3 files changed, 17 insertions, 10 deletions
diff --git a/doc/examples/blog/index.mdwn b/doc/examples/blog/index.mdwn
index 062c71f2e..a22c40c72 100644
--- a/doc/examples/blog/index.mdwn
+++ b/doc/examples/blog/index.mdwn
@@ -1,14 +1,6 @@
 [[!inline pages="./posts/* and !*/Discussion" show="10"
 actions=yes rootpage="posts"]]
 
-[[!sidebar """
-[[Tags]]: [[!pagestats style="list" pages="./tags/*" among="./posts/*"]]
-
-[[Recent Comments|comments]]
-
-[[Archives]]
-
-[[!calendar pages="./posts/* and !*/Discussion"]]
-"""]]
+[[!sidebar]]
 
 This blog is powered by [ikiwiki](http://ikiwiki.info).
diff --git a/doc/examples/blog/sidebar.mdwn b/doc/examples/blog/sidebar.mdwn
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f24a8e57a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/doc/examples/blog/sidebar.mdwn
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+[[Tags]]: [[!pagestats style="list" pages="./tags/*" among="./posts/*"]]
+
+[[Recent Comments|comments]]
+
+[[Archives]]
+
+[[!if "enabled(calendar)" then="""
+[[!calendar pages="./posts/* and !*/Discussion"]]
+"""]]
diff --git a/doc/ikiwiki/directive/sidebar.mdwn b/doc/ikiwiki/directive/sidebar.mdwn
index 34f078672..401d7c786 100644
--- a/doc/ikiwiki/directive/sidebar.mdwn
+++ b/doc/ikiwiki/directive/sidebar.mdwn
@@ -1,8 +1,12 @@
 The `sidebar` directive is supplied by the [[!iki plugins/sidebar desc=sidebar]] plugin.
 
-This directive specifies a custom sidebar to display on the page,
+This directive can specify a custom sidebar to display on the page,
 overriding any sidebar that is displayed globally.
 
+If no custom sidebar content is specified, it forces the sidebar page to
+be used as the sidebar, even if the `global_sidebars` setting has been
+used to disable use of the sidebar page by default.
+
 ## examples
 
 	\[[!sidebar """
@@ -11,4 +15,6 @@ overriding any sidebar that is displayed globally.
 	\[[!calendar pages="posts/*"]]
 	"""]]
 
+	\[[!sidebar]]
+
 [[!meta robots="noindex, follow"]]