Widget Area Replacements section of Page Editor seems non-functional

[gstool]

In the Widget Area Replacements section of Page Editor, the boxes with the down-arrow seem to do nothing, so I am confused how to use this.

[scrambler]

Have you created any per page widget areas ?

You first need to create your per page widget areas for anything to appear there.

You do that by entering their names at the bottom of the Layout & Sidebar page.

Then you populate your newly created per page widget area in Appearance > Widgets.

Then you use them in any page with the Widget area replacement drop down list.

Clcicking on the page options red question mark bubble would take you the help and in there there is a link to the per page widget area section

[Weaver]

The instructions say:

You can define extra widget areas on the bottom of the Main Options -> Sidebars and layout tab.

I guess they should say “You MUST define extra widget areas…” I will change the wording for the next release of the Theme support plugin.

[gstool]

Thank you for your reply. I understand your instructions and used them, but then mistakenly added it to the wrong destination. I then removed the definition of the widget in both the Widgets page and the Weaver X Main Options Sidebars & Layout to get rid of it and I now get this message on the page in that location, and I do not know how to get back to ground zero and start over. The Page Editor Widget Area Replacements panel is back to the empty state as in the screen shot in my original post.

Notice: Widget Area Not Found: per-page-header-slide-show

You probably have not defined it as a Per Page Widget area at the bottom of the Weaver Xtreme Main Options → Sidebars & Layouttab, or you may need to add widgets to the area.

I don’t want any widgets in that incorrect area.

Thank you.

[gstool]

I apologize. Updating the page fixed the problem.

Thanks for all your help. I hope I don’t make another error before I get this working.

[Weaver]

Adding new widget areas has never been the most obvious option in Weaver.  There clearly is a disparity between where one must define and fill in the actual replacement widget areas, and then where you specify which replacement widget area to use.

There are three separate actions required:

1. Defining the extra widget area(s) on the Weaver Sidebars & Layout tab (this is least obvious of these 3 sets, and why your feedback really did point out a need to change the instructions). Because of the internal design of WP, this option really can’t be put anywhere else. Normally a theme will pre-define a set of widget areas (as Weaver does now.) When one needs extra areas to use some how or another, they have to be defined by the theme as it generates the pages, and putting those extra area names on the Sidebars and Layout tab seem the most logical place. But it really has to be separate from the actual definition and use of those areas.
2. Adding content (widgets) to the new replacement widget area – this is not really any different than using normal widget areas)
3. Specifying which replacement area to use for the default widget areas. Weaver Xtreme has really simplified this step with the new pull down options. But – unless you do step 1 and 2, these options don’t do much.

This is a pretty advanced option, and because it is trying to get around the normal way WP works, it is indeed a bit difficult to make it totally easy and obvious.

[gstool]

I did finally get it all to work the way I wanted and am very happy to have the facility to use. Your explanation will help me remember the next time I try to use it months from now.

[Author]

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