WordPress Widgets and Plugins

Widgets are independent content elements that can be placed in left and right sidebars or other areas allowed by your selected theme. Many widgets are available, and the default student theme includes two: Subscribe by Email and Search. To browse other widgets from your Dashboard, hover over Plugins, then select Widgets on the flyout menu.

Subscribe by email widget

The Subscribe by Email widget gives site visitors the option to automatically receive email updates from your site when you add new posts. To customize settings for widget:

1. From the Dashboard menu, hover over Appearance and then select Widgets.
2. The active widgets will be located on the right side of the page under the heading Sidebar or Footer.
3. Select the down arrow next to Subscribe by Email to display available options.
4. Select the Auto-opt In setting if you do not want viewers to receive an email confirmation when they subscribe.
5. Select Save.

Note: Further customization is available through the Subscriptions menu on your Dashboard.

Plugins

Plugins extend and expand your WordPress site's functionality; there are more than 300 to choose from, including Google Maps, forms, tables, and wikis.

Adding a plugin

1. From your Dashboard menu, select Plugins. The default view for the plugins page shows all available plugins.
2. To add a plugin to your site, select the Activate link under the plugin you want to use.

Note: Depending on the plugin, you may have to configure additional settings. Activated plugins will show a different background color within your list of plugins. If an update is available for an activated plugin, its background color will change and show a red vertical bar.

Removing a plugin

1. On the Dashboard menu, select Plugins.
2. Navigate to the plugin you want to remove and select the Deactivate link beneath it.