Choose widget areas for specific content

When different posts, pages, or member areas need different widgets, Content Aware Sidebars Pro lets you set display rules in a sidebar editor. Create custom sidebars, then select whether they replace, merge with, or hide a theme sidebar under selected conditions. You can combine rules, such as targeting posts in a category by a particular author, or select a sidebar while editing a post or page.

Available contexts include posts, pages, custom post types and taxonomies, page templates, blog and post type archives, author and taxonomy archives, the front page, search results, and 404 pages. The plugin also supports bbPress profiles, forums and topics; BuddyPress profile sections and groups; Pods pages; and languages through supported translation integrations. Custom post types and taxonomies created by add-ons or themes are autodetected.

Refine conditions and placement

Pro adds conditions based on Advanced Custom Fields or Meta Box data, URLs with wildcards, referrer URLs, date archives, content publish dates, and BuddyPress groups. You can also display a random widget area when you want variation.

Place a widget area after a specified number or percentage of paragraphs, or add it through a theme hook without coding. Sticky sidebars and widget areas are available without jQuery. Scheduling settings include start and end dates, plus selected time ranges on specified weekdays.

Adjust layouts and manage widgets

The Widget Area Designer adds responsive columns and controls for colors, backgrounds, padding, and other presentation settings. You can also change the HTML and CSS classes for widget areas, widgets, and widget titles without writing code.

Automatic Widgets Backup can restore changed or deleted widgets. Widget Cleaner can disable and remove unused widgets. Extended User Visibility lets you display or hide areas according to user roles, BuddyPress groups, and other supported visibility settings; Sidebar Visibility can hide widget areas from logged-out customers.

Use the Container Widget to make an area reusable in multiple places. Totem adds a floating button for widgets, and 1-Click Sidebar Activation provides a quick way to activate or deactivate areas. Live Search and the split-screen widget manager help you find and manage widgets when a site has many areas. You can also duplicate widget areas when setting up similar configurations.

Integrations and setup

Use the add-on for WooCommerce product areas, BuddyPress member areas, bbPress forum areas, or language-specific areas through supported integrations. Integrations include Easy Digital Downloads, Pods, Polylang, TranslatePress, Transposh, Weglot, and WPML. The plugin can also work alongside page builders such as Elementor, SiteOrigin Page Builder, Beaver Builder, and Visual Composer.

In WordPress, make a widget area, choose its display conditions, set any schedule or visibility rules, and assign widgets. Then select it while editing content, or use paragraph placement or a supported theme hook. Adjust the design settings to fit your theme.