This document provides a step-by-step guide on how to place an image inside a widget on a blog sidebar using the dashboard's appearance setting. It explains various fields to fill out, such as the image URL, alternative text, title, caption, and links, including code examples for embedding images. Additionally, it offers tips on proper image sizing and linking images to external URLs.

1. How to place an image inside a
widget on your sidebar
http://fairyblogmother.co.uk

2. Go to ‘Appearance’ in the left
sidebar of the Dashboard and
from the menu extension select
‘Widgets’.
Alternatively, click on your
blog’s name at the top left of
the black bar at the top of
the page, and select
‘Widgets’ from the drop
down menu.

3. Select the widget called
‘Image’.

4. And drag it into the
position you want it
to be in you sidebar.

5. Once placed into the sidebar, the
widget will automatically open up.
The first field is for the widget’s
title. This will show above the
widget when it is placed in the
sidebar.

6. The second field requires the URL
of the image the sidebar will
display.
Once an image has been uploaded
into the Media Library, it is
allocated a URL or web address
for its own page on the blog.
See how to find the image’s URL
on the next slide.

7. An image’s URL is located by going
to the Media Library, finding the
correct image, and mousing over
the title to bring up the ‘Edit’ link.
On the next page look over to the
Save menu on the top right to find
the URL.

8. The third field contains the
alternative text, which is a
description of the image for the
search engines (who cannot read
images) and also for partially
sighted web users (who require
their computers to read for them).

9. The fourth field contains the
image’s title, which shows up as
the little yellow tag when the
image is moused over. It should
also be descriptive.

10. The fifth field contains the
caption, which is the description
that goes underneath the image.
A point to note is that the caption
is the second thing most likely to
be read after the post’s headline.

11. Alignment determines the
position of the image within the
widget.

12. You can change the pixel width
and height of your image here.

13. And if you want your image to be
a link to another destination,
write its URL or web address here.

14. And don’t forget to save.

15. And here’s your picture widget!

16. The alternative widget would
be the text one, but then you
will need to write in some code
to make your images show up,
like these social media icons
here:

17. Here is some simple code that
allows the images to show in the
widget in the sidebar and also
directs that image to a web address
destination.
I will explain it in the next slide.

18. The first thing I want you to
notice is the image’s URL.
It is placed between quotation
marks.

19. Now it has <img src= in front of
it, and /> after it.
This simple code tells the widget
here is an image that needs to
be shown, and where it is kept.

20. This code will
simply show the
image in the text
widget aligned on
the left.
Here it is complete: <img src=“http://alicedesigns.wordpress.com/2009/11/sidebar-twitter.jpg”/>
Show this Open This is the blog The date it The name of Close Finish
image location where it’s kept was uploaded the jpeg location imag
e

21. But if you want your image to be a
link to somewhere else, you need
more code before and after it.
Type in the destination URL the
image is directed to in front of the
image code.
It should also be inside quotation
marks.

22. Now put in <a href= before
it immediately in front of
the quotation mark.
And a > before the <img
which you will recognise as
the beginning of the image
code.
You are enclosing the
destination URL in between
the <>

23. But you need to cancel the
instructions to redirect the
image to another location at
the end of the code, so don’t
forget to add </a> at the end
of all the code.
The <a href= and </a> is the
code for the link, and the
image code is placed inside it.
Also note / cancels out an
instruction.
Now this Twitter image is
linked to my Twitter profile.

24. Now do the same for the other images
and their destinations, and they will sit
side by side inside the text widget.
NB: It is advantageous to make your
images the correct size before uploading
and inserting them into your widgets.
Sophisticated stuff:
If you want your images to be on separate
lines, add a <p> in between each of their
complete codes.
If you want the image to open up on a
separate browser page, add this code
before the > for the link: target=“_blank”.