Handy Archive Link

Handy Archive Link is a simple yet powerful WordPress plugin that adds a “View Archive” button to your admin screens, making it incredibly easy to preview archive pages without having to remember URLs or navigate away from your workflow.

Key Features

• One-Click Archive Access – View archive pages directly from post type list screens
• Smart Detection – Only shows the button when an archive page exists
• Customizable Settings – Choose your preferred icon, icon position, open behavior, and disable for specific post types
• Automatic Management – Intelligently handles the default Posts type based on your Reading settings
• Developer-Friendly – Includes filters for advanced customization
• Lightweight – No bloat, just the essentials
• Translation Ready – Fully translatable

Perfect For

• Content managers who frequently preview archives
• Developers building custom post types
• Anyone who wants faster WordPress admin navigation
• Sites with multiple custom post types

How It Works

Once activated, Handy Archive Link automatically adds a “View Archive” button next to the “Add New” button on all public post types with archives enabled.

The plugin intelligently detects:
* Whether a post type has has_archive enabled
* If a “Posts page” is set in Settings > Reading (for default Posts)
* Automatically disables the button for Posts if no posts page is configured

No configuration needed – it just works! But if you want to customize, head to Settings > Handy Archive Link.

Customization Options

Open in New Tab
Choose whether archive links open in a new browser tab or the same window.

Button Icon
Select from 5 different icons:
* External Link (default)
* Eye
* Link
* Archive
* Portfolio

Icon Position
Choose whether the icon appears before or after the button text for a personalized look that matches your workflow.

Disabled Post Types
Choose which post types should NOT display the “View Archive” button. Note: The default “Posts” type is automatically disabled if no posts page is configured in Settings > Reading.

Developer Features

Handy Archive Link includes filters for developers who need advanced control:

Post Type Filters:
* handy_archive_link_show – Control button visibility per post type
* handy_archive_link_url – Modify archive URL per post type

Example usage:

// Hide button for specific post type
add_filter('handy_archive_link_show', function($show, $post_type) {
    if ($post_type === 'my_cpt') {
        return false;
    }
    return $show;
}, 10, 2);

// Custom archive URL
add_filter('handy_archive_link_url', function($url, $post_type) {
    if ($post_type === 'product') {
        return home_url('/shop/');
    }
    return $url;
}, 10, 2);

// Conditional logic based on user role
add_filter('handy_archive_link_show', function($show, $post_type) {
    if ($post_type === 'product' && !current_user_can('manage_woocommerce')) {
        return false;
    }
    return $show;
}, 10, 2);

Compatibility

Works seamlessly with:
* Custom post types created by any plugin (ACF, Metabox, Pods, Toolset, etc.)
* Any theme
* Multisite installations
* Page builders

Translations

Handy Archive Link is translation-ready and includes:
* English (en_US) – Default
* French (fr_FR) – Français

Support

For support, feature requests, or bug reports:
* Visit the support forum
* Open an issue on GitHub

Automatic Installation

1. Log in to your WordPress admin panel
2. Go to Plugins > Add New
3. Search for “Handy Archive Link”
4. Click “Install Now” and then “Activate”

Manual Installation

1. Download the plugin ZIP file
2. Log in to your WordPress admin panel
3. Go to Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin
4. Choose the ZIP file and click “Install Now”
5. Activate the plugin

Configuration

No configuration required! The plugin works out of the box.

For customization options, go to Settings > Handy Archive Link where you can:
* Choose whether to open links in a new tab
* Select your preferred button icon
* Choose icon position (before or after text)
* Disable the button for specific post types

1. 

   The "View Archive" button appears next to "Add New" on post type screens

2. 

   Settings page with customization options

1.0.1 – 2025-10-20

• Add: Icon position option (before or after text)
• Improve: Better vertical alignment for icon and text
• Improve: Code structure with separated class files
• Improve: Asset management using proper WordPress enqueue functions

1.0.0 – 2025-10-09

• Initial release
• Add “View Archive” button to post type list screens
• Support for custom post types with archives
• Customizable icon and open behavior
• Settings page to disable button for specific post types
• Automatic detection and management of Posts without configured posts page
• Developer filters for advanced customization
• Full translation support