Shortcode: list posts by tag with excerpt

Shortcode: List Posts by Tag with Excerpt in WordPress

If you want to display a list of posts filtered by a specific tag along with their excerpts anywhere on your WordPress site, using a shortcode is a practical and flexible solution. This tutorial shows you how to create a custom shortcode that lists posts by tag with excerpts, so you can easily embed it in posts, pages, or widgets.

When to Use This Shortcode

• You want to highlight related content by tag on a page or post.
• You need a dynamic list of posts filtered by tags without manually updating links.
• You want to show post excerpts alongside titles for better context.
• You prefer a shortcode solution that can be reused and customized easily.

Quick Fix: Create a Shortcode to List Posts by Tag with Excerpt

1. Add the provided PHP code to your theme’s functions.php file or create a mini-plugin.
2. Use the shortcode [posts_by_tag tag="your-tag-slug" posts="5"] in your content.
3. Adjust parameters like tag slug and number of posts as needed.
4. Test the shortcode on a page or post to verify output.

Why This Happens

WordPress does not have a built-in shortcode to list posts filtered by tag with excerpts. The default shortcodes like [recent_posts] or widgets do not provide flexible tag filtering combined with excerpts. Creating a custom shortcode leverages WordPress’s WP_Query class to fetch posts by tag and outputs them in a clean, reusable format.

Step-by-Step: Add the Shortcode Code

Below is the complete PHP code for the shortcode. It accepts two attributes:

• tag: The slug of the tag to filter posts by (required).
• posts: Number of posts to display (optional, default is 5).

<?php
// Shortcode to list posts by tag with excerpt
function shortcode_list_posts_by_tag_with_excerpt($atts) {
    // Set default attributes and merge with user input
    $atts = shortcode_atts(
        array(
            'tag' => '',        // Tag slug to filter by
            'posts' => 5       // Number of posts to show
        ), 
        $atts, 
        'posts_by_tag'
    );

    // Sanitize inputs
    $tag_slug = sanitize_text_field($atts['tag']);
    $posts_per_page = intval($atts['posts']);
    if ($posts_per_page <= 0) {
        $posts_per_page = 5;
    }

    if (empty($tag_slug)) {
        return '<p>Please provide a tag slug in the shortcode attribute.</p>';
    }

    // Query posts by tag
    $query_args = array(
        'tag' => $tag_slug,
        'posts_per_page' => $posts_per_page,
        'post_status' => 'publish',
        'ignore_sticky_posts' => true,
    );

    $query = new WP_Query($query_args);

    if (!$query->have_posts()) {
        return '<p>No posts found for tag: ' . esc_html($tag_slug) . '</p>';
    }

    // Start output buffering
    ob_start();

    echo '<ul class="posts-by-tag-list">';

    while ($query->have_posts()) {
        $query->the_post();
        echo '<li>';
        echo '<a href="' . esc_url(get_permalink()) . '">' . esc_html(get_the_title()) . '</a>';
        echo '<p class="post-excerpt">' . esc_html(get_the_excerpt()) . '</p>';
        echo '</li>';
    }

    echo '</ul>';

    wp_reset_postdata();

    return ob_get_clean();
}
add_shortcode('posts_by_tag', 'shortcode_list_posts_by_tag_with_excerpt');
?>

How to Add This Code

1. Via functions.php: Open your active theme’s functions.php file and paste the above code at the end.
2. Via Mini-Plugin: Create a new file named posts-by-tag-shortcode.php in wp-content/plugins/ with the following header and the code above:

<?php
/*
Plugin Name: Posts By Tag Shortcode
Description: Adds a shortcode to list posts by tag with excerpts.
Version: 1.0
Author: Your Name
*/
 
// Paste the shortcode function code here
?>

Then activate the plugin from the WordPress admin.

Testing the Shortcode

1. Create or edit a post/page where you want to display the list.
2. Insert the shortcode with your desired tag slug and number of posts, for example:

[posts_by_tag tag="news" posts="3"]

This will display the 3 most recent posts tagged with news, showing their titles linked to the posts and excerpts below.

Variations and Customizations

• Change number of posts: Adjust the posts attribute, e.g. posts="10".
• Style output: Add CSS targeting .posts-by-tag-list and .post-excerpt classes.
• Show full content: Replace get_the_excerpt() with get_the_content() in the code.
• Order posts: Modify $query_args to include 'orderby' => 'date' or other parameters.
• Multiple tags: Extend the shortcode to accept comma-separated tags by adjusting the query.

Works On

Environment	Notes
Apache, Nginx, LiteSpeed	Compatible with all standard web servers running WordPress.
cPanel, Plesk	Works on hosting control panels with standard WordPress installations.
PHP Developer Snippets Tags:Loop, Shortcode, Tag Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Comment * Name * Email * Website Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Also by the maker of MySurveyReviews.com