CrestaProject

FREE Crest Posts Widget is a simple but powerful WordPress Widget which displays your posts with thumbnail and many other options like the ability to show the date, the number of comments, to change the length of the excerpt, change the size of thumbnails and much more.
Some features:
<ul>
<li>Easy to use interface</li>
<li>Change post title heading tag</li>
<li>Display the date</li>
<li>Display the comments count</li>
<li>Choose thumbnail size</li>
<li>Choose excerpt lenght</li>
<li>Order posts by date, title, comment count and random</li>
<li>Filter posts by category</li>
</ul>

Plugin Homepage 
http://crestaproject.com/downloads/cresta-post-widget/

Cresta Post Widget FREE

Widget for show all posts or filter by category. Many options available including show thumbnail, excerpt, date and comments count.

Kailey (trepmal)

Widget for mini post loops.
Show most recent posts, posts from categories, and more. Can be displayed via widgets, shortcodes, and template tags.
Development is now happening at the <a href="https://github.com/trepmal/mini-loops" rel="nofollow ugc">GitHub Repo</a> 
Explanation of options:
<h4>Widget Display</h4>
Title: Your recent posts widget’s title on your sidebar. Default: Recent Posts 
 [miniloop title=”Recent Posts”] 
 get_miniloops( array(‘title’ => ‘Recent Posts’ ) );
Title URL: The page the title should link to. Default: none 
 [miniloop title_url=”/blog/”] 
 get_miniloops( array(‘title_url’ => ‘/blog/” ) );
<h4>Building the Query</h4>
Number of Posts: Number of posts to be displayed. Default: 3 
 [miniloop number_posts=3] 
 get_miniloops( array(‘number_posts’ => 3 ) );
Post Offset: Number of posts to skip before displaying the list. Default: 0 
 [miniloop post_offset=0] 
 get_miniloops( array(‘post_offset’ => 0 ) );
Maximum Age: Don’t show posts more than X days old Default: 0 
 [miniloop maximum_age=0] 
 get_miniloops( array(‘maximum_age’ => 0 ) );
Post Author: Get author’s post. By ID. Default: none 
 [miniloop post_author=0] 
 get_miniloops( array(‘post_author’ => 0 ) );
Post Type: Post type to display. Default: post 
 [miniloop post_type=post] 
 get_miniloops( array(‘post_type’ => ‘post’ ) );
Post Status: Post status to display. Primarily useful to show upcoming (future) posts. But be creative! Default: publish 
 [miniloop post_status=publish] 
 get_miniloops( array(‘post_status’ => ‘publish’ ) );
Order By: What order the posts should be displayed in. Default: date 
 [miniloop order_by=date] 
 get_miniloops( array(‘order_by’ => ‘date’ ) );
Order: Ascending (good for order by title) or Descending (good for order by date) Default: DESC 
 [miniloop order=DESC] 
 get_miniloops( array(‘order’ => ‘DESC’ ) );
Ordering by the values of <code>some_key</code> (works well if the values of <code>some_key</code> are strings/words): 
 [miniloop order_by=meta_value order_meta_key=some_key] 
 get_miniloops( array(‘order_by’ => ‘meta_value’, ‘order_meta_key’ => ‘some_key’ ) );
Ordering by the numeric values of <code>some_key</code> (works well if the values of <code>some_key</code> are numbers/integers): 
 [miniloop order_by=meta_value_num order_meta_key=some_key] 
 get_miniloops( array(‘order_by’ => ‘meta_value_num’, ‘order_meta_key’ => ‘some_key’ ) );
Show posts in reverse order? Perhaps you want the 3 most recent posts, but you want the oldest of those to be displayed first. If so, check this. Default: 0 
 [miniloop reverse_order=0] 
 get_miniloops( array(‘reverse_order’ => 0 ) );
Shuffle post order? Shuffle the order of the posts matching your query. Perhaps showing the 5 most recent posts in randomized order. Default: 0 
 [miniloop shuffle_order=0] 
 get_miniloops( array(‘shuffle_order’ => 0 ) );
Ignore sticky posts? Treat sticky posts as normal posts. I recommend ignoring, or the number of posts displayed may be inconsistent. Default: 1 
 [miniloop ignore_sticky=1] 
 get_miniloops( array(‘ignore_sticky’ => 1 ) );
Exclude sticky posts? Don’t show sticky posts at all. Default: 0 
 [miniloop exclude_sticky=0] 
 get_miniloops( array(‘exclude_sticky’ => 0 ) );
Only sticky posts? Show only sticky posts. Default: 0 
 [miniloop only_sticky=0] 
 get_miniloops( array(‘only_sticky’ => 0 ) );
If viewing a single post, exclude it? If viewing a single post, remove it from the widget display. Default: 1 
 [miniloop exclude_current=1] 
 get_miniloops( array(‘exclude_current’ => 1 ) );
Get posts from current category (if archive)? If viewing an archive, only show posts from the same category. Default: 0 
 [miniloop current_category=1] 
 get_miniloops( array(‘current_category’ => 1 ) );
Get posts from first category (if single)? If viewing a single post, only show posts from the first category. Default: none 
 [miniloop current_single_category=1] 
 get_miniloops( array(‘current_single_category’ => 1 ) );
Get posts from current author (if single or archive)? Show more posts from the current author. Default: none 
 [miniloop current_author=1] 
 get_miniloops( array(‘current_author’ => 1 ) );
Categories: Comma separated list of category IDs to pull from. Use negative ID numbers to exclude a category. Default: none 
 [miniloop categories=”1,8,13″] 
 get_miniloops( array(‘categories’ => ‘1,8,13’ ) );
Tags: Comma separated list of tag IDs to pull from. Use negative ID numbers to exclude a tag. Default: none 
 [miniloop tags=”15,40,88″] 
 get_miniloops( array(‘tags’ => ‘15,40,88’ ) );
Custom Taxonomies: A clunky way to support custom taxonomies. Default: none. To include terms 5, 6, 9 from taxonomy “Genre” do this: 
 [miniloop tax=”genre=5,6,9″] 
 get_miniloops( array(‘tax’ => ‘genre=5,6,9’ ) );
Custom Fields: For listing posts that have certain meta data. Default: none. To list posts that have a custom field ‘favorite_color’ with a value of ‘blue’ do this: 
 [miniloop custom_fields=”favorite_color=blue”] 
 get_miniloops( array(‘custom_fields’ => ‘favorite_color=blue’ ) );
Exclude Posts: A comma separated list of post IDs to exclude. Default: none 
 [miniloop exclude=”15,200,1032″] 
 get_miniloops( array(‘exclude’ => ‘15,200,1032’ ) );
<h4>Display</h4>
Before Items: Text/HTML to insert before the post list. Default: <code><ul></code> 
 [miniloop before_items=””] 
 get_miniloops( array(‘before_items’ => ” ) );
After Items: Text/HTML to insert after the post list. Default: <code></ul></code> 
 [miniloop after_items=””] 
 get_miniloops( array(‘after_items’ => ” ) );
Item Format: 
HTML and shortcodes to format each item
<h4>Shortcodes</h4>
<ul>
<li>[ml_title]</li>
<li>[ml_url]</li>
<li>[ml_excerpt] Attributes: length (100), wlength (0), after (‘…’), space_between (0), after_link (1), custom (0), strip_tags (1), strip_shortcodes (1)
<ul>
<li>length = excerpt length in characters (0 for none, -1 for full length)</li>
<li>wlength = excerpt length in words</li>
<li>after = what to show after the excerpt</li>
<li>space_between = force space between excerpt and ‘after’</li>
<li>after_link = make the ‘after’ link to the post</li>
<li>custom = 1 to default/customized excerpts, 0 to trim by lentgh</li>
<li>strip_tags = 1 to strip HTML tags, 0 to keep. CAREFUL: it is not generally recommended to keep the tags. Character excerpts may break tags, and thus break an entire page’s layout.</li>
<li>strip_shortcodes = 1 to strip shortcodes, 0 to keep</li>
<li>up_to_more = 1 to get everything up to the <code></code> tag (the ‘more’ text), if it exists, otherwise use char/word limit excerpt. 0 use char/word limited excerpt</li>
<li>after_with_more = (with up_to_more) 1 to use the ‘after’ text with the ‘more’ text, 0 to add nothing after the ‘more’ text</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>[ml_content]</li>
<li>[ml_comment_count]</li>
<li>[ml_author]</li>
<li>[ml_author_link]</li>
<li>[ml_author_avatar] Attributes: size (92), default (”), alt (false)
<ul>
<li>size = avatar size, in pixels</li>
<li>default = default if no gravatar. See Settings > Discussion</li>
<li>alt = alt text</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>[ml_field] Attributes: name, single (1), separator (‘, ‘), reverse (0)
<ul>
<li>name = custom field name</li>
<li>single = 1 get single value, 0 get all values matching name</li>
<li>separator = string to separate each value</li>
<li>reverse = 0 default order, 1 reverse display order</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>[ml_taxonomy] Attributes: taxonomy, separator (‘, ‘), link (0), justone (0), reverse (0)
<ul>
<li>taxonomy = taxonomy slug</li>
<li>separator = string to separate each term</li>
<li>link = 1 to link categories to their archive page, 0 for no links</li>
<li>justone = 1 to show just first category, 0 to show all</li>
<li>reverse = 0 default order, 1 reverse display order</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>[ml_tax] Alias to [ml_taxonomy]</li>
<li>[ml_category] Shortcut for [tax taxonomy=category]</li>
<li>[ml_tag] Shortcut for [tax taxonomy=post_tag]</li>
<li>[ml_date] Attributes: format (‘F j, Y’)
<ul>
<li>format = PHP-style date format</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>[ml_class] Attributes: class
<ul>
<li>class = classes to display in addition to the traditional post classes</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>[ml_image] Attributes: from, cfname, class, width (50), height (50), crop, fallback
<ul>
<li>from (options: thumb, attached, customfield, first)
<ul>
<li>from ‘thumb’ post thumbnail/featured image <code>[ml_image from=thumb]</code></li>
<li>from ‘attached’ first attached image <code>[ml_image from=attached]</code></li>
<li>from ‘customfield’ get from custom field <code>[ml_image from=customfield]</code></li>
<li>from ‘first’ first image in post <code>[ml_image from=first]</code></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>since 1.1.3, you can pass a comma-separated list to use as fallbacks. <code>[ml_image from="thumb,first"]</code></li>
<li>cfname = custom field to use if from=customfield <code>[ml_image from=customfield cfname=thumbnail]</code></li>
<li>class = class for image</li>
<li>width = width of image</li>
<li>height = height of image</li>
<li>crop = 1 to crop, 0 to scale (not implemented yet)</li>
<li>fallback = URL of image to use if ‘from’ doesn’t return anything</li>
<li>cache = set to ‘clear’ to generate new thumbnails. It is not recommended that you leave this option on. <code>[ml_image from=thumb cache=clear]</code></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
Inside of Item Format, shortcodes can be used without the <code>ml_</code> prefix.
<h4>Sample Item Formats</h4>
Format 1: https://s.w.org/extend/plugins/mini-loops/screenshot-2.png
(before: <code><ul></code> after: <code></ul></code>)
<li></li>
<a href="[url]" rel="nofollow ugc">[image from=customfield 
 cfname=image width=50 height=50 class=alignright 
 fallback=’http://dummyimage.com/50′][title]</a> 
 [excerpt wlength=30 space_between=1 after=”…” after_link=1]
 By [author] on [date format=”n/j/y”]

Format 2: https://s.w.org/extend/plugins/mini-loops/screenshot-3.png
(before: <code><ul></code> after: <code></ul></code>)
<li></li>
[date format=”F j, Y”] <a href="[url]" rel="nofollow ugc"> 
 [image from=customfield cfname=image width=180 height=100 
 class=aligncenter fallback=’http://placekitten.com/180/100′]</a> 
 [excerpt length=90 space_between=1 after=”…” after_link=1]

Format 3: https://s.w.org/extend/plugins/mini-loops/screenshot-4.png
(before: — after: –)
<a href="[url]" rel="nofollow ugc">[title] 
 [image from=customfield cfname=image width=140 height=140 
 class=aligncenter fallback=’http://placepuppy.it/200/300&text=++woof++’]</a>
<h3>Template Tag</h3>
use <code>miniloops( $args )</code> or <code>get_miniloops( $args )</code>
Like WordPress function, the ‘get_’ variant will simply return the results.
Here are the acceptable arguments and their default values:
<pre><code>$args = array(
 'title' => __( 'Recent Posts', 'mini-loops' ),
 'hide_title' => 0,
 'title_url' => '',
 'number_posts' => 3,
 'post_offset' => 0,
 'post_type' => 'post',
 'post_status' => 'publish',
 'order_by' => 'date',
 'order' => 'DESC',
 'reverse_order' => 0,
 'shuffle_order' => 0,
 'ignore_sticky' => 1,
 'only_sticky' => 0,
 'exclude_current' => 1,
 'categories' => '',
 'tags' => '',
 'tax' => '',
 'custom_fields' => '',
 'exclude' => '',
 'before_items' => '<ul>',
 'item_format' => '<li><a href="[url]">[title]</a> [excerpt]</li>',
 'after_items' => '</ul>',
 );
get_miniloops( $args );
</code></pre>
<h4>Shortcode</h4>
<pre><code>[miniloop]
</code></pre>
Use with all args listed above 
e.g. <code>[miniloop number_posts=10]</code>
Exception – ‘item_format’ must be handled differently
New way (since v0.9):
Create a custom field named <code>ml_format</code> and save the item format there. Then adjust your <code>[miniloop]</code> shortcode 
e.g. <code>[miniloop number_posts=10][ml_format][/miniloop]</code>
If needed, you can change the custom field. Just pass the name of the new custom field to the <code>[ml_format]</code> shortcode 
e.g. <code>[miniloop number_posts=10][ml_format name="new_field"][/miniloop]</code>
Old way:
‘item_format’ must go into the content of the shortcode, and square brackets must be replaced with curly brackets. 
e.g. <code>[miniloop number_posts=10]{title}by {author} [/miniloop]</code>
Also, if you are using html inside the item_format, you must add this into the HTML editor, else your markup will be rendered, not parsed
<h4>Planned</h4>
<ul>
<li>true image cropping for remote images</li>
</ul>
<h3>Other Languages</h3>
<ul>
<li>French (Thanks <a href="http://twitter.com/maoneetag" rel="nofollow ugc">@maoneetag</a>)</li>
</ul>
<h4>Bilingual?</h4>
Send your mo/po files to me at trepmal (at) gmail.com

Mini Loops

Get recent posts, posts from categories, and more. Display as widget or with shortcodes and template tags.

Cresta Post Widget FREE vs Mini Loops