Widget constructor: about $id_base and $options

The reason is simply customization (these values end up in widget’s HTML markup). If someone needs to change this stuff (for example to be compatible with some script without adding wrapper layers) the option is there.

As for methods calling – parent:: explicitly calls method from parent class, $this-> calls method from current class. Since widgets do not redefine WP_Widget method there is no practical difference.

Related Posts:

  1. How can I use the built in WordPress “browse link” functionality?
  2. Modifying the default search widget
  3. Modify recent post sidebar to show post thumbs with out plugins
  4. How to build widget with arrays inside arrays?
  5. How do I save data from submitted form from widget
  6. How to listen to color changes on the color picker?
  7. Add New Footer Widget Area with Limited Options?
  8. Add div class to only one widget
  9. How to use control_callback when creating a widget via functions.php or plugin?
  10. Disable default WordPress widgets in sidebar
  11. Adding classes to dynamic sidebar
  12. Widget Area: Modify $param[‘xy’] from widget-$n
  13. Widget area inside a widget
  14. Defer Code in Widgets – Page Speed
  15. Where are widget configurations stored?
  16. How to limit wp_get_archives to show months for the X years only
  17. Bolding specific word(s)/parts of widget title
  18. How to add a class to a link in text editor
  19. WordPress widget new instance creates content duplicates
  20. Pass variables from one widget to another widget
  21. Remove the widgets tab from theme customizer
  22. Remove/Add widgets from/to the Available Widgets pool
  23. Remove/Unregister or hide a widget added by a plugin
  24. Check if widget is active
  25. How can I apply css styling to the current day in the calendar widget
  26. How to check if a widget has no title
  27. Is there an official email form widget or block?
  28. Widget html code error
  29. Excluding specific widgets from default sidebar class
  30. How to truncate titles in Recent Posts widget?
  31. Can WordPress Read Its Own RSS Feed?
  32. Can’t see widget areas in my customizer
  33. Display custom widget, added as a shortcode in the correct place
  34. Debug errors on sidebar
  35. Show posts from one category with thumbnail and description on latest
  36. Widget textarea input gets formatted
  37. Show widget differently depending on if it’s in the sidebar or footer
  38. Get posts after today (upcoming events)
  39. Enqueue script/style if certain widget has certain value
  40. How to display/register widget only on post pages in custom plugin
  41. Widgets not saving values
  42. Widget page is missing from menu and default widgets are not showing
  43. Fire on widgets_init only on dashboard
  44. Access Customizer widget instance form
  45. Allow shortcode for custom widget
  46. is_tax() not working in Widget Logic [closed]
  47. One register_sidebar function works, the other doesn’t?
  48. Text Widget in Footer for just 1 page template
  49. Modify WordPress widgets Screen
  50. What does apply_filters() do exactly? [duplicate]
  51. How to change color of registered widget areas in admin?
  52. Filter Text from sidebar widget?
  53. How to filter widget(s) based on a specific category landing page
  54. Search transients through widget
  55. Change the background color of my theme widgets
  56. Change Woocommerce Product Categories Widget ‘Title’ based on Product Category
  57. Output column number according to active sidebars
  58. Why isn’t my custom widget outputting any content?
  59. Why would apply_filters return a non-empty string, when the value returned is empty?
  60. How to customize wordpress sidebar widget
  61. Jquery checkbox -show posts with checked tags
  62. delete widget upon uninstall
  63. How do I find out which
  64. Unable to see Widget Submenu under Appearance with Class Based WP_Widget
  65. How to update a widget data?
  66. custom widget not saved to sidebar
  67. Recently changed domain name. Home page widgets are now not in the customize menu yet still being on the page
  68. Is it possible to dynamically output the name of the widgets?
  69. I accidentally added a widget area called sidebar 1
  70. wp_registered_widgets doesn’t contains my widgets
  71. How can I write this code snippet so that it echo’s the response when submitting empty fields?
  72. What is the difference between widget object and widget instance?
  73. Apply two different styles to Wiget Titles along with a decorative line
  74. How Can I Replicate & Register a Widget from the Child Theme
  75. How to retrieve category ID’s from widget settings?
  76. My plugin works in home page, but doesn’t work in post page
  77. Widget text color change
  78. Widget to embed youtube video
  79. How to make featured area?
  80. Checking if widget has title not working
  81. wp_list_categories + widget
  82. How can I add widgets to the category page?
  83. How to create another widgets.php page
  84. widget that will do shortcodes that user inputs
  85. Disable wordpress widget automatically on error
  86. Can I add a widget to the of my site?
  87. Widget dynamically add new input field
  88. WordPress function breaks widget’s markup?
  89. Registering multiple copies of a widget
  90. How do I stop out of stock items from appearing on my WooCommerce site when using the Layered Nav widget [closed]
  91. Single Widget Multi Sidebar
  92. An issue with register_sidebar and the admin interface
  93. page url in shortcode
  94. menu in different page in different style
  95. Add text to Text Widget using Javascript
  96. Widget on home page displays wrong time compared to same widget on inside pages
  97. Subpages menu on sidebar plus widgets
  98. Widgets in PHP files?
  99. Text Widget Not Working
  100. Sample widget code which get data(1-5 record) from Wp_Admin panel and display to Homepage(WordPress Custom Theme)