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Free Plugin by Johan van der Wijk v3.4.3

Content Blocks

This plugin enables you to edit and display Content Blocks in a sidebar widget or using a shortcode.

Content Blocks

The facts

Rating
4.9★ from 80
Active installs
10k+
Price
Free
Last updated
22 Jul 2026
Added
Nov 2010
Requires WP
4.6
Tested up to
WP 7.0.4
Downloads
753,761

Our analysis

AI-assisted

Content Blocks (Custom Post Widget) is a WordPress plugin that allows you to display the contents of specific custom posts in widget areas or within the content using shortcodes. It provides a WYSIWYG editor for easier content editing, enabling users without administrator access to modify widget content.

The plugin creates a custom post type called 'content_block' and allows the use of featured images. It is compatible with the WPML Multi-Language plugin, ensuring that the correct language is displayed in the widget area. This plugin is suitable for users who want to enhance their site's content management without requiring extensive technical knowledge.

Best for: This plugin suits users looking to manage custom post content easily in their WordPress site.

What it does well

  • Enables WYSIWYG editing for custom post content
  • Allows non-administrators to modify widget content
  • Supports featured images in widgets
  • Compatible with WPML for multilingual support
  • Includes shortcode functionality for posts and pages

Where it falls short

  • Content blocks can only be displayed in the context of the page
  • Limited information on additional features or updates

Verdict

Content Blocks offers a straightforward solution for displaying custom post content in widgets, making it a practical choice for site owners who need flexible content management options.

From the developer

Johan van der Wijk's own description of Content Blocks, lightly tidied.

The Content Blocks allows you to display the contents of a specific custom post in a widget on in the content area using a shortcode.

Even though you could use the text widget that comes with the default WordPress install, this plugin has some major benefits:

  • The Content Blocks plugin enables users to use the WYSIWYG editor for editing the content and adding images.
  • If you are using the standard WordPress text widgets to display content on various areas of your template, this content can only be edited by users with administrator access. If you would like non-administrator accounts to modify the widget content, you can use this plugin to provide them access to the custom posts that provide the content for the widget areas.
  • You can even use the featured image functionality to display them in a widget.
  • The Content Blocks plugin is compatible with the WPML Multi-Language plugin and automatically shows the correct language in the widget area.
  • The Content Blocks can be included in posts and pages using the built-in shortcode functionality.

This plugin creates a ‘content_block’ custom post type. You can choose to either display the title on the page or use it to describe the contents and widget position of the content block. Note that these content blocks can only be displayed in the context of the page. I have added ‘public’ => false to the custom post type which means that it is not accessible outside the page context.

To add content to a widget, drag it to the required position in the sidebar and select the title of the custom post in the widget configuration.

Includes the following translations:

More translations are very welcome!

Read the full description on the official page →

Tagged as

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