page using your site's own navigation inside the preview.
  3. Confirm the preview shows the expected page or post before you open Widgets.

For blog posts: Open the post's Widgets tab and turn on Enable custom sidebar before creating a sidebar setup for that individual post. Otherwise, the post uses the shared blog-post widget setup.

Open the Widgets hub

In the Site Edit toolbar, select Widgets.

The Widgets hub with sidebar position controls
  1. On this page: Review widgets already assigned to the current page.
  2. Add widget: Browse the widget catalog and add widgets.
  3. Sidebar position: Choose Left, None, or Right.

You can also reach widgets from Settings → Widgets → Manage widgets for the page currently in the preview. Both routes open the same controls for that page, so use whichever is closer to what you are already doing.

Set the sidebar position

  1. Open Widgets.
  2. Stay on On this page.
  3. Select Left, None, or Right.

Choosing None hides the sidebar for that page. The widgets you assigned stay listed under On this page, so switching back to Left or Right brings the sidebar back with its widgets. Because the sidebar position is a setting for the page in the preview, changing it on one page does not move the sidebar on your other pages — repeat the steps for each page you want to match.

The sidebar shares the page with the main content area, so it is worth checking the preview after switching sides or hiding the sidebar to make sure the layout still reads well.

Add a widget

  1. Open the Add widget tab.
  2. Browse or search the catalog.
  3. Select a widget to add it to the current page.
  4. Configure the widget fields that appear, then close the panel.

If On this page shows “No widgets yet,” switch to Add widget to start.

The fields you configure depend on the widget you chose, so each widget presents its own options. After adding a widget, return to On this page to confirm it is listed and check how it renders in the preview.

Edit or remove widgets

  1. Open On this page.
  2. Select a widget to edit its settings.
  3. Remove widgets you no longer need.

Removing a widget affects only the page in the preview. If you want the same sidebar on several pages, review each page individually.

What happens to your draft

Widget changes — position, additions, edits, and removals — are saved to the Site Edit draft rather than to the live site. While unpublished changes exist, the draft bar stays visible with a change summary and the DISCARD and PUBLISH actions. Widget edits share that draft with your other Site Edit work, such as module, design, and settings changes.

Troubleshooting

  • The sidebar is not showing even though widgets are listed. Check the sidebar position on On this page — if it is set to None, the sidebar is hidden for that page.
  • The widget list is empty. On this page shows “No widgets yet” until you add one. Switch to Add widget to browse the catalog.
  • Your change affected the wrong page. Widget settings apply to the content in the preview. Reopen the intended page from Pages, confirm it is loaded, then make the change again.
  • You cannot find a particular widget. Use the search in Add widget, or Search in the toolbar, which looks across settings, modules, and widgets.
  • A widget looks unconfigured. Reopen it from On this page and complete its fields, then close the panel so the change is recorded.
  • A blog post does not offer its own sidebar setup. Open This Blog Post → Widgets and turn on Enable custom sidebar.
  • Your change is not on the live site. Draft changes go live only when you select PUBLISH. That is separate from a page's own Status setting.

Publish your changes

Widget changes are part of the Site Edit draft. Select PUBLISH to apply them to the live site, or DISCARD to remove unpublished changes.

For more about applying or removing pending changes, see Publishing and Discarding Drafts.

Need more help?

For questions, concerns, or feedback, chat with our team at app.placester.com/chat.

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