Instructions:
- Copy/paste this into your functions.php (TODO: convert it to a standalone php file, and make it into a plygin you can activte/deactivate)
- Create a new menu item of type “custom URL”
- Make your URL “http://#latestpost:category_name”
- where “category_name” is the name of the category whose latest post you want to link to
- Make the name whatver you want to appear on the menu
- Profit!
Based on an idea (with some upgrading + bugfixes for latest WordPress in 2016) from http://www.viper007bond.com/2011/09/20/code-snippet-add-a-link-to-latest-post-to-wordpress-nav-menu/
/** Adam: add support for putting 'latest post in category X' to menu: */
// Front end only, don't hack on the settings page
if ( ! is_admin() ) {
// Hook in early to modify the menu
// This is before the CSS "selected" classes are calculated
add_filter( 'wp_get_nav_menu_items', 'replace_placeholder_nav_menu_item_with_latest_post', 10, 3 );
}
// Replaces a custom URL placeholder with the URL to the latest post
function replace_placeholder_nav_menu_item_with_latest_post( $items, $menu, $args ) {
$key = 'http://#latestpost:';
// Loop through the menu items looking for placeholder(s)
foreach ( $items as $item ) {
// Is this the placeholder we're looking for?
if ( 0 === strpos( $item->url, $key ) )
{
$catname = substr( $item->url, strlen($key) );
// Get the latest post
$latestpost = get_posts( array(
'posts_per_page' => 1,
'category_name' => $catname
) );
if ( empty( $latestpost ) )
continue;
// Replace the placeholder with the real URL
$item->url = get_permalink( $latestpost[0]->ID );
}
}
// Return the modified (or maybe unmodified) menu items array
return $items;
}
is this also possible with a link on the webpage itself?
Should be possible, yes, but half the code will be different – you’ll have to find out the best way to run functions in the middle of webpages (make a custom shortcode, maybe?)
This is perfect!!!!
A plugin would definitely be an amazing little tool!
Thanks for that!
You better should sourround your snippet with
if (! is_admin()) {}
to avoid converting the pseudo-link in the menu.
Otherwise the “real” link will be shown next time you open “nav-menus.php” and the dynamical link is gone.
Hey there,
this snippet is great! Is there also a way to insert links to latestpost not only withing menus? I’m trying to achieve linking to the latestpost within the editor on a certain page. Seems like that parameter won’t be replaced if not a menu item..
I’m sure there is, but I haven’t experimented with it myself.
Off the top of my head: when I was researching this for menus, there were a lot more resources for how to insert-in-post, and plugins that did it for you. Menus were harder to get working.
Hi Adam,
hm, right now it’s kind of the other way. I find more menu related plugins that do this and only some plugins that display recent posts in a certain way but not how to simply link them. There should be a way to replace the paramater within links as well including $links
Just couldn’t figure out how to replace them yet :)