---
title: "Sidebars"
menu:
  main:
    parent: "guides"
---

So you want a sidebar?

## Method 1: PHP file

Let's say every page on the site has the same content going into its sidebar. If so, you would:
Create a `sidebar.php` file in your theme directory (so `wp-content/themes/mytheme/sidebar.php`)

```php
<?php
/* sidebar.php */
$context = array();
$context['widget'] = my_function_to_get_widget();
$context['ad'] = my_function_to_get_an_ad();
Timber::render('sidebar.twig', $context);
```

* Use that php file within your main php file (home.php, single.php, archive.php, etc):

```php
<?php
/* single.php */
$context = Timber::context();
$context['sidebar'] = Timber::get_sidebar('sidebar.php');
Timber::render('single.twig', $context);
```

* In the final twig file make sure you reserve a spot for your sidebar:

```twig
{# single.twig #}
<aside class="sidebar">
	{{sidebar}}
</aside>
```

* * *

## Method 2: Twig file

In this example, you would populate your sidebar from your main PHP file (home.php, single.php, archive.php, etc).

* Make a Twig file for what your sidebar should be:

```twig
{# views/sidebar-related.twig #}
<h3>Related Stories</h3>
{% for post in related %}
	<h4><a href="{{post.get_path}}">{{post.post_title}}</a></h4>
{% endfor %}
```

* Send data to it via your main PHP file:

```php
<?php
/* single.php */
$context = Timber::context();
$post = new Timber\Post();
$post_cat = $post->get_terms('category');
$post_cat = $post_cat[0]->ID;
$context['post'] = $post;

$sidebar_context = array();
$sidebar_context['related'] = Timber::get_posts('cat='.$post_cat);
$context['sidebar'] = Timber::get_sidebar('sidebar-related.twig', $sidebar_context);
Timber::render('single.twig', $context);
```
* In the final twig file, make sure you have spot for your sidebar:

```twig
{# single.twig #}
<aside class="sidebar">
	{{sidebar}}
</aside>
```

* * *

## Method 3: Dynamic

This is using WordPress's built-in dynamic_sidebar tools (which, confusingly, are referred to as "Widgets" in the interface). Since sidebar is already used; I used widgets in the code to describe these:

```php
<?php
$context = array();
$context['dynamic_sidebar'] = Timber::get_widgets('dynamic_sidebar');
Timber::render('sidebar.twig', $context);
```

```twig
<aside class="my-sidebar">
{{dynamic_sidebar}}
</aside>
```