Building a new site for a client and I came across a bit of a stumbling point. The client wanted me to add static text to an area that was currently occupied by a java slider that was coded into the php template files. Also, the slider was to be resized to half it’s current width with the content residing to the immediate right of it. I spent a bit of time researching ways to achieve this without disrupting the original theme template files.
First move was to adjust the CSS and shrink down the slider element to the desired with, aligning it far left. Now this provided me with the space I needed for the static content, problem was getting it there. Enter “widgets-on-pages” plugin.
This plugin by Gingerbread Design is exactly what I was looking for. With it you can add custom widget areas and define their names. You can then call on them with a quick and easy shortcode provided in the plugins FAQ documentation. This is an amazing time saver. The solution I came up with was to use a text widget on the new custom widget area and then add it to my stylesheet with the appropriate style to get it to the right spot. Check out the final result:
