How to Edit Columns in WordPress
Wordpress, as a website platform or blogging device, can be very powerful. It allows countless customization options for those who know how to read and write CSS and HTML. However, those lines of code can make anyone's head spin if they're new to the platform. There are ways to easily customize your site, though, from replacing widgets to changing your font color.
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Instructions
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Adding and Moving Widgets Around
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Log into your Wordpress account by using your username and password. This will take you to your dashboard.
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Click on the "Appearance" tab in your dashboard menu to the left. Once the options drop down, click "Widgets." The widgets page will show you plug-ins you have installed, as well as one window for each sidebar where these widgets may be added.
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Drag the widgets you'd like to use in your sidebars. You can rearrange them by moving them from one sidebar to the other, dragging them above another widget or removing a widget completely. Make any changes you'd like and save once you're finished.
Changing the Look and Feel of Your Sidebars
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Log in to your Wordpress account. Before making any changes, back up your files. One misplaced string of code, and your blog will be unreadable. In the dashboard menu to the left, click on the "Appearance" tab and then "Editor" options. For this tutorial, we'll be focusing on your Style sheet, the file that basically tells your site how to look.
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Click the file titled "stylesheet.css" from the menu to your right if it isn't selected already. You should notice headers explaining what each string of code is for. The actual wording will depend on who the Wordpress theme was made by. Some themes leave direct instructions, while others leave you in the dark.
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Press "Ctrl" and the letter "F" on your keyboard. Type in the word "Sidebar" and then click the "Next" button. This will highlight the word "Sidebar" for you, so you don't have to skim lines of code.
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Scroll below the "Sidebars" heading, where you should see words mixed with code. These bits of code tell your website how it should look, from the font type, color and even your sidebar's background color.
What these codes mean:
Font-size: how big the font on your page is.
Text-Decoration: how the font should look. You can type in "underline," "Bold," or "Italic" to change the font's appearance.
Color: #(six digit number): This tells your theme what color your font should be. The six-digit number is known as a Hex code. You can change the color by using sites such as Colorcombos.com (see Resources) to pick out colors, and then typing in the six-digit code into your style sheet.
Background-color: #(six digit number): This will change the background color of your sidebars. So if your main content area where your post appears is white, you can make the sidebars stand out by making their background blue, purple, pink or whatever color you like.
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Refresh your site each time you make a change to the style sheet. If anything looks out of place, check the code again. Save, once you're happy with how it looks, and back up your new files.
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Tips & Warnings
When making edits to the style sheet, only do one line at a time. Save, and then check your site. It's good to make a copy of your style sheet in case you make mistakes. If you're new to CSS and HTML, you may want to look into taking an online course or asking a friend to help you out.
