simple-custom-post-order

=== Simple Custom Post Order === Contributors: silkalns Tags: post order, custom post order, sort posts, reorder posts, drag drop order Requires at least: 6.2 Requires PHP: 7.4 Tested up to: 7.0 Stable tag: 2.8.4 License: GPLv3 or later License URI: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.html

Easily reorder posts, pages, custom post types, and taxonomies with intuitive drag-and-drop sorting in the WordPress admin.

== Description ==

Simple Custom Post Order is the easiest way to manually sort your WordPress content using drag-and-drop functionality. Whether you're managing blog posts, portfolio items, WooCommerce products, team members, testimonials, or any custom post type, this plugin gives you complete control over your content order.

= Why Choose Simple Custom Post Order? =

• Zero Configuration - Works instantly after activation
• Drag & Drop Interface - Intuitive sorting directly in your admin post lists
• Universal Compatibility - Works with any post type and taxonomy
• Lightweight & Fast - No bloat, minimal impact on site performance
• Modern & Dependency-Free - Vanilla JavaScript drag-and-drop (no jQuery UI) with touch and full keyboard support
• Reliable Saving - Robust AJAX saving that works behind reverse proxies, custom ports, and HTTPS setups
• Developer Friendly - Clean code with action hooks for customization

= Key Features =

Sort Any Content Type

• Posts - Reorder your blog posts in any sequence you prefer
• Pages - Organize pages beyond alphabetical or date order
• Custom Post Types - Perfect for portfolios, team members, testimonials, products, events, FAQs, services, and more
• WooCommerce Products - Manually sort products in your shop
• Taxonomies - Reorder categories, tags, and custom taxonomies

Intuitive Admin Interface

• Smooth drag-and-drop sorting directly in the WordPress post list table
• Touch-friendly — press, hold, and drag to reorder on phones and tablets
• Fully keyboard accessible — tab to a row, then use Space and the arrow keys to reorder, with screen-reader announcements
• Clear save feedback — a "Saving… / Order saved" status appears as you sort
• Optional drag handle — show a grip icon on hover, or keep rows draggable from anywhere
• Changes saved automatically via AJAX - no page refresh needed
• Works seamlessly with the default WordPress admin experience

Smart Query Integration

• Automatically applies custom order to front-end queries
• Respects custom orderby parameters when explicitly set
• Does not interfere with search results (maintains relevance sorting)
• Compatible with get_posts(), WP_Query, and standard loops

Reset & Restore

• One-click reset to restore default ordering
• Reset individual post types without affecting others
• Useful when you need to start fresh with your content organization

= Perfect For =

• Bloggers - Feature important posts at the top of your blog
• Business Websites - Showcase key services or team members first
• Portfolio Sites - Display your best work in a specific order
• Online Stores - Highlight featured or seasonal products
• Membership Sites - Organize course content or resources
• News Sites - Pin important stories or announcements
• Event Websites - Arrange events in your preferred sequence
• Documentation Sites - Structure help articles logically

= Use Cases =

Portfolio Management Arrange your portfolio items to showcase your best work first, group similar projects together, or create a visual narrative of your creative journey.

Team Page Organization Display team members by hierarchy, department, or seniority rather than by when they were added to the system.

Product Highlighting Feature seasonal items, bestsellers, or new arrivals at the top of your WooCommerce shop without relying solely on sorting by date or price.

Content Curation Create curated reading lists by manually ordering posts in the exact sequence you want readers to discover them.

FAQ Organization Sort frequently asked questions by importance or topic, ensuring the most relevant questions appear first.

Testimonial Display Show your most compelling testimonials first to maximize their impact on potential customers.

= Developer Features =

Action Hooks

• scp_update_menu_order - Fires after post order is updated
• scp_update_menu_order_tags - Fires after taxonomy term order is updated

Filter Hooks

• scpo_post_types_args - Modify which post types appear in settings
• scpo_use_sortablejs - Force the drag engine in code (overrides the setting); return true for the modern SortableJS engine or false for the classic jQuery UI sorter
• scpo_capability - Change the capability required to reorder (default edit_posts)

Drag & Drop Engine Choose between the modern, dependency-free SortableJS engine (default) and the classic jQuery UI sorter under Settings > SCPOrder. The classic engine remains fully supported as a fallback.

Advanced View Mode Enable the advanced view in settings to see all registered post types, including those normally hidden from the admin menu.

= Supported Post Types =

Simple Custom Post Order works with:

• WordPress Posts
• WordPress Pages
• WooCommerce Products
• Easy Digital Downloads Products
• Portfolio items (Jetpack, custom)
• Team member post types
• Testimonial post types
• Event post types (The Events Calendar, etc.)
• FAQ post types
• Any custom post type with show_ui enabled

= Supported Taxonomies =

• Categories
• Tags
• WooCommerce Product Categories
• WooCommerce Product Tags
• Custom taxonomies with show_ui enabled

= How It Works =

1. Install & Activate - Install the plugin from WordPress.org or upload manually
2. Configure - Go to Settings > SCPOrder and select which post types and taxonomies to enable
3. Reorder - Visit any enabled post type list and drag items to reorder
4. Done - Your custom order is automatically applied everywhere on your site

The plugin uses WordPress's native menu_order field for posts and pages, and adds a term_order column for taxonomy terms. This approach ensures compatibility and data persistence.

= Performance Optimized =

• Targeted cache invalidation (only clears cache for modified items)
• Efficient database queries using prepared statements
• Scripts loaded only on relevant admin pages
• No front-end performance impact

= Security First =

• All database queries use prepared statements
• AJAX requests protected with nonce verification
• Capability checks ensure only authorized users can reorder
• Input sanitization on all user data

== Installation ==

= Automatic Installation =

1. Log in to your WordPress admin panel
2. Go to Plugins > Add New
3. Search for "Simple Custom Post Order"
4. Click "Install Now" and then "Activate"
5. Go to Settings > SCPOrder to configure

= Manual Installation =

1. Download the plugin ZIP file
2. Log in to your WordPress admin panel
3. Go to Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin
4. Choose the downloaded ZIP file and click "Install Now"
5. Activate the plugin
6. Go to Settings > SCPOrder to configure

= Configuration =

1. Navigate to Settings > SCPOrder
2. Check the boxes next to post types you want to enable sorting for
3. Check the boxes next to taxonomies you want to enable sorting for
4. Click "Update" to save your settings
5. Visit any enabled post type list to start reordering with drag-and-drop

== Frequently Asked Questions ==

= Does this plugin work with custom post types? =

Yes! Simple Custom Post Order works with any custom post type that has show_ui enabled. This includes post types from popular plugins like WooCommerce, Easy Digital Downloads, Jetpack, and any custom post types you've created.

= Will the custom order appear on my website's front-end? =

Yes, the custom order is automatically applied to all front-end queries for enabled post types. Your posts, pages, and custom content will display in your chosen order throughout your site.

= Does it work with page builders like Elementor or Divi? =

Yes, as long as the page builder uses standard WordPress queries, your custom order will be respected. Most major page builders are compatible.

= Can I reset the order back to default? =

Yes! Go to Settings > SCPOrder and use the "Reset Order" section at the bottom of the page. Select the post types you want to reset and click "Reset order". This will clear the custom ordering for selected post types.

= Does it affect search results? =

No, the plugin automatically preserves WordPress's relevance-based sorting for search results. Your search functionality will work exactly as expected.

= Is it compatible with WooCommerce? =

Yes, you can use Simple Custom Post Order to manually sort WooCommerce products, product categories, and product tags.

= Will it slow down my website? =

No, the plugin is highly optimized. It only loads scripts on relevant admin pages and uses efficient database queries. There is no impact on front-end performance.

= Can multiple users reorder at the same time? =

While technically possible, we recommend coordinating reordering activities to avoid conflicts. The last save wins if two users modify the same list simultaneously.

= Does it work with multisite? =

Yes, Simple Custom Post Order is compatible with WordPress multisite installations. Each site can have its own ordering configuration.

= How do I reorder items? =

Simply go to the post list for any enabled post type (Posts, Pages, Products, etc.), click and hold on a row, then drag it to the desired position. The new order is saved automatically.

= Does drag-and-drop work on touch devices? =

Yes. On phones and tablets, press and hold a row for a moment, then drag it to reorder. Normal taps and vertical scrolling continue to work as expected.

= Can I reorder using only the keyboard? =

Yes. Tab to a row's drag handle, press Space (or Enter) to pick it up, use the Up/Down arrow keys (or Home/End) to move it, then press Space to drop or Escape to cancel. Each step is announced for screen-reader users.

= Can I switch back to the classic jQuery sorting? =

Yes. Go to Settings > SCPOrder and set the "Drag & Drop Engine" to "Classic". Developers can also force it in code with the scpo_use_sortablejs filter (return false for the classic engine). The modern engine is the default and recommended for most sites.

= My reordering wasn't saving on a previous version — is that fixed? =

Yes. As of 2.7.0 the save request is always sent same-origin, which fixes silent save failures behind reverse proxies, load balancers, non-standard ports, and HTTP/HTTPS or domain mismatches. Expired security tokens now also refresh and retry automatically.

= Can I programmatically override the custom order? =

Yes, if you explicitly set orderby and order parameters in your custom queries, those will take precedence over the plugin's custom order.

== Screenshots ==

1. Drag-and-drop reordering of posts in the admin list table
2. Drag-and-drop reordering of custom post types
3. Plugin settings page - select post types and taxonomies to enable
4. Reset order functionality for specific post types

== Changelog ==

= 2.8.4 - 2026-07-14 =

Performance

• Fixed very slow WordPress admin on sites with many posts. The plugin's order-normalization routine (refresh()) ran on every admin page — Dashboard, Plugins, Tools, Settings — even those that never display a sortable list. On large sites it re-numbered thousands of rows one query at a time, adding thousands of database queries and several seconds of load time to unrelated screens (one report measured ~9.5s and 14,000+ queries on the Plugins p