This is probably in the WordPress documentation but to enable widgets in your own customized theme, do this:
... rest of PHP and HTML code in your here ... <div id="sidebar"> <ul> <?php if ( ! dynamic_sidebar( 'primary-widget-area' ) ) : ?> <li> id="gray_box"> <?php get_search_form(); ?> </li> <?php endif; ?> </ul> </div> |
After doing that, go to your WP-Admin page and drag-and-drop widgets. The widgets page is found in Appearance > Widgets .