Can someone explain if there's a reason why the left and right sidebar code for templates doesn't function in the same way the rest of the templating system does? there is, in phptemplate.engine the following code which defines the regions: function phptemplate_regions() { return array( 'left' => t('left sidebar'), 'right' => t('right sidebar'), 'content' => t('content'), 'header' => t('header'), 'footer' => t('footer') ); } Left side is how you refer to it in code, right side is how it displays in admin screens. makes perfect sense. If you want to add custom regions, you put a block like this in your template.php: function mytheme_regions(){ return array( 'left' => t('left sidebar'), 'right' => t('right sidebar'), 'content' => t('content'), 'header' => t('header'), 'footer' => t('footer'), 'frontnews' => t('home page news'), 'frontteaser' => t('home page teaser'), 'frontlocate' => t('home page locate'), 'subnav' =>t('Sub Navigation') ); } Works the same way. got it. now when i first started working through this i didn't understand any of that and used other templates and the pro book to start my template, including my left nav, so I didn't realize this inconsistency until now when I went to drop in a right nav: <?php print $right ?> nope, doesn't work. I double checked my code (yes, it says right) and ran a whole lot of tests before I realized that my left nav was put in differently as well: <?php print $sidebar_left ?> and finally tried <?php print $sidebar_right ?> which works. While my problem is solved my frustration at this sudden inconsistency in the system design has not gone away. I'm hoping someone can help me out by explaining why this exists like this. Why does it not say sidebar_left and sidebar_right in the regions definition? If those two are special and built into the system why are left and right in the region definition at all but don't show up as a duplicate option in the blocks list? Inquiring minds would like to know. .s