Simple & lightweight: Flexible Shortcode for showing the last updated date (and/or time) of an item of a post type.
- WordPress: 6.7.2 / 6.8 Beta
- PHP: 8.0 – 8.3
- Requires at least: WP 6.7 / PHP 7.4
Support Project | Installation | Description | Features | Usage | Shortcode Parameters | Bonus Shortcuts | Widgets | Templates | Filters | Changelog | Plugin Scope / Disclaimer
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- Download ZIP: shortcode-item-updated.zip
- Upload via WordPress Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin
- Once activated, you can use the shortcode – see Usage below
- Below, download the appropriate snippet version
- activate or deactivate in your snippets plugin
Download .json version for: Code Snippets (free & Pro), Advanced Scripts (Premium), Scripts Organizer (Premium) --> just use their elegant script import features --> in Scripts Organizer use the "Code Snippets Import"
For all other snippet manager plugins just use our plugin's main .php file shortcode-item-updated.php and use its content as snippet (bevor saving your snippet: please check for your plugin if the opening php tag needs to be removed or not!).
--> Please decide for one of both alternatives!
Very useful to output the updated date of a custom post type item on a regular page, within a widget or anywhere else... :-)
Backstory: I needed something like that for a client project to display the last updated date/time of a download post type on a regular content page. Since I knew, I would need the same functionality for an other existing site and maybe in future too, I just build it into a "general plugin" rather than a simple code snippet...! There were no existing plugins/ solutions out there (at least I didn't found them yet...) that fitted my needs so I had to build it myself ...
- Can be used in post/ page content (also post types), text widgets and also for page builder plugins etc.
- Supports date/ time format from WordPress settings by default
- Genesis Framework: easily use this in various footer/ simple edit plugins (don't forget post ID) or with the awesome Blox free/pro plugin and similar - it's that easy!
- Developer friendly: customize or extend via filters, styles and styling-friendly CSS classes
- Fully internationalized and translateable! -- German translations already packaged!
- Developed with security in mind: proper WordPress coding standards and security functions - escape all the things! :)
Example - default:
[siu-item-updated]
Will show only date (as set in WordPress Settings > General) for the current displayed post (ID pulled via get_the_ID()) - has to be used within the Loop in this default state.
Example - custom 1:
[siu-item-updated post_id="363"]
Will show only date (as set in WordPress Settings > General) for the item of a post type with post ID "363"
Example - custom 2:
[siu-item-updated post_id="363" show_time="yes" show_sep="yes"]
- Will also show the time
- Will show a "separator" string between date and time values (sep)
| Parameter | Description | Default | Translateable |
|---|---|---|---|
post_id |
ID of the post of any (public) post type | get_the_ID() = ID of the current displayed post -- in this case, Shortcode has to be used within the Loop!) |
-- |
date_format |
PHP date format | setting as in WordPress Settings > General | (automatically via date_i18n() ) |
time_format |
PHP time format | setting as in WordPress Settings > General | (automatically via date_i18n() ) |
show_date |
will display updated date, by default visible! | yes |
-- |
show_time |
yes will display time also |
no |
-- |
show_sep |
yes will display separator string |
no |
-- |
sep |
optional separator string |  @ (that is a space plus @-symbol, like so: " @") |
yes! |
show_label |
yes will display a label string before date & time values |
no |
-- |
label_before |
label string before date & time values | Last updated: (by default not shown) |
yes! |
label_after |
label string after time value -- useful for languages like German to get time values like "9.40 Uhr" (see the "Uhr" string) | "" (not displayed) | -- |
class |
additional custom class for the wrapper | "" (none) | -- |
wrapper |
HTML wrapper element - any HTML5 wrapper is possible | span |
-- |
Shortcut for German date format to get output d.m.Y like 12.08.2016 – Usage:
date_format="de"
Shortcut for U.S. date format to get output Y-m-d like 2016-08-12 – Usage:
date_format="us"
NO LONGER recommended! Widgets are outdated, I do not recommend them (and didn't use them myself for lots of years already!).
Shortcode could be used with "Text" widget -- if you have shortcodes for Widgets activated. Possible via this filter:
add_filter( 'widget_text', 'do_shortcode' );
If using extended/ advanced text widget plugins, the Shortcode usage then is already enabled automatically... :-)
NOTE: You have to provide a unique post ID if using this outside of the Loop!
Use WordPress' global do_shortcode() function as a template function, like so:
<?php do_shortcode( '[siu-item-updated post_id="123" show_label="yes"]' ); ?>
--> parameters apply like for regular Shortcode usage (see above)!
NOTE: You have to provide a unique post ID if using this outside of the Loop!
siu_filter_shortcode_defaults--> filter default values of Shortcode parameterssiu_filter_shortcode_item_updated--> filter Shortcode outputshortcode_atts_siu-item-updated--> lets you add new Shortcode parameters for example (= WordPress' default Shortcode filtershortcode_atts_{$shortcode})
- New: Transformed code into class-based approach (more future-proof)
- Plugin: Add meta links on WP Plugins page
- Alternate install: Use "plugin" as Code Snippet version – now officially promoted here in Readme and with downloadable
.jsonfile - Updated
.potfile, plus packaged German translations
- Detection for German locales to run plugin without translation files for German sites – NOTE: you can use translations as before as well, nothing changes here. The two strings can also be modified in the Shortcode itself.
- This (single file) plugin can alternatively be used as "code snippet version". Works perfectly fine in Code Snippets (free & Pro), FluentSnippets, WPCode, Advanced Scripts, Scripts Organizer and WPCodeBox – NOTE: Use that way at your own risk and you have to care for updates yourself. – For download see under Installation
- Few code improvements
- Updated plugin after 9 years, yeah! – Brought back to its basic beauty. (How it should be!)
- Removed additional translation loading – no longer needed; WordPress does now all we need by itself (yeah!)
- Removed support for third-party plugin "Shortcode UI (Shortcake)" which is no longer maintained, and, to be honest, no longer needed
- Brought changelog to Readme file here, CHANGES.md file removed
- Changed plugins versioning from date-based to version number based, which makes more sense here
- Changed to version v2.0.0 just to express the fresh restart
- Updated
.potfile, plus packaged German translations
- Updated Readme file
- Updated .pot file plus German translations
- Improved security and polishing of plugin
- Added Shortcut for German date format to get output
d.m.Ylike12.08.2016(Usage:date_format="de") - Added Shortcut for U.S. date format to get output
Y-m-dlike2016-08-12(Usage:date_format="us") - Added support for plugin "Shortcake" to give Shortcode an UI :-)
- Updated and corrected translations
- Approved compatibility with WordPress 4.6
- Bugfix for variable name in translation loader
- Refined Shortcode parameters
- Added label "Last updated:" (defaults to not being shown!)
- Made separator string translateable (makes sense for a lot of languages to have a "sane default" then)
- Added translations to the plugin; plus default .pot file and German translations
- Added "get_the_ID()" as the default value of "post_id" parameter -- Note: in this case the Shortcode could be used as is [siu-item-updated] but within the Loop!
- Added CHANGES.md file for changelogs
- Added installations instructions to readme
- Improved readme overall
- Minor formatting stuff
- Initial release on GitHub
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Copyright: © 2015-2025, David Decker – DECKERWEB.de
