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New to Word Press problems with widgets

by lawed
11 replies
Hello and Thanks in advance for any adice...

I am having problems getting the plugins/widgets that I have imported/uploaded to my WP theme to work.


I am new t this so, I couod use a refereall to any good tutorials on this. I suspect that I don't understand the diffferences between plugins and widgets (if there is a difference). The, I have Activated and Set some and they are not working. Am I restricted by the Theme to only the pre-installed widgets that load up?


Any help for learning or advice on gaining help at a low cost or in exchange for credit/link on my blog would be much appreciated as I cannot afford to pay. Unless, at a discount.


I learn best through videos. But will attempt reading. I have vision imparment.


Thank You
#plugins #widgets #wordpress
  • Profile picture of the author pdrw07
    Hi Lawed,

    First of all, what is your WP version? If your WP version is the newest, some of plugins will not work properly..

    Make sure you upload the plugins to /public_html/wp-content/plugins/
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    • Profile picture of the author Graham Maddison
      When you uploaded your plugins, did you upload them to the plugins directory?

      After uploading your plugins, did you then unzip them within the directory?

      After unzipping and assuming they are in the plugins directory, they should appear in the available plugins in your wordpress control panel.

      You would then need to select each plugin in turn to activate it, following each plugins instructions.

      I hope this helps.

      Graham
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  • Profile picture of the author Francis Chan
    Widgets are those available through your Wordpress installation.

    All (I haven't come across any) Wordpress themes do not work with widgets and plugins that both display anything in the sidebar of your theme.

    It seems that the widget takes priority.
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  • Profile picture of the author Colin Evans
    Widgets are used by WordPress plugin and theme developers so you have more control over what appears in your blog sidebar.

    In the "Appearance" section of your blog admin panel there is the "Widgets" option which allows you to add widgets to your sidebar. Most themes by default don't have any widgets active when you first install the theme, you have to go and add those you want to use.

    Some plugins creates widgets and will add them to the "Widgets" section of the admin panel.

    Plugins are add-ons to WordPress that enhance it's functionality, you add plugins using the WordPress "Plugins" section of the admin panel. There's no need to upload plugins via an FTP program anymore unless the plugin has been badly zipped by a gumby plugin developer who doesn't understand how WP2.7 works.
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  • Profile picture of the author lawed
    Thanks very much for the explanation. Well, I have uploaded plugins correctly and unziped and activated and setup widgets as much as I could. I have still found that not all the desired widgets and plugis are working. I am using WP 2.7.1

    I have uploaded several Premium widget enabled themes. i suspect that because they have pre-installed widgets there may be some conflicts that are not allowing additional uploaded plugins/widgests to function. Ans my skills are not up to troubleshooting all of that.

    Perhaps, I need a simpler Theme not widget enabled where it will allow me to upload and activate those I desire from scratch and enable them.

    The alternative is to find help from someone eho would customize in exchange for a link/credit on my blog as i cannot afford to hire anyone at retail rates at this time.

    I am gratful for the replies.
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    • Profile picture of the author Susan Hope
      If you have used premium themes, those usually come with support (sometimes in the guise of a support forum) where you can go get help directly from the theme maker. I had some similar type issues with Studio Press for instance and got the help and direction I needed from their forum. So did you check to see what kind of support you get with your premium theme?

      Sue
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      • Profile picture of the author lawed
        Thank You for mentioning the support issue. I would expect that from a theme developer where a fee has been paid. Some Free Tyemes also reference support in a forum also. In my case I went back to the original download site for the aauthor of the theme and found no instructions for support. I did download a Free Theme although it is called Premium.

        This matter is still in progress as a contact form was available which I filled in and submitted. I will post the outcome upon receiving a reply. Thanks again
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  • Profile picture of the author SoEasyMoney
    Also, if you go over to Youtube you can usually input the widget name and there might be a video telling you how to install and run it.

    I did that just last night wp-o-matic and got the answers that I was looking for. I also learn better with vids.

    Good luck!
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    • Profile picture of the author lawed
      Thanks for the tip. I really hadn't thought of that because I don't go to UTube. I view many UTube videos but get to them via Goggle searches or on sites that have downloaded them.

      I'll give it a try.
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      • Profile picture of the author PatriciaJ
        I've had problems with some of the plug ins not working so I've gone into my cpanel and deleted the file, I've then uploaded them again and they've worked fine.
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  • Profile picture of the author lawed
    Very good to know that. I will do the same for important ones that I have read good things about. Some, just look interesting and I wanted to try them out. But, in the case where I really want the widget it is worth Deleting and Reinstalling to see if the file got corrupted the first time. Thank You
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