Columns for WordPress

Sometimes you need to split your content into two or more columns, perhaps for a list of features on your front page. Unfortunately the standard WordPress editor does not support that out of the box (yet) so you turn to plugins.

With quite a few options available, it’s not easy to make the right choice, plus, there’s almost always a learning curve involved, especially with shortcodes like:

[fourcol_two_last]

I crafted an experimental columns plugin quite a while ago, which hopefully simplifies the shortcodes to a bare minimum, and makes them look slightly more like HTML. Put as much columns as you want into a column group, and it can figure out the rest:

[column-group]
    [column]This is my first column[/column]
    [column]This is my second column[/column]
[/column-group]

Hopefully this is much easier than memorizing cryptic shortcode names, and even if you end up deactivating the plugin in the future, you can always run a (fairly) simple regex search and replace to “lock yourself out.”

I recently released the plugin for public use. It’s called Columns (duh!) and it’s available at the WordPress.org plugins directory. Give it a spin and let me know what you think!

About the author

Konstantin Kovshenin

WordPress Core Contributor, ex-Automattician, public speaker and consultant, enjoying life in Moscow. I blog about tech, WordPress and DevOps.

2 comments

  • I tried a number of column plugins before deciding on byBrick Columns. Its shortcodes are more complex than yours:

    [one_half]Column One Text[/one_half]
    [one_half_last]Column Two Text[/one_half_last]
    

    I substituted your plugin for byBrick, and it worked just fine. I like the fact that no special shortcodes are needed for different numbers of columns.

    I’ve found a new favorite.