Custom Widget

• 

  jasonexplorer · Member · Jul 30, 2012 at 10:49 pm

  • Copy link
  • Add topic to favorites

  I have a custom widget for selling my book that I’d like to add to my sidebar. How do I do this? Is it even possible without my WP blog residing on a third party server?
  Blog url: http://jasonexplorer.wordpress.com/

  The blog I need help with is: (visible only to logged in users)

• 

  kathrynwp · Staff · Jul 31, 2012 at 2:03 pm

  • Copy link

  Hi there, as long as your widget contains basic HTML and CSS, you can paste it into a text widget and add that to your sidebar.

  For security reasons, WordPress.com doesn’t allow certain types of code, such as JavaScript and iframes.

  You can learn more about text widgets and the types of code allowed on WordPress.com.

  Let me know if you have further questions, or if you’d like me to take a look at your widget code, feel free to paste it into a Pastebin.

• 

  jasonexplorer · Member · Jul 31, 2012 at 3:40 pm

  • Copy link

  Hi Kathryn, thanks for responding. Yes, the code is text/javascript code, so I guess therein lies the rub.

  <script type=”text/javascript” src=”http://widget.bookwire.com/isbn13/1598522publisher/9780984915507″></script><script type=”text/javascript”>loadWidget(‘200,330’);</script>

  So is the only solution to host my WP blog on a third party server so I can get in and change the function.php file?

  Thanks

• 

  kathrynwp · Staff · Jul 31, 2012 at 5:10 pm

  • Copy link

  Having a WordPress.org site allows you to add JavaScript directly in a text widget, so that could be one route.

  Instead of the JavaScript widget, another option would be to create your own graphic with a link to your book. Or perhaps if you ask BookWire, they may be able to provide a different version of the widget that doesn’t use JavaScript.

• 

  kathrynwp · Staff · Jul 31, 2012 at 5:17 pm

  • Copy link

  p.s. if you go the route of having an image with a link, you could use the image widget to easily display it in the sidebar.

• 

  jasonexplorer · Member · Jul 31, 2012 at 5:28 pm

  • Copy link

  Thanks Kathryn for all these suggestions. Most helpful!

• 

  kathrynwp · Staff · Jul 31, 2012 at 5:30 pm

  • Copy link

  My pleasure! Just let me know if you need further help.