This option accepts a Regular Expression to filter certain pages from all automatic listings (RSS, recent changes, search results, index, sitemap). This is useful to exclude certain pages like the ones used in the sidebar templates. The regexp is matched against the full pagename with a leading colon. If it matches, the page is assumed to be a hidden one. This is a rather cosmetic option, not a security one.

• Type: String
• Default:

Here's complex example excludes :reports:template, :reports:sidebar and their subpages:

$conf['hidepages'] = '^:reports:(?:template|sidebar)';

Another example. In this case the contents of /data/pages is

.
├── admin
│   ├── build_notes.txt
│   ├── new_software.txt
│   └── todos.txt
├── admin_links.txt
├── labels
│   └── start.txt
├── playground
│   └── playground.txt
├── sidebar.txt
├── software
│   ├── dokuwiki
│   │   └── start.txt
│   ├── kdialog
│   │   └── start.txt
│   ├── start.txt
│   └── __template.txt
├── start.txt
├── templates
│   └── start.txt
└── wiki
    ├── dokuwiki.txt
    ├── syntax.txt
    └── welcome.txt

To hide admin_links, sidebar, and everything beneath :admin, :labels, :playground, :templates, and, :wiki, use:-

$conf['hidepages'] = '^:(admin*|sidebar|playground|labels|templates|wiki)';

• Configuring DokuWiki

Please, could you provide the syntax to use for hiding the sidebar file? I tried a lot of things in the hidepages option but he sidebar always. I tried sidebar, sidebar$, ^(?::sidebar)$ but none of them works. Thanks for your help.

Use ACL to hide the sidebar file in listings. Set permission for group ALL to “none”. The sidebar will still work.

Same to me.. Nothing works item “sidebar” still in menu.

Just sidebar works. If it doesn't you should submit a proper bug report with additional information. — Anika Henke 2015-08-17 23:25