Global sidebar layouts and content-level overrides in Plumbit

Global layout choices#

The Customizer's Default Site Layout controls the normal page, post, Service, Project, and Team Member presentation. Choose Left Sidebar, Right Sidebar, or Full Width. The Shop section has its own Default Shop Layout choice for the Shop archive.

Archive and Search contexts use the site's layout defaults unless their own context settings provide a different supported choice. Check the context you are viewing before changing the global setting.

Use a content-level override#

Page Options includes Layout and Primary Sidebar for pages, posts, Services, Projects, Team Members, and products. Use Layout to choose Without Sidebar, Sidebar Right, or Sidebar Left. Use Primary Sidebar to select the registered area whose content should appear there.

Leave the fields blank when the content should inherit the applicable global choice. An explicit override is useful for one landing page or one post; it should not be used to repair a site-wide layout change.

Keep Shop scopes separate#

The Shop archive uses the Shop layout and Shop Sidebar. A single product can use its content-level layout and Primary Sidebar; when no single-product area is selected, its Shop sidebar behavior remains the relevant default. Product categories and product tags are Shop contexts, so test them separately from a product page.

Remember the ownership boundary#

A layout choice controls whether and where a sidebar column appears. A widget area provides the content for that column. Adding a widget does not automatically enable a layout, and enabling a layout does not automatically add content to a widget area.

Changing a widget in Appearance > Widgets cannot change a page's left-versus-right choice. Changing a page's Layout cannot create a widget or move an existing widget between areas.

Verify inheritance safely#

1. Record the global choice#

   Write down the active site or Shop layout before editing a single item.

2. Clear the content override#

   Leave Layout and Primary Sidebar unset when you want the global behavior.

3. Compare one explicit exception#

   Choose a different layout on a test item, update it, and confirm that only that item changes.

4. Restore inheritance#

   Clear the override and update again, then check the public page in a fresh logged-out view.

Expected result#

Global settings establish the normal layout, supported content-level settings create deliberate exceptions, and widget placement remains an independent content task.

Related guides#

Start with How to configure Plumbit sidebars and widget areas, then see How to configure Plumbit blog and single-post layouts and How to configure Plumbit shop and single-product layouts.

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