Pheasantly Queued Publication
Pheasantly Queued Publication is a WordPress post queue for editors who want to schedule posts on a recurring publishing queue without calculating dates manually.
Define a recurring post schedule or weekly publishing calendar, then queue posts for publication in the next available publishing slot.
Keep using WordPress’ native scheduled posts, but choose publish times from reusable weekly slots such as “Monday 13:00” or “Friday 09:30”. This gives your content publishing schedule a predictable rhythm while keeping WordPress as the source of truth for publication.
The plugin does not create a separate publication queue of post records. It stores reusable slot definitions in one custom table and stores actual scheduled-post state in WordPress core posts with post_status = future. WordPress core handles publication in the normal scheduled-post way.
Features
- wp-admin screen for managing recurring publication slots for your content workflow
- Validation that prevents duplicate weekly slots with the same day and time
- Queue action in the classic editor
- Queue action in the block editor
- Scheduled-post overview screen with calendar and list views, useful as a lightweight editorial calendar or content calendar
- Queue a post into the next available slot
- Pick one of the next available upcoming slots when you need to schedule blog posts in advance
- Occupancy avoidance: datetimes already used by other scheduled posts are not offered
Getting started
- Go to Queue Posts -> Publication Slots.
- Configure recurring slots by adding a day of week and time of day. Each row is a recurring pattern, not a one-off date.
- Open an unpublished, unscheduled post.
- Find Queue for publication in the post status or publish area (works both in classic and block editor).
- Choose Queue for next slot or Pick a slot. This will queue for the next available slot or your selected specific upcoming slot.
- Review scheduled posts at Queue Posts -> Queued Posts in calendar or list view. The post scheduling calendar shows every future post on the site, not only posts queued through this plugin.
Usage scenarios
How to create a weekly publishing schedule
Go to Queue Posts -> Publication Slots. Select a weekday and time, then click Add Slot. Repeat this for every regular publishing time.
Each row is a repeating weekly pattern rather than a one-time event. For example, Wednesday at 9:00 AM makes future Wednesdays at 9:00 AM available to the queue.
You can add multiple times on the same day, such as Tuesday at 9:00 AM and Tuesday at 3:00 PM. You cannot add the exact same weekday and time twice.
How to queue a post into the next open slot
Open an unpublished, unscheduled post in the block editor or classic editor. Open the Queue for publication options and select Queue for next slot.
Pheasantly finds the earliest configured time that is in the future and is not already occupied. The post then becomes a normal WordPress scheduled post.
How to choose a specific upcoming slot
Open the queue options and choose Pick a slot. Select a date and time, then confirm your choice.
The picker shows up to 10 upcoming free dates. Occupied dates are omitted. If the date you want is absent, another post may already be scheduled for that exact time, or the date may fall beyond the choices currently shown.
How to queue several drafts
Queue ready drafts in the order in which you want them published. Use Queue for next slot on each draft.
After the first draft takes the earliest free date, the next draft takes the next free date, and so on. Review the final order under Queue Posts -> Queued Posts.
How to review upcoming publications
Go to Queue Posts -> Queued Posts. Use the calendar to see your schedule across months, or use Toggle View to switch to the grouped list. Smaller screens use the list view by default.
Post titles link to their editor screens. The overview includes every future post on the site, including posts scheduled manually or by another plugin.
How to change or remove a queued post
A queued post is an ordinary WordPress scheduled post. Open it and use the standard WordPress scheduling controls to change its publication date and time.
To remove it from the schedule, change it back to a non-scheduled status such as Draft and save it. You can queue it again later.
How to change the recurring schedule
Go to Queue Posts -> Publication Slots and delete a recurring time you no longer need. Add a replacement slot if required.
Deleting a recurring slot only affects future queue choices. It does not move or cancel posts that are already scheduled.
Troubleshooting
The queue control is missing
Confirm that the plugin is active and that you can edit the post.
The control is intentionally hidden for posts that are already published or scheduled. Use WordPress’ normal scheduling controls for a scheduled post, or change it back to Draft before queueing it again.
Also confirm that at least one slot exists under Queue Posts -> Publication Slots. With no slots configured, the editor displays a setup message instead of the queue actions.
“Define publication slots before queueing posts” appears
No recurring slots have been configured. Ask an Administrator to add at least one slot under Queue Posts -> Publication Slots. Editors may be able to queue posts without having permission to manage slots.
“No slots available” appears
Confirm that slots have been configured. If they have, upcoming occurrences may already be occupied.
Open Queue Posts -> Queued Posts or the standard Posts screen and look for scheduled posts at the configured times. Reschedule an existing post, add another recurring slot, or try again later.
A slot I expected is not in the picker
Check that the expected time is still in the future according to the site timezone, that the recurring slot still exists, and that another post is not scheduled for the exact same date and time.
The picker displays only the next 10 available dates, so a later occurrence may not appear yet.
“Selected slot not available” appears
Availability changed after you opened the picker, usually because another post took that time. Reopen Pick a slot to refresh the list and choose another date.
The post was queued at an unexpected time
Check the site timezone, date format, and time format under Settings -> General. The WordPress site timezone may differ from your computer’s timezone.
Correct the post using the normal WordPress scheduling controls. Update the site timezone or recurring slots before queueing more posts.
A deleted slot still has a post scheduled on it
This is expected. Deleting a slot prevents later use of that weekly pattern; it does not cancel or move existing scheduled posts. Edit the affected post if you want to change it.
An Editor can queue posts but cannot manage slots or view the overview
This is expected with the default permissions. Administrators normally manage slots and view the overview, while users who can edit a post may queue that post.
A scheduled post did not publish on time
After queueing, WordPress is responsible for publication. Scheduled publishing normally depends on WP-Cron, which is triggered by site traffic unless your host provides a server cron.
Check the post’s date, the site timezone, and whether other scheduled WordPress tasks are also late. If they are, ask your hosting provider or site administrator to investigate the site’s cron configuration.
The Queued Posts screen contains posts I did not queue
This is expected. It lists all future posts, including posts scheduled manually or by other plugins.
I cannot add a slot
Select both a weekday and a valid time. If WordPress says the slot already exists, check Current Slots for the same weekday and time. Exact duplicates are not allowed.
Queueing failed unexpectedly
Reload the editor and try again. The post may have been published, scheduled elsewhere, moved to Trash, or changed by another editor while the page was open.
If the problem continues, confirm that WordPress normally lets you edit and schedule that post. A site administrator can then check for plugin conflicts and review the WordPress debug log.
Resources and tips
- Plugin roadmap on GitHub
- Guides and WordPress tutorials on WP Workshop (YouTube)
- Reach the author at Karol.cc