WordPress - Posts generator

In this article

With this dynamic slide generator you can create a post slider and show the contents of your WordPress posts.

⚠️ Warning: The generators can only show the content they were set up to show at the backend. Basically, if you create a generator that shows your posts from Category1, then you can't show posts from Category2 at the Category2 page. You can't exclude or include posts based on the current post. You can't show/hide content based on the current post/page you're viewing.
☝️ Note: Using a Custom Post Type? The Pro version of Smart Slider 3 supports them. Check this documentation.

Video

Tutorial

1
Creating a new dynamic slide

To get started, go to any Slider Settings page and add a new dynamic slide. Select Posts, and choose one of the WordPress generators. If you want to choose Custom posts, then rather follow this documentation.

2
Configuring the generator

Set up your generator. Choose the settings you want. Popular options you probably want to configure: category where your content will be pulled from, the number of slides you want to have, the ordering of the content.

You can also click on the View Records button to see the data you'll be creating your slide with.

When you're done, click on Add.

3
Editing the dynamic slide

After you saved your generator, you'll be redirected to the Slide Editor to set up the look of your slide. You can create your content by using variables.

Not sure what are the variables or how to use them? Learn how to work with variables.

Posts by filter

Configuration

You can use these options to set what you want your generator to show.

Filter

Categories

You can select the categories from where you want the posts.

Tags

You can select what tags should be used by the posts.

Taxonomies

There are plugins, themes or your own code, that can give custom taxonomies to your posts. You can filter your posts based on these taxonomies as well.

Sticky
  • Sticky
  • Not sticky
Remove shortcodes

You can remove shortcodes from variables to avoid 3rd party content rendering in your slider.

Remove from variables

Write the name of the variables you want to remove the shortcodes from. Separate new variables with a comma and space. E.g. description, content

Custom date variables

You can create custom date variables from your existing date variables. Write each variable to a new line and use the following format: variable||format.

The variable should be an existing variable. Based on this existing variable, we create a new one with the _datetime suffix. (E.g. date_datetime.)

The format can be any PHP date format.

Translate custom dates

You can translate the content of the newly created variables. Use the following format: from||to. Eg.: Monday||Montag

Date function

This function will be used to format these custom date variables. Usually the date_i18n works, but if your date will be off a little bit, then try out the other one.

Order

Field
  • Post date
  • ID
  • Title
  • Modification date
  • Random
  • Comment count
  • Menu order
Order

The order direction.

  • Ascending
  • Descending

Generator Settings

Learn about the Generator Settings at the Generator Settings documentation.

Variables

These are the available variables you can use to build your dynamic slide content in the Slide Editor.

Not sure what are the variables or how to use them? Learn how to work with variables.

  • id - The id of the post.
  • url - Url to the post.
  • title - The title of the post.
  • excerpt - Excerpt of the post.
    WordPress automatically adds a "read more" link to excerpts in some cases. If you see this and you don't want it, you should rather use the description variable with split by chars.
  • modified - Date of the last modification.
  • content, description - The content of the post.
  • author, author_name - The display name of the post's author.
  • author_url - Url to the website of the post's author.
  • category_name - The name of the post's category.
  • category_name_[x] - The name of the post's category. This variable was made, if you have multiple categories selected for your post, you can show more, not just the first one.
  • category_link - Url to the post's category.
  • category_link_[x] - Url to the post's category. This variable was made, if you have multiple categories selected for your post, you can show more, not just the first one.
  • image, thumbnail, featured_image - The featured image of the post.
  • image_[size] - Different image sizes for the featured image of the post.
  • Advanced custom field variables -  Advanced custom field stores their variables in many different ways, so it is not 100% that you can get all your variables!
    ACF variables are asked down as meta variables too, so you can find duplicated variables:
    • example
    • examplevariable
    • metaexample
    • acf_example
    • example_variable

    In this example the ACF code created variables are the ones with "acf_" beginning and with "_" signs:

    • acf_example
    • example_variable

    and you will have to use them, not the first three. The first three could have wrong values when you leave their fields empty.

  • The meta datas of the post. Meta data can be stored in many different ways, so it is not 100% that you can get all your meta datas!

Posts by IDs

Configuration

You can use these options to set what you want your generator to show.

Filter

Post Or Page IDs

You can add the ids of those posts, which you would like to have in your slider. Write one number in one line.

Generator Settings

Learn about the Generator Settings at the Generator Settings documentation.

Variables

These are the available variables you can use to build your dynamic slide content in the Slide Editor.

Not sure what are the variables or how to use them? Learn how to work with variables.

  • id - The id of the post.
  • url - Url to the post.
  • title - The title of the post.
  • excerpt - Excerpt of the post.
    WordPress automatically adds a "read more" link to excerpts in some cases. If you see this and you don't want it, you should rather use the description variable with split by chars.
  • modified - Date of the last modification.
  • content, description - The content of the post.
  • author, author_name - The display name of the post's author.
  • author_url - Url to the website of the post's author.
  • category_name - The name of the post's category.
  • category_name_[x] - The name of the post's category. This variable was made, if you have multiple categories selected for your post, you can show more, not just the first one.
  • category_link - Url to the post's category.
  • category_link_[x] - Url to the post's category. This variable was made, if you have multiple categories selected for your post, you can show more, not just the first one.
  • image, thumbnail, featured_image - The featured image of the post.
  • image_[size] - Different image sizes for the featured image of the post.
  • Advanced custom field variables -  Advanced custom field stores their variables in many different ways, so it is not 100% that you can get all your variables!
    ACF variables are asked down as meta variables too, so you can find duplicated variables:
    • example
    • examplevariable
    • metaexample
    • acf_example
    • example_variable

    In this example the ACF code created variables are the ones with "acf_" beginning and with "_" signs:

    • acf_example
    • example_variable

    and you will have to use them, not the first three. The first three could have wrong values when you leave their fields empty.

  • The meta datas of the post. Meta data can be stored in many different ways, so it is not 100% that you can get all your meta datas!

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