fraew Category Posts List

fraew Category Posts List is a lightweight, flexible widget that displays posts from the same category as the currently viewed post. Perfect for blogs, news sites, and any WordPress site that wants to help visitors discover related content.

Features:

• Display posts from the current post’s category in a widget
• Three display formats: List, Comma-separated, or Inline
• Customize spacing between posts (Compact, Normal, Comfortable, Spacious)
• Toggle post separators (borders) on or off
• Current post is highlighted in bold
• Configure global settings that apply to all widget instances
• Works with any theme
• Lightweight and performant
• Zero bloat – only loads CSS on pages where the widget appears

Display Formats:

• List – Traditional vertical list, one post per line
• Comma-Separated – Posts displayed inline: Post 1, Post 2, Post 3
• Inline – Posts displayed inline with spaces: Post 1 Post 2 Post 3

Spacing Options:

• Compact – 3px padding (tight list)
• Normal – 8px padding (default)
• Comfortable – 12px padding
• Spacious – 15px padding (generous spacing)

Post Separators:

Toggle borders between posts on or off to match your site’s design.

Usage

Widget Setup

1. Go to Appearance → Widgets
2. Find and add “Category Posts List” widget to a widget area (sidebar, footer, etc.)
3. Settings:
   • Posts Per Page – How many posts to display (default: 100)
   • Sort Posts – Choose sort order:
     • Title (A-Z)
     • Title (Z-A)
     • Date (Newest First)
     • Date (Oldest First)

Note: The widget will automatically display the category name as its heading.

Global Settings

Go to Settings → Category Posts List to configure:

• Post Separators – Show or hide borders between posts
• Display Format – Choose how posts are presented (List, Comma-separated, or Inline)
• Spacing Between Posts – Adjust vertical spacing in list format

These settings apply to all widget instances on your site.

Shortcode

Use [fraew_category_posts_list] in posts or pages to display category posts outside of widgets.

Template Tag

Add this to your theme template files:

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How It Works

When a visitor views a post, this plugin:

1. Detects the post’s category
2. Retrieves all posts in that category
3. Displays them according to your configured settings
4. Highlights the currently viewed post in bold

The widget only appears on single post pages and does not display on category archives, search results, or homepage.

Configuration Examples

Example 1: Clean, Minimal List – Display Format: List – Separators: OFF – Spacing: Compact

Example 2: Prominent Related Posts – Display Format: List – Separators: ON – Spacing: Spacious

Example 3: Compact Inline – Display Format: Comma-separated – Spacing: Compact (irrelevant for inline format)

Example 4: Bold Discovery – Display Format: Inline – Spacing: Normal (irrelevant for inline format)

Support

Need help? Visit the plugin documentation or report issues:

• WordPress.org Plugin Page: https://wordpress.org/plugins/fraew-category-posts-list/
• Support Forum: https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/fraew-category-posts-list/

Donate

Love this plugin? Support future development: https://buymeacoffee.com/fraew

License

This plugin is licensed under the GPLv2 or later. For more information, visit: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html