Title: sidebar error message
Last modified: August 18, 2016

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# sidebar error message

 *  Resolved [lorenetroyer](https://wordpress.org/support/users/lorenetroyer/)
 * (@lorenetroyer)
 * [18 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/sidebar-error-message/)
 * I tried to put adsense in my sidebar using the theme editor according to some
   wordpress instructions I found on the internet. Now there is a blank space and
   the following error messsage: Parse error: syntax error, unexpected ‘<‘ in /home/
   ltrotro5/public_html/blog/wp-content/themes/default/sidebar.php on line 72
    I
   deleted the adsense code. I’m thinking that a novice like me should probably 
   not be attempting these things. Any advice? Thanks.

Viewing 9 replies - 1 through 9 (of 9 total)

 *  [sabinou](https://wordpress.org/support/users/sabinou/)
 * (@sabinou)
 * [18 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/sidebar-error-message/#post-638429)
 * Just wondering, could you have badly edited your page and left an unclosed tag?
   
   I mean a tag (div, p, a href, or a php code), whatever it is, that bas a beginning
   not no official ending.
 * I don’t know if that is the problem, but that may be be an idea to check on that…
 *  Thread Starter [lorenetroyer](https://wordpress.org/support/users/lorenetroyer/)
 * (@lorenetroyer)
 * [18 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/sidebar-error-message/#post-638445)
 * I really don’t know. Is there a way to restore the original text that was in 
   the theme editor?
 *  [mendezki](https://wordpress.org/support/users/mendezki/)
 * (@mendezki)
 * [18 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/sidebar-error-message/#post-638446)
 * You could upload the original sidebar.php from your theme directory.
 *  Thread Starter [lorenetroyer](https://wordpress.org/support/users/lorenetroyer/)
 * (@lorenetroyer)
 * [18 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/sidebar-error-message/#post-638452)
 * I’m sure this is probably a silly question but how do you do that?
 *  [mendezki](https://wordpress.org/support/users/mendezki/)
 * (@mendezki)
 * [18 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/sidebar-error-message/#post-638456)
 * I’m not sure how your site is hosted. Usually you can access files on your server
   using an ftp program. If you’ve installed WordPress yourself, you could just 
   re-upload the sidebar.php file which you’ll find in your wp-content/themes/default/
   directory.
 *  Thread Starter [lorenetroyer](https://wordpress.org/support/users/lorenetroyer/)
 * (@lorenetroyer)
 * [18 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/sidebar-error-message/#post-638474)
 * I go to theme editor, select side bar and WordPress default and then push update
   file. It says file edited successfully but nothing has changed.
 * Going back to what Sabinou suggested, here is content thats contained in the 
   sidebar theme editor from about line
    65. <?php wp_meta(); ?>
 *  <?php }?>
 *  <?php endif;>
 *  </div>
 *  Thread Starter [lorenetroyer](https://wordpress.org/support/users/lorenetroyer/)
 * (@lorenetroyer)
 * [18 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/sidebar-error-message/#post-638481)
 * It was cut off. Here’s the rest of it.
 * <?php wp_meta(); ?>
 *  <?php }?>
 *  <?php endif;>
 *  </div>
 *  [mendezki](https://wordpress.org/support/users/mendezki/)
 * (@mendezki)
 * [18 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/sidebar-error-message/#post-638487)
 * The theme editor doesn’t have an undo function. It merely edits the file on your
   server and that’s that.
 * [This](http://www.multipop.org/sidebar.txt) is the sidebar.php code for the default
   theme in WordPress 2.2.2, although I’m not sure I’m helping you with this, really..
 *  Thread Starter [lorenetroyer](https://wordpress.org/support/users/lorenetroyer/)
 * (@lorenetroyer)
 * [18 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/sidebar-error-message/#post-638498)
 * That did it! I changed the sidebar.php code to match yours and my website is 
   now back to normal. Whew! Thank-you so much.

Viewing 9 replies - 1 through 9 (of 9 total)

The topic ‘sidebar error message’ is closed to new replies.

 * In: [Fixing WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/how-to-and-troubleshooting/)
 * 9 replies
 * 3 participants
 * Last reply from: [lorenetroyer](https://wordpress.org/support/users/lorenetroyer/)
 * Last activity: [18 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/sidebar-error-message/#post-638498)
 * Status: resolved

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