Page Templates & Sidebar Widgets

Overview

TallCMS includes a template system that lets you choose different layouts for each page:

Selecting a Template

1. Go to Admin > Content > Pages
2. Edit your page
3. In the Settings tab, find Page Template
4. Select your desired template
5. Click Save

The page immediately uses the new layout.

Sidebar Templates

Templates with sidebars (Sidebar Left, Sidebar Right, Documentation) let you add widgets to the sidebar area.

Configuring Sidebar Widgets

1. Select a sidebar template for your page
2. The Sidebar Widgets section appears
3. Click Add Widget to add widgets
4. Configure each widget's settings
5. Drag to reorder widgets
6. Click Save

Leave widgets empty to use the template's default widgets. For example, the Documentation template defaults to showing a Table of Contents.

Available Widgets

Recent Posts

Displays your latest blog posts in the sidebar.

Categories

Lists post categories with optional post counts.

Table of Contents

Auto-generates navigation from your page headings.

How it works:

• Scans your page content for h2, h3, and h4 headings
• Automatically adds anchor IDs to headings
• Creates clickable links that scroll to each section
• Indents nested headings for visual hierarchy

Best for: Documentation, long-form articles, guides.

Search

Adds a site search box to the sidebar.

Custom HTML

Embed custom HTML content (admin-only).

Note: For security, only administrators can add Custom HTML widgets. Content is sanitized before display.

Template Details

Default

The standard template with centered content and comfortable reading width. Use for most pages.

Full Width

Content expands to fill available space. Use for:

• Image galleries
• Wide tables or data displays
• Landing pages with full-width blocks

Sidebar (Left) / Sidebar (Right)

Two-column layout with a 320px sidebar. The sidebar is sticky and scrolls with the page. Use for:

• Blog index pages
• Category archives
• Pages needing navigation aids

Documentation

Optimized for long-form technical content:

• Narrower sidebar (256px) for TOC
• Prose typography styling
• Scroll margin on headings for anchor links
• Defaults to Table of Contents widget

Use for:

• Documentation pages
• Tutorials
• Reference guides

Landing

Hides the site header navigation and footer for a focused presentation. Use for:

• Marketing landing pages
• Sales pages
• Signup flows
• Single-purpose pages

Mobile Behavior

On screens smaller than 1024px:

• Sidebars stack above the main content
• Widgets display in a single column
• Full navigation remains accessible

Theme Customization

Themes can override templates or add new ones.

Overriding a Template

Create a file at:

resources/views/vendor/tallcms/templates/{template-name}.blade.php

Adding Theme Templates

Themes can register additional templates in theme.json:

{
  "templates": {
    "portfolio": {
      "label": "Portfolio",
      "description": "Grid layout for portfolio items",
      "has_sidebar": false
    }
  }
}

Create the template at:

themes/{theme}/resources/views/templates/portfolio.blade.php

Common Pitfalls

"Sidebar widgets don't appear"Check that you selected a sidebar template (Sidebar Left, Sidebar Right, or Documentation).

"Table of Contents is empty"The TOC only includes headings with h2, h3, or h4 tags. Ensure your content has headings.

"Custom HTML widget not available"This widget is restricted to administrators for security. Contact your site admin.

"Landing page still shows navigation"Clear your browser cache and ensure the page is saved with the Landing template.

Next Steps

• Using content blocks
• SEO settings
• Theme development