Using WordPress ‘register_sidebar()’ PHP function

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The register_sidebar() WordPress PHP function builds the definition for a single sidebar and returns its ID.

Usage

register_sidebar( $args );

Parameters

  • $args (array|string, Optional): Array or string of arguments for the sidebar being registered. See the details below:
    • name (string): The name or title of the sidebar displayed in the Widgets interface. Default is ‘Sidebar $instance’.
    • id (string): The unique identifier by which the sidebar will be called. Default is ‘sidebar-$instance’.
    • description (string): Description of the sidebar, displayed in the Widgets interface. Default is an empty string.
    • class (string): Extra CSS class to assign to the sidebar in the Widgets interface.
    • before_widget (string): HTML content to prepend to each widget’s HTML output when assigned to this sidebar. Default is an opening list item element.
    • after_widget (string): HTML content to append to each widget’s HTML output when assigned to this sidebar. Default is a closing list item element.
    • before_title (string): HTML content to prepend to the sidebar title when displayed. Default is an opening h2 element.
    • after_title (string): HTML content to append to the sidebar title when displayed. Default is a closing h2 element.
    • before_sidebar (string): HTML content to prepend to the sidebar when displayed. Default is an empty string.
    • after_sidebar (string): HTML content to append to the sidebar when displayed. Default is an empty string.
    • show_in_rest (bool): Whether to show this sidebar publicly in the REST API. Defaults to only showing the sidebar to administrator users.

More information

See WordPress Developer Resources: register_sidebar()

Examples

Register a basic sidebar

Registers a simple sidebar with default settings.

register_sidebar();

Register a sidebar with a custom name and description

Registers a sidebar with a custom name and description for the Widgets interface.

register_sidebar( array(
    'name' => 'Custom Sidebar',
    'description' => 'A custom sidebar for my theme.',
));

Register a sidebar with custom HTML structure

Registers a sidebar with custom HTML structure for widgets and titles.

register_sidebar( array(
    'name' => 'Custom HTML Sidebar',
    'before_widget' => '<div class="widget-container">',
    'after_widget' => '</div>',
    'before_title' => '<h3 class="widget-title">',
    'after_title' => '</h3>',
));

Register multiple sidebars

Registers multiple sidebars using a loop.

for ( $i = 1; $i <= 3; $i++ ) {
    register_sidebar( array(
        'name' => "Footer Sidebar $i",
        'id' => "footer-sidebar-$i",
    ));
}

Register a sidebar visible to administrator users in REST API

Registers a sidebar that is publicly visible to administrator users in the REST API.

register_sidebar( array(
    'name' => 'REST API Sidebar',
    'show_in_rest' => true,
));