=== Flexible Posts Widget ===
Contributors: dpe415
Donate link: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=DJKSKHJWYAWDU
Tags: widget, widgets, posts, recent posts, thumbnails, custom post types, custom taxonomies
Requires at least: 3.2
Tested up to: 3.3.2
Stable tag: 1.0.4

An advanced posts display widget with many options. Display posts in your sidebars exactly the way you like!

== Description ==

The default WordPress Recent Posts widget is exceptionally basic. I found myself always in need of a simple way to display a selection of posts from any taxonomy or post type in a theme sidebar; hence, Flexible Posts Widget. Flexible Posts Widget extends the default widget with many per-instance options.

= Features & options =

* Customizable widget title
* Get posts using either a selectable taxonomy & term *OR* by selecting any post type.
* Control the number of posts displayed.
* Option to display the post thumbnail (feature image).
* Select the post thumbnail size to display from available image sizes.
* Select the sort orderby: Date, ID, Title, Menu Order, Random and sort order: ASC or DESC.
* The widget's HTML output can be customized by user-defined templates located in the current theme folder.


== Installation ==

1. Upload the `flexible-posts-widget` folder to the `/wp-content/plugins/` directory.
1. Activate the plugin through the 'Plugins' menu in WordPress.
1. Go to 'Appearance' > 'Widgets' and place the widget into a sidebar to begin configuring it.

= To use a customized HTML output template =

1. Create a folder called `flexible-posts-widget` in the root of your theme folder.
1. Copy `widget.php` from within this plugin's `views` folder into your theme's new `flexible-posts-widget` folder.
1. Optional: Rename your theme's `widget.php` template file to a name of your choice.
1. Go to 'Appearance' > 'Widgets' in WordPress to configure an instance of the widget.
1. In the 'Template Filename' field enter the name of the template file you added to your theme *without* the .php extension.


== Frequently Asked Questions ==

= Questions, Support & Bug Reports =
To get answers to your questions, request help or submit a bug report, please visit the forum: http://wordpress.org/tags/flexible-posts-widget/


== Screenshots ==

1. Flexible Posts Widget admin screen.
1. Example Flexible Posts Widget showing the post thumbnail and title wrapped in a link to the post.


== Other Notes ==

= Default vs. Custom Templates =

Flexible Posts Widget comes with a default template for the widget output. If you would like to alter the widget display code, create a new folder called `flexible-posts-widget` in your template directory and copy over the "views/widget.php" file.

Edit the new file in your theme to your desired HTML layout. Please do not edit the one in the plugin folder as that will cause conflicts when you update the plugin to the latest release.

= Future updates & features list =

* Create shortcode functionality
* Dynamically populate available terms based on a selected taxonomy.
* Make the "Get Posts By" section selectable and only show the chosen method: Taxonomy & Term or Post Type.
* Dynamically populate the "Template Filename" field based on the templates available.
* Add default styles for the widget display & an option to load or not load them (?)


== Changelog ==

= 1.0.4 =
* Fixed an issue where post thumbnails aren't displaying.

= 1.0.3 =
* Fixed PHP notices that showed in the admin when WP_DEBUG is enabled
* Added some stub code for future admin JavaScripts (not active yet).
* Readme.txt updates

= 1.0.2 =
* Readme.txt updates

= 1.0 =
* First public release