Columns DIY

A WordPress plugin that enables two simple shortcodes for generating div-based columns and rows. Wrap the desired content block in [column] [/column]. Mark the end of a row with [endrow]. CSS not included.

Description

This plugin is intended for theme developers and others who want to have full control of their column styles while still providing a quick and easy framework for adding/editing column content via WordPress's visual editor. It eliminates the need to type tedious, unmanageable chunks of HTML into the editor when specific posts or pages require a columnar layout.

That said, this plugin is not plug-and-play. It does not include any styles out-of-the-box, so if you start using the shortcodes without adding appropriate CSS rules, there probably won't be any visible changes to your content.

See the Recipes page on the wiki for some styling examples.

Usage

• Designate each column with [column] and [/column]
• Mark the end of a row with [endrow]

Features

• Includes enumerated column and row classes, allowing for per-column and -row styling. Also includes parity classes (odd/even) for striping.
• If a user forgets to add the last [endrow] shortcode, the plugin will automatically insert a closing </div> so the site layout doesn't break.
• Cleans up errant <p> and <br /> tags that result from Wordpress's wpautop() function.
• All parameter inputs are escaped for security.

Example

Putting this into the visual editor:

[column]

This is the column of Foo.

[/column]

[column]

This is the column of Bar.

[/column] [endrow]

Will result in this output:

<div class="diy-row diy-row-1 diy-row-odd">
<div class="diy-column diy-column-1 diy-column-odd">
<p>This is the column of Foo.</p>
</div><!-- end diy-column-1 -->

<div class="diy-column diy-column-2 diy-column-even">
<p>This is the column of Bar.</p>
</div><!-- end diy-column-2 -->
</div><!-- end diy-row-1 -->

Parameters

The following optional parameters can be added to the [column] shortcode:

• class (String : '') Classes for the column <div> element. Separate multiple classes with spaces.
• rowclass (String : '') Classes for the row <div> element. Only works when included with the first [column] shortcode in a row.
• style (String : '') Inline styles for the column <div> element.
• rowstyle (String : '') Inline styles for the row <div> element. Only works when included with the first [column] shortcode in a row.
• norow (Boolean : false) Set to true to omit the row wrapper <div>.

Example: [column class="column-class-1 column-class-2" rowclass="row-class-1 row-class-2" style="color:blue;" rowstyle="background:orange;" norow="true"]

Filters

The following filter hooks can be used to alter the output of the shortcodes:

• diy_colclass
• diy_colstyle
• diy_column
• diy_rowclass
• diy_rowstyle
• diy_beginrow
• diy_endrow

Installation

1. Upload the columns-diy folder to the /wp-content/plugins/ directory
2. Activate the plugin through the 'Plugins' menu in WordPress

There are a few different options for adding the CSS to style your columns:

• Edit the style file in your theme (probably style.css). This is not recommended if you are using a third-party theme such as a commercial theme or one downloaded from the WordPress Theme Directory. Your changes will be lost if/when you update the theme to a new version.
• Create a child theme.
• Use a plugin such as CSS & JavaScript Toolbox to embed the styles without modifying your theme.
• Use the style parameter in the [column] shortcode to add inline styles. Only recommended for "one-off" scenarios (and how often does a "one-off" remain that way?).

License

GNU General Public License v2.0