The 'automatic' sidebar creation in Montezuma is great, but is there a 'right' way to do it consistantly? I'm using a lot of physical templates and they don't seem to automatically create the sidebars they need.

I'm currently getting around the challenge by 'creating' them in one of the virtual comments subtemplates, which I'm not actually using. Works fine, but if there's a 'proper' way, I should probably be doing that!

[If there isn't, could I suggest that my 'hack' would seem to be easy to incorporate as a 'proper' feature at a later date?]

What do you mean by "automatic sidebar creation"?

When you use <?php dynamic_sidebar( '...name...' ); ?> in a virtual template, it automatically creates a widget area called "...name..." that you can view through Appearance | Widgets and add widgets to.

Originally Posted by Michael4fm

When you use <?php dynamic_sidebar( '...name...' ); ?> in a virtual template, it automatically creates a widget area called "...name..." that you can view through Appearance | Widgets and add widgets to.

That sounds like the right way to me. I don't use and wouldn't recommend physical templates, but ymmv.

Yeah, but if you use <?php dynamic_sidebar( '...name...' ); ?> in a physical template, they don't get created - so at the moment I'm creating them by adding a 'phantom' entry in one of the comments.php sub-template which I don't use. I'm sure that wouldn't be the 'right' way to do it, so was wondering if there is a 'proper' way I should ... or given that it seems so easy to do, suggesting as a feature that another entry in one of the sub-templates (possibly "comments" as it already works there and the template is already "bits of") be added to allow for sidebar creation.

I am really confused as to what you are trying to do. For instance you talk about creating a phantom entry in a comment.php sub template. Why are you not just adding the code for the new widget area to index.php for instance?

Originally Posted by Michael4fm

... suggesting as a feature that another entry in one of the sub-templates ... be added to allow for sidebar creation.

It might be a nice feature. Until it's added, I think you have found the only workable way, without more extreme code hacking.

With the approach your'e taking, you could have an unused virtual template with unlimited sidebars, any of which could then be used in any other template(s).

Bear in mind, if you're using physical templates, if you use existing names, such as index.php, your edits will get clobbered with a theme upgrade. This doesn't happen with virtual templates.