How to Show WordPress in Recent Posts as a Drop Down

You’re probably familiar with the Category widget in WordPress. Recently, one of our readers asked us if it was possible to display recent posts in a drop down as well. In this article, we will show you how to show recent posts as a drop down in WordPress.

 

Why and Who Needs Recent Posts in Drop Down?

WordPress comes with a built-in recent posts widget that you can add to any sidebar or widget ready area.
This widget simply displays a list of recent posts, and you can choose the number of posts you want to show. But if you want to show more than 5-10 posts, then the list will take a lot of space in your sidebar.
Some WordPress users may need a compact way to display recent posts. In that case, using drop downs or collapsible lists can help you save space.
Let’s take a look at couple of different ways to show recent posts as a drop down menu in WordPress.

Showing WordPress Recent Posts in a Plain Drop Down Menu (Manual Code)

This method uses the built-in wp_get_recent_posts function. All you need to do is copy and paste the following code in your theme’s functions.php file or a site-specific plugin.

01	function wpb_recentposts_dropdown() {

02	$string .= '<select id="rpdropdown">

03	<option  value="" selected>Select a Post<option>';

04

05	$args = array( 'numberposts' => '5', 'post_status' => 'publish' );

06

07	$recent_posts = wp_get_recent_posts($args);

08	foreach( $recent_posts as $recent ){

09	$string .= '<option value="' . get_permalink($recent["ID"]) . '">' .   $recent["post_title"].'</option> ';

10

}

11

12	$string .= '</select>

13	<script type="text/javascript"> var urlmenu = document.getElementById( "rpdropdown" ); urlmenu.onchange = function() {

14	window.open( this.options[ this.selectedIndex ].value, "_self" );

15

};

16	</script>';

17

18	return $string;

19

}

20	add_shortcode('rp_dropdown', 'wpb_recentposts_dropdown');

21	add_filter('widget_text','do_shortcode');

Now you can use the shortcode [rp_dropdown] in your WordPress post, pages, and text widgets. It will look like this:

Adding Collapsible Recent Posts Using Plugin

The above method simply lists your recent posts in a drop down form. Another way to save space is by adding a collapsible list of recent posts which expands when users click on it.
First thing you need to do is install and activate the Collapse-O-Matic plugin. It works out of the box, and there are no settings for you to configure.
The plugin simply allows you to show anything in a collapsible menu using a shortcode.
Before we use this plugin, we need a way to easily show recent posts anywhere we want. Simply add this code to your theme’s functions.php file or a site-specific plugin.

01	function wpb_recentposts() {

02

03	$string .= '<ul>';

04	$args = array( 'numberposts' => '5', 'post_status' => 'publish' );

05	$recent_posts = wp_get_recent_posts($args);

06	foreach( $recent_posts as $recent ){

07	$string .= '<li><a href="' . get_permalink($recent["ID"]) . '">' .   $recent["post_title"].'</a></li> ';

08

}

09	$string .= '</ul>';

10	return $string;

11

}

12	add_shortcode('recentposts', 'wpb_recentposts');

13	add_filter('widget_text','do_shortcode');

This code simply allows you to display a list of recent posts using the shortcode [recentposts].
Now we will add our shortcode in the Collapse-O-Matic shortcode to create a collapsible list of recent posts.
Simply add the shortcode like this:
[expand title="Recent Posts"][recentposts][/expand]
You can add this shortcode in a text widget, posts, or pages on your WordPress site. This is how it looked on our test site.