How to Make More Than 9 Text Sidebar Widgets in Wordpress
Filed Under: Blogging, Did You Know?, How To, Technology
UPDATE Feb 2008: If you are using Wordpress 2.3, here is an article that gives you information how to get more widgets with WP 2.3. If you are using an older version of Wordpress then read on.
If you are using the plugin Sidebar Widgets by Automattic, Inc. you’ve noticed that there are only 9 text widgets available. If you need more than 9 text widgets, here is the simple hack to increase this number.
You will need to edit the widgets.php file which is not as hard as it seems.
Here’s how:
- UPDATE OFFLINE. Open widgets.php from your files on your computer.
- SAVE BACKUP. Do Save As on widgets.php and call it original_widgets.php so if anything happens you can go back to the original. (Of course you could always download it again too if you have a problem.)
- CHANGE FILES. Make the following changes:
- FIND: widget_text_setup(), CHANGE the number 9 to your desired number where it says if ( $number > 9 ) $number = 9;
- FIND widget_text_register(), CHANGE the number 9 to your desired number where it says if ( $number > 9 ) $number = 9;
for ($i = 1; $i <= 9; $i++) - FIND widget_text_page(), then look for <?php for ( $i = 1; $i < 10; ++$i ) echo CHANGE the number 10 to be your desired higher number plus one. For example if you are changing the number of items to 20 then you will put 21 here.
- UPLOAD. Save and Upload this new via FTP to your server. You may either overwrite the old file or delete the old file and then upload the newer version. (Keep the same name of the file)
- INCREASE. Go into your Wordpress admin panel>Presentation>Sidebar Widgets and using the dropdown menu click on the number of widgets you want.
You now can have as many Sidebar Text Widgets as your blog can handle! Happy Plugin Time!
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Gaurav | May 30, 2007 | Reply
I tried it but not happening its still show max 9 only.
I followed your above instruction very well still not successs.
Will you please let us download your widget code i.e your edited widgets.php
I will be delited if you mail it to me.
Thnaks u very much for this article.
Would like to get your feedback with attachment of edited widgets.php
Thanks, Gaurav.
Gaurav | May 30, 2007 | Reply
Please!!! Plublish The source code of your Widgets.php
I’m not able to fetch it
TallFreak | Jun 7, 2007 | Reply
Where do I find this widgets.php file? I use Wordpress 2.2 and it’s not in my theme editor. I did find two “widgets.php” files in other directories but none of them had the widgets_text_setup code in them.
agentsully | Jun 9, 2007 | Reply
Hmmm, I haven’t upgraded yet. I’m still on 2.1.
Did you install “wordpress widgets” on your blog? Or are you just using what came with WP 2.2? You may need to install “WP widgets” (by Automattic) in order to do this.
If you do install it, then just edit the widgets.php file before uploading it to your site.
If this doesn’t help it might be beyond my expertise, and I would refer you to wordpress.org/support. You can post a question there and usually within 1 day (often sooner) someone will respond with an answer.
Let me know how it turns out!
agentsully | Jun 9, 2007 | Reply
Congrats on your Sarah Silverman interview! Great site you have there!
steve | Jun 13, 2007 | Reply
This is a fantastic tip! Been looking for ways to do this for a while now - it’s been the only thing holding me back from using the widget sidebar.
Thanks……
–Steve
steve | Jun 13, 2007 | Reply
Hmmmm…my drop down now shows 20, but when I click “Save” I still only see 9 text widgets in the box above. Any ideas?
–Steve
agentsully | Jun 13, 2007 | Reply
you need to drag them into the side bar from the “holding area” (i don’t know what else to call it.) Let me know if that works.
steve | Jun 13, 2007 | Reply
I only see 10 text widgets in the holding area…not the 20 as selected in my drop down.
agentsully | Jun 13, 2007 | Reply
the 10 that are in the holding area are the new 10 ones. Your original ones should still be in place and now you just drag the new ones where you want them.
which version of WP are you running? If you’re on 2.2 then things may work differently, but I don’t think they should.
steve | Jun 14, 2007 | Reply
Thanks to your offline help, I discovered I hadn’t updated one line of text:
for ($i = 1; $i
Appreciate you taking time to assist me.
–Steve
agentsully | Jun 14, 2007 | Reply
anytime, Steve! Glad it all got figured out.
Gaurav | Jul 20, 2007 | Reply
Hi agentsully remember me ? I’m the same person who gave comment no. 3 on this page and whom you emailed me once your source code of widgets.php
I tried your method again and again and finally succeded after 1 and half months. Too long
Actually a point to make here, I’ve also written similar article on this but applicable to latest version of wordpress i.e 2.2 and 2.2.1 @ this url
http://erudite.110mb.com/text-widgets-more-than-9-wordpress-sidebar/
Hope you visit.
Last ponit if you’re still using v2.1 of wp I think you should upgrade it quickly since it is full of vulnerabilities.
Rds, Gaurav