Title: Sidebar error message
Last modified: August 20, 2016

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# Sidebar error message

 *  Resolved [rsadorf](https://wordpress.org/support/users/rsadorf/)
 * (@rsadorf)
 * [13 years, 2 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/sidebar-error-message-1/)
 * My sidebar disappeared and this error code is there now:
 * Parse error: syntax error, unexpected $end in /home/rsadorf/public_html/wp-content/
   themes/zeemagazine/sidebar.php on line 22
 * How can I correct this? I was following instructions on inserting a feedburner
   email subscription.
 * Please Help!!!
 * My site is
    [usefulbeautifulhome.com](http://usefulbeautifulhome.com)

Viewing 6 replies - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)

 *  [WPyogi](https://wordpress.org/support/users/wpyogi/)
 * (@wpyogi)
 * [13 years, 2 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/sidebar-error-message-1/#post-3632714)
 * Download a new copy of [your theme ](http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/zeemagazine)
   to your local computer – then using FTP, replace that file (sidebar.php) with
   the new one.
 * After you get this fixed, before you make changes to theme files, you should 
   make a child theme – see: [http://codex.wordpress.org/Child_Themes](http://codex.wordpress.org/Child_Themes)
 *  Thread Starter [rsadorf](https://wordpress.org/support/users/rsadorf/)
 * (@rsadorf)
 * [13 years, 2 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/sidebar-error-message-1/#post-3632795)
 * Thank you kindly, WPyogi!!! It worked!!! Would you mind giving me a quick explanation
   of the reason to make a child theme?
 *  [WPyogi](https://wordpress.org/support/users/wpyogi/)
 * (@wpyogi)
 * [13 years, 2 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/sidebar-error-message-1/#post-3632796)
 * YAY! Changes you make to theme files will be overwritten and lost when the theme
   is updated – and that’s obviously not a happy situation :(. And it’s really necessary
   to do updates to your theme – as they can involve security fixes and/or compatibility
   with WP Core. So you can’t really get around it by thinking “oh I just won’t 
   update my theme…
 *  Thread Starter [rsadorf](https://wordpress.org/support/users/rsadorf/)
 * (@rsadorf)
 * [13 years, 2 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/sidebar-error-message-1/#post-3632798)
 * So, making a child theme will keep the customized changes I make to my site? 
   Is that considered a back-up? I was beginning to explore the need to back up 
   my site in case it crashes. Is creating a child theme the only back up I need
   to perform other than what Host Gator automatically does from time to time?
 * Also, where do I begin to find the directions to create a child theme?
 * Thank you for your patience in explaining the basics for me (sheepish smile)!
 *  [WPyogi](https://wordpress.org/support/users/wpyogi/)
 * (@wpyogi)
 * [13 years, 2 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/sidebar-error-message-1/#post-3632800)
 * No, it’s not a back-up at all – it’s your live site. Even if HostGator does back-
   ups, you should absolutely be doing your own complete back-ups regularly – just
   like any other computer:
 * [http://codex.wordpress.org/WordPress_Backups](http://codex.wordpress.org/WordPress_Backups)
 * We get people here who had no backup of their own and thought their host was 
   doing it – but either the host really didn’t, or messed up or had a server failure
   or whatever. Bad things happen…whether machine or human error and it’s really
   awful to even think about losing all the work you put into a site :)!
 * See my post above re: link to Child Theme instructions.
 *  Thread Starter [rsadorf](https://wordpress.org/support/users/rsadorf/)
 * (@rsadorf)
 * [13 years, 2 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/sidebar-error-message-1/#post-3632805)
 * Thank you! You’ve been more than helpful with the info and the links I need. 
   Thank you kindly!

Viewing 6 replies - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)

The topic ‘Sidebar error message’ is closed to new replies.

## Tags

 * [parse-error](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/parse-error/)

 * 6 replies
 * 2 participants
 * Last reply from: [rsadorf](https://wordpress.org/support/users/rsadorf/)
 * Last activity: [13 years, 2 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/sidebar-error-message-1/#post-3632805)
 * Status: resolved

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