Compact Archives vs Shortcodes Ultimate – Content Elements

The built-in WordPress archives widget is great for new blogs, but it doesn’t look as good for more established blogs like WPBeginner. 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 archives page: 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 or in an even more compact form to fit a sidebar: 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 or something in between: 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 Compact Archive plugin works seamlessly with Gutenberg Block Editor, Classic Editor, and WordPress widgets. What’s Next If you like this plugin, then consider checking out our other projects: OptinMonster – Get More Email Subscribers with the most popular conversion optimization plugin for WordPress. WPForms – Best Drag & Drop WordPress Form plugin (over 1 million active installs). MonsterInsights – See the Stats that Matter and Grow Your Business with Confidence. Best Google Analytics Plugin for WordPress. SeedProd – Jumpstart your website with the #1 Coming Soon & Maintenance Mode Plugin for WordPress. WP Mail SMTP – Improve email deliverability for your contact form with the most popular SMTP plugin for WordPress. Visit WPBeginner to learn from our WordPress Tutorials and find out about other best WordPress plugins. Like all plugins, Compact Archives is only available for self-hosted WordPress sites. So YES you need to switch from WordPress.com to WordPress.org in order to use this plugin on your WordPress site. For more details, see the infographic on Self hosted WordPress.org vs Free WordPress.com If you like this plugin, then please leave a good rating. For support just ask the questions here in the support forum. Credits This plugin was originally created by Rob Marsh and Aldolat added a widget for it. WPBeginner adopted the plugin and took the responsibility of keeping it updated.

Building new pages with Gutenberg? Explore VovaBlocks, a focused collection of native marketing and content blocks from the creator of Shortcodes Ultimate. View VovaBlocks → About Shortcodes Ultimate Shortcodes Ultimate is a WordPress shortcode plugin for adding tabs, accordions, buttons, FAQs, sliders, carousels, lightboxes, columns, boxes and other reusable content elements without coding. It is ideal for site owners who want richer content layouts and practical UI elements without switching to a full page builder. Use Shortcodes Ultimate in the Block Editor, Classic Editor, widgets and template files. Generate shortcodes visually, preview the result before inserting it, and reuse the same elements across posts, pages and existing shortcode-based content. Trusted by hundreds of thousands of WordPress sites, Shortcodes Ultimate helps you replace multiple single-purpose UI plugins with one maintained toolkit. Explore live examples What you can build With Shortcodes Ultimate, you can quickly add common WordPress content elements such as: Accordions and FAQ sections Responsive tabs CTA buttons and download buttons Boxes, notes and callouts Columns and layout helpers Sliders and carousels Lightboxes for images and custom content Post lists and dynamic content blocks Spoilers, toggles and expandable content Media embeds and visual content blocks Instead of installing a separate plugin for every small content element, Shortcodes Ultimate gives you one maintained toolkit for everyday WordPress content tasks. Works with modern and classic WordPress workflows Shortcodes Ultimate works with the Block Editor, Classic Editor, widgets and template files. You can insert shortcodes manually, use WordPress shortcode blocks or use the built-in shortcode generator to configure elements visually. This makes the plugin useful for: Site owners who want to improve content without coding Bloggers and affiliate publishers who need reusable CTA and content blocks Agencies and freelancers maintaining multiple WordPress sites Developers who want shortcode-friendly output in templates Existing sites with older content that already uses shortcodes Why use Shortcodes Ultimate? 50+ ready-to-use WordPress shortcodes Visual shortcode generator Live preview Works with the Block Editor and Classic Editor Shortcodes can be used in posts, pages, widgets and template files Responsive elements that work with your theme Built-in Custom CSS editor Developer-friendly hooks and documentation Free version available on WordPress.org Pro version available for advanced shortcodes, extra styles and premium support Why shortcodes still matter in WordPress The WordPress Block Editor is great for visual content editing, but shortcodes are still useful when you need portable, reusable content elements that work across different parts of a WordPress site. Shortcodes are especially helpful when you want to: Reuse the same content element in many posts or pages Add dynamic content inside widgets or templates Maintain older WordPress sites that already use shortcodes Work across Classic Editor and Block Editor workflows Add content elements without switching to a full page builder Keep common UI elements available through a simple text-based syntax Shortcodes Ultimate is designed for these practical workflows. It gives you a large collection of ready-made shortcodes and a visual generator, so you do not need to write shortcode syntax manually unless you want to. Free and Pro The free version of Shortcodes Ultimate includes a large collection of useful shortcodes for everyday WordPress content tasks. Shortcodes Ultimate Pro adds advanced shortcodes, additional styles, Content Slider, Pricing Table, Testimonials, Shortcode Creator, Elementor support and premium support. Compare Free and Pro Useful links Documentation Live Examples Pro features Support