Ignazio Di Maio

IDM Post Date Archive Link is a lightweight plugin that provides a dedicated block and a shortcode for dynamically displaying the publication date, or the last modified date, of a post or page.
Its core function is to offer display flexibility, allowing you to choose between the publication date or the last modified date. Furthermore, it enables linking the displayed date to different types of date archives.
This tool is perfect for Full Site Editing (FSE) themes and for users who require precise control over the date’s format and link destination within their templates and content.
<h3>Features</h3>
<ul>
<li>Gutenberg Block: Fully compatible with the block editor and FSE themes.</li>
<li>Date Selection: Choose to display the published date (default) or the last modified date.</li>
<li>Archive Links: Option to link the date to the yearly, monthly, or daily archive of the current post, to its permalink, or display it as plain text.</li>
<li>Custom Formatting: Supports date/time formatting using standard PHP formatting characters.</li>
<li>CPT Support: Correctly handles archive links for Custom Post Types by appending their slug to the URL.</li>
<li>Shortcode: Includes the shortcode for backward compatibility and use in widget areas or the Classic Editor.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Usage</h3>
<h4>Block</h4>
The block is registered as “IDM Post Date Archive Link” under the Theme category. Once inserted, you can customize it using the available settings in the Block Inspector sidebar:
<ul>
<li>Use custom format: Override the default date format (set in the general settings) with a custom one.</li>
<li>Enable date link: Make the date clickable by linking it to the post or a date archive.</li>
<li>Display last modified date: If the post has been modified, display the last modified date instead of the publication date.</li>
<li>Date prefix: Custom text prefix to add before the date (e.g., “Published on:”).</li>
</ul>
The block can be styled using the Styles panel of Block Inspector sidebar. To match the current theme style, apply the class “wp-block-post-date” to the block (same class of Post Date core block).
<h4>Shortcode</h4>
You can use the <code>[ipdal]</code> shortcode in any supported area (shortcode block, widgets, classic editor), or in a classic theme template with: <code><?php echo do_shortcode('[ipdal]'); ?></code>. 
Available attributes are:
<ul>
<li>
<code>link</code> : Make the date clickable by linking it to the post or a date archive. 
Accepted Values: <code>post</code>, <code>day</code>, <code>month</code>, <code>year</code>, <code>none</code> 
Default: <code>post</code>
</li>
<li>
<code>modified</code> : If the post has been modified, display the last modified date instead of the published date. 
Accepted Values: <code>true</code>, <code>false</code> 
Default: <code>false</code>
</li>
<li>
<code>format</code> : Override the default date format (set in the general site settings) with a custom one. 
Accepted Values: Any <a href="https://wordpress.org/documentation/article/customize-date-and-time-format/" rel="ugc">date format string</a> like “<code>d/m/Y</code>” or “<code>timeago</code>” for relative date format. 
Default: <code>default</code>
</li>
<li>
<code>text</code> : Custom text prefix to add before the date. 
Accepted Values: Any string (e.g., “Published on:”) 
Default: <code>''</code> (none – empty string)
</li>
</ul>
Example:
<pre><code>[ipdal modified="true" link="month" format="m/d/Y" text="Updated:"]
</code></pre>
( this sample will displays the last modified date linked to the monthly archive, with the format month/day/year, and “Updated:” as custom text prefix )
The shortcode can be styled with custom CSS by referencing its class: “idm-post-date-archive-link_shortcode“.

IDM Post Date Archive Link

Display the publication (or modification) date in a block or shortcode, with links to date archives and custom formatting.

Syed Balkhi

Andrei Surdu

Dave

Noumaan Yaqoob

The built-in WordPress archives widget is great for new blogs, but it doesn’t look as good for more established blogs like <a href="https://www.wpbeginner.com/" rel="friend nofollow ugc">WPBeginner</a>. Compact Archives displays the monthly archive of posts in a more compact form rather than the usual long list. It can be shown as a compact block suitable for the body of an <a href="https://www.wpbeginner.com/wp-tutorials/how-to-create-an-archives-page-in-wordpress/" rel="friend nofollow ugc">archives page</a>:
<pre><code>2009: Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2008: Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2007: Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
</code></pre>
or in an even more compact form to fit a sidebar:
<pre><code>2009: J F M A M J J A S O N D
2008: J F M A M J J A S O N D
2007: J F M A M J J A S O N D
</code></pre>
or something in between:
<pre><code>2009: 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12
2008: 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12
2007: 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12
</code></pre>
Compact Archive plugin works seamlessly with <a href="https://www.wpbeginner.com/beginners-guide/how-to-use-the-new-wordpress-block-editor/" rel="friend nofollow ugc">Gutenberg Block Editor</a>, <a href="https://www.wpbeginner.com/plugins/how-to-disable-gutenberg-and-keep-the-classic-editor-in-wordpress/" rel="friend nofollow ugc">Classic Editor</a>, and WordPress widgets.
<h4>What’s Next</h4>
If you like this plugin, then consider checking out our other projects:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://optinmonster.com/" title="OptinMonster" rel="friend nofollow ugc">OptinMonster</a> – Get More Email Subscribers with the most popular conversion optimization plugin for WordPress.</li>
<li><a href="https://wpforms.com/" title="WPForms" rel="friend nofollow ugc">WPForms</a> – Best Drag & Drop WordPress Form plugin (over 1 million active installs).</li>
<li><a href="https://www.monsterinsights.com/" title="MonsterInsights" rel="friend nofollow ugc">MonsterInsights</a> – See the Stats that Matter and Grow Your Business with Confidence. Best Google Analytics Plugin for WordPress.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.seedprod.com/" title="SeedProd" rel="friend nofollow ugc">SeedProd</a> – Jumpstart your website with the #1 Coming Soon & Maintenance Mode Plugin for WordPress.</li>
<li><a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-mail-smtp/" rel="ugc">WP Mail SMTP</a> – Improve email deliverability for your contact form with the most popular SMTP plugin for WordPress.</li>
</ul>
Visit <a href="http://www.wpbeginner.com/" title="WPBeginner" rel="friend nofollow ugc">WPBeginner</a> to learn from our <a href="http://www.wpbeginner.com/category/wp-tutorials/" title="WordPress Tutorials" rel="friend nofollow ugc">WordPress Tutorials</a> and find out about other <a href="http://www.wpbeginner.com/category/plugins/" title="Best WordPress Plugins" rel="friend nofollow ugc">best WordPress plugins</a>.
Like all plugins, Compact Archives is only available for self-hosted WordPress sites. So YES you need to <a href="http://www.wpbeginner.com/wp-tutorials/how-to-properly-move-your-blog-from-wordpress-com-to-wordpress-org/" title="switch from WordPress.com to WordPress.org" rel="nofollow ugc">switch from WordPress.com to WordPress.org</a> in order to use this plugin on your WordPress site. For more details, see the infographic on <a href="http://www.wpbeginner.com/beginners-guide/self-hosted-wordpress-org-vs-free-wordpress-com-infograph/" title="Self Hosted WordPress.org vs free WordPress.com" rel="nofollow ugc">Self hosted WordPress.org vs Free WordPress.com</a>
If you like this plugin, then please leave a good rating. For support just ask the questions here in the support forum.
<h4>Credits</h4>
This plugin was originally created by <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/robmarsh/" rel="nofollow ugc">Rob Marsh</a> and <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/aldolat/" rel="nofollow ugc">Aldolat</a> added a widget for it. WPBeginner adopted the plugin and took the responsibility of keeping it updated.

Compact Archives

Displays a smart monthly archive of posts in a more compact form rather than the default long archive widget.

IDM Post Date Archive Link vs Compact Archives