WiscWeb - Manually reordering posts in Post List

This document will walk you through the process of manually setting the publish date for a post so that it appears in your desired order in the post list.

Overview

In WordPress, posts are, by default, listed in reverse chronological order based on the date they are published. This means that your post list will show your latest posts first. 

In some cases, you may want to reorder your posts or move a post up or down in the list. This is possible through a process of updating the published date.

Note: This is a manual process. It is recommended only in cases where you have a few posts that need to move. Please make sure to review FAQ for more tips. 

Why are Post Lists in reverse chronological order?

WordPress was first built as a blogging tool, with news/post content being its primary highlight. 

With news, the expected and more desired user experience is to see the latest news first, so that you are not digesting old content as current. 

Updating published date

The easiest way to update the order of your posts is to set the published date for the post(s) that are not showing in the correct order. 

This process will have to be repeated for each post that you'd like to change:

  1. Navigate to the Post that needs to be updated
  2. Locate the Publish box in the top right corner of your Post page

    The Publish settings offer options for updating page status, visibility, revisions, and date published. Select the Edit option for publish date to adjust the date published.

  3. There should be some text that says "Published on:" with a date and time. Click the Edit option below this text
  4. Adjust the date and time of the publish and click the OK button

    Publish months, dates, and years can be modified within the "Published On" fields.

  5. Make sure to click the Update button after you adjust the date/time

FAQ

  • Can my post lists be set to be alphabetical or in a different order other than reverse chronological? 
    The only way to accomplish this would be to manually reset the publish date for each post in the list so that they appear in the order you prefer. This process is not recommended, however, as the typical user experience is to see latest news first. It is also a very manual process that can quickly get out of hand.

  • Is there a plugin that can set my posts in a specific order?
    At this time, WiscWeb does not have a plugin for setting specific order for post lists. Posts are listed in reverse chronological order because most users will want to see your latest news first. Changing this is not recommended. 


Keywords:
posts, post list, reorder, chronological, date, news, blog 
Doc ID:
109261
Owned by:
Jenna K. in WiscWeb
Created:
2021-02-22
Updated:
2024-08-01
Sites:
DoIT Help Desk, WiscWeb