Having updated my WP2.9 to 3.0 or 3.1 (not sure when this issue occurred) and having updated Atahualpa accordingly, three new standard widgets suddenly appeared in my inner right sidebar.

I followed Blaise's sticky thread on »How to remove the default widgets from the sidebars« and added an empty widget to the inner right sidebar. Unfortunately, I'm now seeing the border of an empty widget box in the top of my inner right sidebar.

I take it that empty sidebars are just not good practice? Or do you have a better way to control them.

Originally, I kept the hitherto empty inner bars active in my design as a flexible spacer area. But I could just as well turn deactivate the inner right side bar altogether and add some padding to my outer sidebars instead.

What is the 'correct way'?

I'm not too keen on solutions that include editing the php-files directly, because I live in constant fear of overwriting the code exemption in the next auto-update process. So I really want to keep adjustments withing Atahualpas framework.

Also, can you point me to a tutorial, primer, or other description of the WP widgets along with the new flexible Atahualpa widgets. I'm a bit in the dark here, but would like to learn.

Sorry, if this has already been described/discussed here.

What you do is a matter of what works in your situation. I don't use the empty widget trick. I always turn them off but that certainly does not mean other ways are wrong.

Thanks. I ended up disabling the inner margins, too.