Layouts
Free provides three layouts. Pro adds grids, carousels and a timeline. Select a layout with layout on [herodotus].
| Layout value | Availability | Description |
|---|---|---|
list | Free | Side image and a full card body |
compact | Free | Small side thumbnail, truncated title and short excerpt |
text | Free | Plain text list without images or card background/borders |
grid, grid-3 | Pro | Three-column grid |
grid-2 | Pro | Two-column grid |
grid-4 | Pro | Four-column grid |
carousel, carousel-4 | Pro | Carousel with four visible cards on wide screens |
carousel-1, carousel-2, carousel-3 | Pro | Carousel with the requested number of visible cards |
timeline | Pro | Vertical timeline |
List Layout
[herodotus layout="list"]List is the default. On wide screens its image sits beside the text at 120 x 150 px before Pro image overrides. The body includes the title, excerpt, years-ago counter, category and Read more link as applicable. On screens up to 768 px the layout adapts for the available width.
Compact Layout
[herodotus layout="compact" excerpt_words="15"]Compact suits sidebars. The base thumbnail is 50 x 65 px, not square. The title is truncated when space is limited. The excerpt defaults to 10 words unless a positive excerpt_words value is supplied. Category labels and the Read more link are omitted.
Text Layout
[herodotus layout="text"]Text always omits images and removes card background, borders and rounded corners. It is different from show_image="false", which hides images while retaining the selected card layout.
Grid Layouts in Pro
[herodotus layout="grid-2"]
[herodotus layout="grid-3"]
[herodotus layout="grid-4" show_image="false"]The alias grid means grid-3. At widths up to 1024 px grids reduce to two columns; up to 640 px they become one column. Date headings span the grid and each date starts a separate group. Three events on one date fill three of the four slots in grid-4; the next date starts a new group.
Carousel Layouts in Pro
[herodotus layout="carousel-1" image_shape="16:9"]
[herodotus layout="carousel-3" image_shape="4:5"]Use carousel-1 through carousel-4; carousel means carousel-4. The carousel supports arrow controls and touch scrolling. At widths up to 1024 px multi-card layouts show at most two cards. Up to 640 px cards use 85% of the available width to reveal the next card.
Timeline in Pro
[herodotus layout="timeline" excerpt_words="30"]Events appear along a vertical line. At widths up to 782 px the timeline moves to one side. The excerpt_words attribute is honored.
Image Shape, Fit and Placement in Pro
Open Herodotus - On This Day → Settings → Appearance to set defaults. A shortcode can override them for one listing:
[herodotus layout="grid-3" image_shape="1:1" image_fit="crop" image_place="above"]| Option | Values | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| image_shape | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9, 4:5, 3:4, 2:3 | Holds the requested aspect ratio. Omit it to inherit Appearance. |
| image_fit | whole or crop | Show the entire picture, possibly with space, or fill the image area by cropping. |
| image_place | above, left-edge, left | Above text, above flush left, or beside text. Placement applies to grid, carousel and timeline. |
List and Compact already keep images beside text. With a whole image beside text and Shape set to As it is now, the image can follow the card height and move above the text when space is limited. A fixed shape can leave empty space.
Responsive Image Quality in 1.6.8
Featured images include responsive sources so the browser can choose a sufficiently large file for the actual image area and crop. This does not create detail missing from the uploaded original. Keep both Free and Pro at 1.6.8 or newer, and purge cached HTML after updating.
Choosing the Right Layout
Use List for detailed rows, Compact for narrow sidebars and Text for a plain list. Choose a grid for comparisons, a carousel for a horizontal sequence, or a timeline for a date narrative. The native Gutenberg sidebar offers only List and Compact in 1.6.8; other layouts can be inserted using a Shortcode block.