Widgets and Sidebars
Although widgets are actually accessed through the Appearance module of the Dashboard they are, we think, important enough to warrant their own page in these help help and instruction documents. In order to use and understand widgets you must also understand sidebars
Sidebars are the (usually) narrow columns to the left and/or right of the main contact section of many pages created using the WordPress website engine. These are a traditional feature of the WordPress blog and have been carried over into the website structure.
Sidebars may, or may not, be included on a page. Typically there is one or two sidebars per page where they do appear and, when there is more than one, they are sometimes split on opposite sites of the content section of the page.
Sidebars are where widgets usually appear. Widgets are little, usually single function, options that most often appear as a titled box with some specialized content. Search boxes, category lists, blog post calendars, visitor counters, and announcement text boxes are all typical examples of widgets.
