Easy Sitemap (WordPress Plugin)

A modern, high-performance HTML sitemap generator for WordPress.

Easy Sitemap allows you to display fully customizable sitemaps for Pages, Posts, and Custom Post Types (CPTs) using a powerful shortcode system. Built with a modern OOP architecture, it features intelligent caching, PSR-4 autoloading, and extensive hooks for developers.

✨ Key Features

🛠 For Site Builders

• Universal CPT Support: Automatically detects and supports all public post types (including WooCommerce Products, Portfolios, etc.).
• Visual Shortcode Generator: A built-in interactive builder in the admin panel to generate codes without memorizing attributes.
• Hierarchical Layouts: Displays parent/child relationships for pages and category groupings for posts.
• Responsive Grid: Supports multi-column layouts (up to 6 columns) via CSS grid.
• Safe Custom Styling: Add custom CSS directly in the plugin settings without modifying your theme.

⚡ Performance & Tech

• Intelligent Caching: Uses WordPress Transients to cache output for guests while keeping content dynamic for logged-in users.
• Optimized Queries: utilizes no_found_rows and efficient database calls to minimize overhead.
• Modern Architecture: Clean OOP design with PSR-4 autoloading.
• SEO Friendly: Generates semantic, structured HTML markup.

---

📋 Requirements

• WordPress: 5.0 or higher
• PHP: 7.2 or higher
• MySQL: 5.6 or higher

---

🚀 Installation

1. Download: Extract the plugin files.
2. Upload: Move the easy-sitemap folder to your server’s /wp-content/plugins/ directory.
3. Activate: Navigate to WordPress Admin → Plugins and activate Easy Sitemap.
4. Configure: Go to Settings → Easy Sitemap to adjust global settings or use the Shortcode Generator.

---

📖 Shortcode Usage

To display a sitemap, insert the [easy_sitemap] shortcode into any post, page, or widget.

The Shortcode Generator

Recommended: Instead of typing attributes manually, go to Settings → Easy Sitemap. The built-in generator allows you to toggle options via a UI and automatically copies the resulting shortcode to your clipboard.

Manual Attribute Reference

You can customize the output using the following attributes:

1. Content & Filtering

Attribute	Type	Default	Description
post_type	string	post	The post type to display (e.g., page, product, portfolio).
limit	int	1000	Maximum number of items to display.
include	string	null	Comma-separated list of IDs to include (e.g., 10,15,22).
exclude	string	null	Comma-separated list of IDs to exclude.
category	string	null	Filter by category slugs (e.g., news,updates).
tag	string	null	Filter by tag slugs.
author	int	null	Filter by Author ID.
date_from	string	null	Start date (Format: YYYY-MM-DD).
date_to	string	null	End date (Format: YYYY-MM-DD).

2. Advanced Taxonomy Filtering

To filter by custom taxonomies (e.g., WooCommerce Product Categories):

• taxonomy: The taxonomy slug (e.g., product_cat).
• term: The specific term slug (e.g., accessories).
• Note: Both attributes must be used together.

3. Sorting

Attribute	Options	Default
orderby	date, title, modified, menu_order, rand, ID	date
order	DESC (Descending), ASC (Ascending)	DESC

4. Display & Layout

Attribute	Type	Default	Description
show_dates	bool	0	Display publication date next to title.
show_excerpts	bool	0	Display the post excerpt.
show_images	bool	0	Display the featured image (thumbnail).
hierarchical	bool	0	Show parent/child structure (Pages) or Category groupings (Posts).
columns	int	1	Split list into columns (Max: 6).
class	string	null	Add a custom CSS class to the wrapper.

5. Caching (Per Instance)

Attribute	Description
cache	Set to 0 to disable caching for a specific shortcode (overrides global settings).
cache_expiry	Duration in seconds (Default: 3600).

---

💡 Examples

Standard Blog List

[easy_sitemap post_type="post" show_dates="1" category="news"]

WooCommerce Product Grid
Displays 12 electronics products with images in a 3-column grid.

[easy_sitemap post_type="product" taxonomy="product_cat" term="electronics" show_images="1" columns="3" limit="12"]

Hierarchical Pages
Ideal for Table of Contents or site indices.

[easy_sitemap post_type="page" hierarchical="1" orderby="menu_order" order="ASC"]

Portfolio by Date Range

[easy_sitemap post_type="portfolio" date_from="2023-01-01" date_to="2023-12-31"]

---

⚙️ Configuration & Performance

Intelligent Caching

The plugin uses a smart caching system to ensure your site remains fast, even with large sitemaps.

• Global Settings: Configure caching in Settings → Easy Sitemap.
• Guest-Only Mode: Caching is only applied to non-logged-in users (guests). Logged-in administrators always see live data.
• Transients: Uses native WordPress transients.
• Auto-Clear: Cache automatically clears when the plugin is deactivated.

Custom Styling

You can style the sitemap using the Custom CSS box in the plugin settings.

Common Selectors:

/* Container */
.easy-sitemap { margin-bottom: 30px; }

/* List Items */
.easy-sitemap-item { border-bottom: 1px solid #eee; }

/* Images */
.easy-sitemap-image { border-radius: 4px; max-width: 80px; }

/* Dates */
.easy-sitemap-date { font-size: 0.85em; color: #888; }

---

👨‍💻 Developer Documentation

Architecture

The plugin follows strict PSR-4 standards with a separation of concerns between Admin, Frontend, and Core logic.

classes/
├── EasySitemap/
│   ├── Admin/          # Settings & UI
│   ├── Frontend/       # Shortcode Engine & Assets
│   ├── Autoloader.php
│   └── Plugin.php      # Bootstrap

Hooks & Filters

Modify behavior programmatically using the following filters:

1. Modify Query Arguments
Adjust the WP_Query arguments before the sitemap is fetched.

add_filter( 'easy_sitemap_query_args', function( $query_args, $atts ) {
    // Example: Force all sitemaps to exclude a specific category ID
    $query_args['category__not_in'] = [ 99 ];
    return $query_args;
}, 10, 2 );

2. Modify Output HTML
Filter the final HTML before it is rendered.

add_filter( 'easy_sitemap_output', function( $output, $atts, $posts ) {
    return '<div class="my-wrapper">' . $output . '</div>';
}, 10, 3 );

3. Change Image Size
Change the source image size (default is ‘thumbnail’).

add_filter( 'easy_sitemap_image_size', function( $size ) {
    return 'medium'; 
} );

4. Add Supported Post Types
Manually inject support for complex CPTs if auto-detection fails.

add_filter( 'easy_sitemap_supported_post_types', function( $post_types ) {
    $post_types['my_custom_type'] = 'My Custom Type';
    return $post_types;
} );

---

🐛 Troubleshooting

• Images not showing? Ensure the show_images="1" attribute is present and that your theme supports post thumbnails.
• Changes not appearing? If caching is enabled, wait for the expiry time (default 1 hour) or save the plugin settings page to flush the cache manually.
• Shortcode Generator issues? Ensure your browser allows clipboard access. If the “Copy” button fails, manually copy the text from the generator box.

---

📄 License & Credits

License: GNU General Public License v2.0 or later.

Made with ❤️ for the WordPress community.