In this chapter, we will cover:
Using the Text widget for custom sidebar content
Including a dynamic sidebar in your theme
Including multiple dynamic sidebars in your theme
Setting the default widgets for a sidebar in your theme
Positioning multiple sidebars in your theme by using CSS
Styling the appearance of sidebars in your theme by using CSS
Displaying different widgets on different pages by using the Widget Logic plugin and conditional tags
Showing asides in the sidebar by using the Miniposts plugin
Adding an interactive Facebook-style wall to a sidebar by using jQuery
Most WordPress themes follow a fairly standard structure: there is a header with some type of navigation, a main content area where post contents are read, and one or more sidebars that display auxiliary information about the post being displayed or about the blog as a whole.
WordPress has quite a bit of functionality built in that supports the sidebar paradigm. Dynamic sidebars and widgets are included...