Title: Adding a column without changing template
Last modified: August 20, 2016

---

# Adding a column without changing template

 *  [flick_is](https://wordpress.org/support/users/flick_is/)
 * (@flick_is)
 * [13 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/adding-a-column-without-changing-template/)
 * Hiya there,
 * I’d really like to add another column to the right hand site of my website, [http://www.getyourrockout.com](http://www.getyourrockout.com)
 * without changing the template over, so I can display widgets in it as I do in
   the sidebar on the left of the page.
 * I’ve absolutely no idea how to do this!
 * Is there anybody who could help at all?
 * Thanks so much,
 * Felicity

Viewing 4 replies - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)

 *  [Michael](https://wordpress.org/support/users/alchymyth/)
 * (@alchymyth)
 * [13 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/adding-a-column-without-changing-template/#post-3359888)
 * > without changing template
 * won’t work – you will need to change the theme (at least some of the templates)
   to achieve that.
 *  Thread Starter [flick_is](https://wordpress.org/support/users/flick_is/)
 * (@flick_is)
 * [13 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/adding-a-column-without-changing-template/#post-3359891)
 * Ahh, I thought that would be the answer – sad!
 * Thanks so much,
 * Felicity
 *  [Michael](https://wordpress.org/support/users/alchymyth/)
 * (@alchymyth)
 * [13 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/adding-a-column-without-changing-template/#post-3359893)
 * while keeping the same theme, you would need to:
 * – edit header.php (or any other suitable template(s)) to add a call for the right
   sidebar; something like `<?php get_sidebar('right'); ?>`;
    [http://codex.wordpress.org/Function_Reference/get_sidebar](http://codex.wordpress.org/Function_Reference/get_sidebar)
 * – edit functions.php to add the `register_sidebar()` code for the new widget 
   areas;
    [http://codex.wordpress.org/Function_Reference/register_sidebar](http://codex.wordpress.org/Function_Reference/register_sidebar)
 * – add a new sidebar-right.php with the correxponding code;
    [http://codex.wordpress.org/Function_Reference/dynamic_sidebar](http://codex.wordpress.org/Function_Reference/dynamic_sidebar)
 * – edit style.css to add styles to format the new sidebar (this is imho the most
   challenging part of the customisation).
 * general: [http://codex.wordpress.org/Widgetizing_Themes](http://codex.wordpress.org/Widgetizing_Themes)
 *  [Michael](https://wordpress.org/support/users/alchymyth/)
 * (@alchymyth)
 * [13 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/adding-a-column-without-changing-template/#post-3359900)
 * general:
 * the header.php edit could be:
 *     ```
       </ul>
       				</div>
   
       <?php get_sidebar('second'); ?>
   
       				<div id="main">
       ```
   
 * the functions.php added code could be:
 *     ```
       register_sidebar( array(
       	'name'          => 'Second Sidebar',
       	'id'            => 'second',
       	'description'   => '')
       	);
       ```
   
 * the sidebar-second.php code could be:
 *     ```
       <div id="sidebar" class="second">
       		<ul>
       			<?php 	/* Widgetized sidebar, if you have the plugin installed. */
       					if ( !function_exists('dynamic_sidebar') || !dynamic_sidebar('second') ) : ?>
   
       			<?php /* If this is the frontpage */ if ( is_home() || is_page() ) { ?>
       				<li><h2>Meta</h2>
       				<ul>
       					<?php wp_register(); ?>
       					<li><?php wp_loginout(); ?></li>
       				</ul>
       				</li>
       			<?php } ?>
   
       			<?php endif; ?>
       		</ul>
       	</div>
       ```
   
 * for the formatting, you will need to create space for the new sidebar, this involves
   several of the div where the width is close to 900px;
    you will need to add at
   least:
 *     ```
       /* Sidebar second */
   
       #sidebar.second {
       	float: left;
       	width: 190px;
       	margin-left: 15px;
       	margin-right: 0;
       }
       ```
   
 * (possibly much more if you need the sidebars to be of different widths)
 * and you will need to adjust a whole lot of background images.
 * (this has not taken into account whatever changes you already made to the styles,
   as your sidebar is on the left and a different width as compared to the original
   theme)

Viewing 4 replies - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)

The topic ‘Adding a column without changing template’ is closed to new replies.

## Tags

 * [column](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/column/)
 * [editing](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/editing/)
 * [template](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/template/)

 * 4 replies
 * 2 participants
 * Last reply from: [Michael](https://wordpress.org/support/users/alchymyth/)
 * Last activity: [13 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/adding-a-column-without-changing-template/#post-3359900)
 * Status: not resolved

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