I want to style the archive pages for my custom post types and custom taxonomies. What is the right way to do this? When browsing through the documentation, I find 2 approaches
Approach 1
This approach uses a regular Layout template and the possibility to use the WordPress Archives cell, and the other functionality of Layouts.
In this approach, I miss the possibility of using other cells, Views and widgets on the archive page.
When browsing the support forums, approach 2 seems to be the most suggested way of creating archive pages. Why is it favoured over approach 1? And if approach 2 indeed is better, how to use widgets and other Views on the archive page?
How you customise the archive pages depends on whether you are using Layouts or not.
Views is responsible for generating custom WordPress archives, and whichever route you choose you will be designing the output section of the archive (the loop output section where you add the post content and custom fields etc.) in Views.
If you are using Layouts then you add the archive to the layout using an archive cell. If you haven't already created it in Views directly then you will create it within Layouts (which brings up the same Views archive editor inside a modal).
If you are not using Layouts then your archive will be displayed in the content area of the page, and the rest of the page design is determined by your theme (including sidebars where you can add widgets etc.).
If you are using Layouts, and your theme is integrated with Layouts, then you can design the whole page in Layouts, adding widget cells where you need them.
