(The vortex that is) Sidebar Width

Dang!

Site:

Serenity now.

https://blacksoldierflyblog.com/

Fine. I gave up on the Blog.txt theme. In one of the 200+ threads about this issue I found a link to some free themes that deal with the issue. The themes aren’t as attractive to me as Blog.txt, but I’m not good with code and given all of the unresolved threads I’m not alone in this.

Here’s that link: https://www.easywebtutorials.com/blogging-tutorial/wordpress-themes.php

I understand how great it is that wp is free, and I don’t wish to seem ungrateful. Still, with so many people expressing the same difficulty why isn’t this addressed in the doc section? What could be more basic than wanting more space in a particular section, even if it isn’t used that way in a traditional blog.

Perhaps this is only a problem for noobs, like me. That begs the question; what is the purpose of wp? Is it a tool for people who already know how to write code or is it a vehicle to ease people into web design? I agree if you say that people with websites should learn code, but this particular problem comes up too early in the process I think. Many complex functions are programmed to be very user friendly in wp, but what seems like a simple matter is not.

I’m very appreciative of wp the support community and I hope that this post is taken as constructive criticism.

it’s important to understand that themes and their associated designs, lacking or otherwise, have very little to do with wordpress.

wordpress is a tool to help you organise posts and stuff them into a database. it also provides a convenient mechanism for those posts to be extracted within a design.

it does not provide the design.

you started this thread with ‘noob alert’ but for some reason you feel as though noobs should be changing their own designs willy-nilly… themes are great, but if you want to change them, then you’re stepping out of noob territory, and you simply have to understand that.

the world revolves around either sports or car analogies, so here’s another one… you’ve bought your car, you’ve even bought some accessories for it in the form of ‘themes’… how much customisation do you think car owners can do before they’re considered mechanics?

Thanks Ivovic. Let me continue with your analogy, but first let me say that with my little knowledge it seems to like it should be fairly easy to change the width of a sidebar. Please correct me if I’m wrong.

Your car analogy is perfect because I understand auto mechanics about as well as I do webdesign. I’m not afraid to get a service manual and swap out the alternator if it needs it. I don’t have the process memorized, and I might reverse a few parts until everything lines up, but I’ll get it with the help of the manual or a more experienced friend.

I don’t know code well, but I know what it is and where to find it. I’m also not afraid to make some changes with the help of an experienced friend or a manual.

Is widening the sidebar more complex than changing the alternator on my car? Obviously many people want this functionality. Is it so complicated to do this that it is beyond the scope of the doc section? Do you need to rebuild the entire “engine” to effect the width of the sidebar?

I honestly thought I would just have to find a value for sidebar width and change that value.

I absolutely agree with your analogy.

Please consult the manufacturer of the accessory you wish to modify. Unfortunately, this is not the same as the manufacturer of your car. Next time, choose genuine accessories.

Not sure how else to explain this…

As for how complex it is, it’s all in your head. I don’t find it complex to edit my theme files, but you’re here posting this, so evidently you do… this is a matter of perspective.

Ultimately, the files are all there. The way things look is a function of the theme you downloaded, if you want to change that, then consult the theme’s user manual. If it doesn’t have one, then direct your complaints to the author of the theme.

… or save your energy and start poking around in the files.

I still feel it’s important to have some basic concepts available to you, before you begin pouring coolant where your power steering fluid should go. The internet is full of information on both auto repair, and web design if self-help is the path you choose ??

Just trying to put you in the right frame of mind… because constructive crticism is only constructive when directed at the appropriate target.

in the mean time, check the style.css in your theme folder for the sidebar value you should be changing. Having no direct experience with this particular 3rd party accessory to your wordpress installation, I can only make an educated guess about that.

Good luck.

So only the author of the theme has the magic formula?

I’ll pay $10 US to anyone who can guide me through the process of widening the sidebar of my Blog.txt theme to 325 pixels.

I have PayPal. And $10.