Sidebar Layouts

BuddyX Pro lets you set a default sidebar position for the whole site and override it per content type (BuddyPress, WooCommerce, bbPress, LearnDash, LearnPress, LifterLMS). Every sidebar control offers the same four positions and a single global sticky toggle keeps sidebars in view while visitors scroll.

Sidebar layout configuration in the WordPress Customizer

Accessing Sidebar Settings

1. Go to Appearance > Customize
2. Open the Site Sidebar section

Default Sidebar Layout

The Default Sidebar Layout control (sidebar_option) sets the sidebar position for your entire site. Its default is Right.

Available Layouts

Every sidebar control in BuddyX Pro offers exactly these four positions - there is no fifth "Default" choice on the site-wide or integration controls:

Layout	Key value	Description	Best For
Right	right	Content left, sidebar right	Traditional blog layout, most common
Left	left	Sidebar left, content right	Alternative layout, good for RTL
Both	both	Sidebars on both sides	Content-rich sites, magazines
None	none	Full-width content	Modern, minimal designs

Layout Selection

Right Sidebar:
┌──────────────────────┬─────────┐
│                      │         │
│      Content         │ Sidebar │
│                      │         │
└──────────────────────┴─────────┘

Left Sidebar:
┌─────────┬──────────────────────┐
│         │                      │
│ Sidebar │      Content         │
│         │                      │
└─────────┴──────────────────────┘

Both Sidebars:
┌─────────┬──────────────┬─────────┐
│         │              │         │
│ Sidebar │   Content    │ Sidebar │
│         │              │         │
└─────────┴──────────────┴─────────┘

No Sidebar:
┌────────────────────────────────┐
│                                │
│           Content              │
│                                │
└────────────────────────────────┘

Sidebar Width

The sidebar width is a single global control - there is no per-context width and no minimum/maximum slider.

Setting	Key	Customizer location	Default
Global Sidebar Width	site_sidebar_width	Appearance > Customize > General > Site Layout	260px

Enter the width as a pixel value (for example 260px). On tablet and mobile the sidebar reflows below content automatically.

Content-Specific Sidebar Settings

The Site Sidebar section registers one sidebar control per content type. Each integration control appears only when the matching plugin is active, and each offers the same four positions (None, Left, Right, Both) - there is no per-context "Default" choice on these controls.

Control label	Key	Default	Shows when
Default Sidebar Layout	sidebar_option	Right	Always
Activity Directory Sidebar Layout	buddypress_sidebar_option	Both	BuddyPress active (and Youzify not active)
Members Directory Sidebar Layout	buddypress_members_sidebar_option	Right	BuddyPress active (and Youzify not active)
Groups Directory Sidebar Layout	buddypress_groups_sidebar_option	Right	BuddyPress active (and Youzify not active)
bbPress Sidebar Layout	bbpress_sidebar_option	Right	bbPress active
WooCommerce Sidebar Layout	woocommerce_sidebar_option	Right	WooCommerce active
LearnDash Sidebar Layout	ld_sidebar_option	Right	LearnDash (SFWD_LMS) active
LearnPress Sidebar Layout	lp_sidebar_option	Right	LearnPress active
LifterLMS Archive Sidebar	lifterlms_course_archive_sidebar	None (full width)	LifterLMS active

Note: Each integration exposes a single sidebar control that governs that plugin's pages - there is no separate archive-vs-single split for WooCommerce, bbPress, or LearnDash inside the Site Sidebar section. LifterLMS defaults to None (full-width course archive); the rest default to Right (BuddyPress activity defaults to Both).

Blog sidebars live in the Blog panel

Two blog sidebar controls sit outside the Site Sidebar section, in the Blog customizer sections:

Control label	Key	Customizer location	Choices	Applies on
Sidebar	blog_archive_sidebar	Blog Archive section	Default, None, Left, Right, Both	The blog feed - is_home() (latest-posts homepage), category / tag / author / date archives for the post type. New in 5.1.0.
Sidebar layout	single_post_sidebar_option	Single Post section	None, Left, Right, Both	Individual blog posts (is_singular('post')). Moved here from Site Sidebar in 5.1.0.

Migration note (5.1.0): blog_archive_sidebar defaults to Default (empty string), which means "inherit the global sidebar_option". single_post_sidebar_option keeps its setting key, default, and value shape from before 5.1.0 - only its customizer location changed (from Site Sidebar to the new Single Post section). Existing customer sites render byte-identical on upgrade; only a customer who explicitly picks a non-inherit value sees the override apply.

Available Widget Areas

BuddyX Pro registers multiple widget areas for different contexts:

Primary Sidebars

Widget Area	Description
Primary Sidebar	Default right sidebar
Secondary Sidebar	Default left sidebar (for both-sidebar layout)

BuddyPress Sidebars

Widget Area	Appears On
BuddyPress Left Sidebar	BP pages with left sidebar
BuddyPress Right Sidebar	BP pages with right sidebar
Members Directory Sidebar	Member listing page
Groups Directory Sidebar	Groups listing page
Activity Sidebar	Activity stream pages

WooCommerce Sidebars

Widget Area	Appears On
WooCommerce Left Sidebar	Shop pages with left sidebar
WooCommerce Right Sidebar	Shop pages with right sidebar

LearnDash Sidebars

Widget Area	Appears On
LearnDash Course Sidebar	Course archive and single course
LearnDash Group Sidebar	LearnDash group pages

bbPress Sidebars

Widget Area	Appears On
bbPress Left Sidebar	Forum pages with left sidebar
bbPress Right Sidebar	Forum pages with right sidebar

Other Sidebars

Widget Area	Appears On
FluentCart Left Sidebar	FluentCart shop pages
FluentCart Right Sidebar	FluentCart product pages
LearnPress Left Sidebar	LearnPress course pages
LearnPress Right Sidebar	LearnPress lesson pages
LifterLMS Left Sidebar	LifterLMS course pages
LifterLMS Right Sidebar	LifterLMS lesson pages

Sticky Sidebar

Keep sidebars visible while scrolling through long content. This is a single on/off toggle - there is no offset or distance setting.

Setting	Key	Description	Default
Sticky Sidebar ?	sticky_sidebar_option	Fix sidebars on scroll (desktop)	On (Yes)

How It Works:

1. User scrolls page
2. When sidebar top reaches viewport top
3. Sidebar becomes fixed position
4. Sidebar scrolls internally if taller than viewport
5. Returns to normal at content end

See the Sticky Sidebar guide for the full walkthrough.

Best Practices:

• Enable for long-form content
• Ensure sidebar content isn't too tall
• Test on various screen sizes
• Consider disabling on mobile

Configuring Widget Areas

Adding Widgets

1. Go to Appearance > Widgets
2. Find the widget area you want to configure
3. Click the + button or drag widgets
4. Configure widget settings
5. Save changes

Recommended Widgets by Context

Blog Sidebar:

• Search
• Recent Posts
• Categories
• Archives
• Tag Cloud

BuddyPress Sidebar:

• Who's Online
• Recently Active Members
• Groups
• Site-wide Activity

WooCommerce Sidebar:

• Product Search
• Product Categories
• Price Filter
• Active Filters
• Recently Viewed

LearnDash Sidebar:

• Course Progress
• Course Navigation
• Related Courses

Per-Page Sidebar Override

Override sidebar settings on individual pages, posts, and public custom post types via the unified Page Settings meta box (5.1.0+):

1. Edit any page / post / CPT (works in both the block and classic editors)
2. Scroll below the post content area to the Page Settings panel
3. Open the Layout section and pick a Sidebar option
4. Save / Update the entry

Available Per-Page Sidebar Options:

Option	Behavior
Default	Use the Customizer sidebar setting (no override)
Left	Force left sidebar on this entry
Right	Force right sidebar on this entry
None	Hide the sidebar entirely on this entry

The same panel exposes 9 other per-entry overrides (sub-header, sub-header title, content width, site header, site footer, header style, side panel, color mode, site loader). See the Page Settings reference under Branding > Page Settings for the full control list.

Backward compatibility: customers who saved sidebar / sub-header / side-panel overrides under the pre-5.1.0 meta boxes (buddyx_side_panel_settings, buddyx_sub_header_settings) keep their data intact - the new unified panel reads and writes the same legacy meta keys.

Layout Hierarchy

Sidebar settings follow this priority:

1. Per-page setting (highest priority)
2. Content-type setting (e.g., Blog Archive Sidebar)
3. Global setting (fallback)

Example:

• Global: Right Sidebar
• Blog Archive: Left Sidebar
• Specific Post: No Sidebar

Result: That specific post shows no sidebar, other blog posts show left sidebar, other content shows right sidebar.

Troubleshooting

Sidebar Not Showing

Problem: Sidebar doesn't appear even when enabled.

Solutions:

1. Add widgets to the appropriate widget area
2. Check content-type specific settings
3. Check per-page override settings
4. Verify the correct sidebar position is selected
5. Clear caching plugins

Wrong Widgets Appearing

Problem: Widgets from another sidebar appear.

Solutions:

1. Verify widgets are in the correct widget area
2. Check that context-specific sidebars have widgets
3. Empty sidebars fall back to primary sidebar
4. Review sidebar names carefully when adding widgets

Sidebar Overlapping Content

Problem: Sidebar overlaps or pushes content incorrectly.

Solutions:

1. Reduce sidebar width
2. Check for CSS conflicts
3. Disable conflicting plugins
4. Verify responsive breakpoints

Sticky Sidebar Jumping

Problem: Sticky sidebar jumps or behaves erratically.

Solutions:

1. Ensure sidebar isn't taller than viewport
2. Check for JavaScript conflicts
3. Disable other sticky plugins
4. Confirm the Sticky Sidebar ? toggle is set to Yes

Mobile Sidebar Behavior

On mobile devices, sidebars behave differently:

Device	Behavior
Desktop (>1024px)	Sidebars display as configured
Tablet (768-1024px)	Single sidebar, reduced width
Mobile (<768px)	Sidebars below content or hidden

Mobile Options:

• Sidebars can stack below content
• Can be hidden entirely on mobile
• Can become toggleable off-canvas
• Controlled in Mobile/Responsive settings

Related Documentation

• Widget Areas - Detailed widget area guide
• Sticky Sidebar - Fixed sidebar configuration
• Side Panel - Mobile off-canvas menu
• BuddyPress Settings - Community sidebars

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