robertdrake

This plugin creates the [Category]] Shortcode. The code takes 5 arguments:
number: the number of posts to display. 0 equals the default number. -1 equals the total available.
Order: Ascending or Descending
Display Method: Full, Excerpt, Title
Order By: Author, Date, Title, Modified, Parent, ID, Rand, None, or Comment Count.
Category: this is the category id the category or categories that should be searched. Multiple categories can be specified in a comma separated list.
Example shortcode:
[Category number=’5′ method=’title’ order=’asc’ id=’11,45′ orderby=’comment_count’]
This will show 5 posts in ascending order of category 11 and 45 as arranged by comment_count and will display just the post titles.
<h3>Acknowledgements</h3>
A big thank you to g33kg0dd3ss for figuring out the 1.3 fix issue with the loop being broken. She contributed the patch fix.
<h3>Future Additions?</h3>
<ol>
<li>
Let plugin form allow for multiple category selections
</li>
<li>
Let plugin form allow for multiple orderby methods
</li>
<li>
In admin form restrict Number of posts to numbers only.
</li>
<li>
In admin form setup a copy and paste script
</li>
<li>
Accept a category name as a valid input
</li>
<li>
Internationalization of the plugin
</li>
<li>
Improve Formatting of Posts / Make formatting easier to edit./ Give user more control over formatting
</li>
<li>
Allow attachments to come through
</li>
<li>
Turn title links on or off.
</li>
<li>
Allow comments in output
</li>
<li>
Give user more control over the postformatting
</li>
<li>
Add ability to modify thumbnail options through shortcode
</li>
</ol>

Category Shortcode

Plugin adds shortcode capability for adding posts by category to a page.

Mustapha Samios

MD Taxonomy Totals provides a simple and efficient way to display the total number of published posts on your site. Use the <code>[mdtt_total_posts]</code> shortcode anywhere on your site to show post counts.
Features: 
* Display total published posts count 
* Filter by category (name, slug, or ID) 
* Filter by tag (name, slug, or ID) 
* Combine category and tag filters 
* Automatic number formatting based on locale 
* Admin instructions page accessible via Tools menu
Perfect for: 
* Showing total blog posts on your homepage 
* Displaying category-specific post counts 
* Tag-based post statistics 
* Portfolio or gallery post counts 
* Any content that needs post count displays

MD Taxonomy Totals

Display total published posts count using the [mdtt_total_posts] shortcode, with optional filtering by category or tag.

Category Shortcode vs MD Taxonomy Totals