In just few minutes you will create a shortcode that includes the post publication date. When you include [post-date] in your post, WordPress will replace it automatically with the post date.

1. Create a new post

Let’s start with creating a post to play with. Publish the post. Here is the post I created.

For this tutorial I am using the default WordPress theme. At the end of the post I have inserted [post-date] shortcode.
Because the shortcode is not implemented yet, WordPress displays it literally without replacing it.

2. Create a new plugin.

Plugins are placed under WordPress plugins directory. It is good practice to place each plugin into a separate directory.

Create a new directory named post-date under WordPress plugins directory (wp-content/plugins).

Using a text editor, create a text file named post-date.php. You can use any file name that you like, but for this tutorial we will use the post-date.php.

Now you have an empty text file: wp-content/plugins/post-date/post-date.php. This file will contain the code for the shortcode handler.

3. Define the plugin

To identify plugins WordPress uses comments that conform to special format. Enter the following plugin definition in the post-date.php file.

<?php
/*
Plugin Name: Post-date short code
Plugin URI: http://devcorner.georgievi.net
Description: This plugin defined a 'post-date' shortcode handler.
Author: Ivan Georgiev
Version: 1.5.1
Author URI: http://devcorner.georgievi.net/
*/
?>

Now you have a plugin defined. You are able to see it under Plugins list in WordPress administrator.

4. Add shortcode handler code

We will create a PHP function that will be invoked when WordPress needs to replace a post-date shortcode.

<?php
/*
Plugin Name: Post-date short code
Plugin URI: http://devcorner.georgievi.net
Description: This plugin defined a 'post-date' shortcode handler.
Author: Ivan Georgiev
Version: 1.5.1
Author URI: http://devcorner.georgievi.net/
*/
 
function post_date_handler($atts) {
	global $post;
	return mysql2date('M jS, Y', $post->post_date);
}
 
add_shortcode('post-date', 'post_date_handler');
 
?>

The add_shortcode function instructs WordPress to invoke the post_date_handler function when it needs to replace a post-date shortcode.

The post_date_handler function returns the formatted date for the current post.

Now you have everyting ready. If you try to view the post you created at the beginning of this tutorial, you will see no change. Why?

One small thing left. You need to activate the newly created plugin.

5. Activate the plugin

Go to the Plugins section in WordPress administrative section. In the plugin list find the ‘Post-date shortcode’ plugin and click the ‘Activate’ link to activate it.

Open the post and voila! You see that the shortcode text is replaced by the post date.

If you want to include ‘[post-date]‘ as a text, you need to use double brackets. You enter ‘[[post-date]]’ to get ‘[post-date]‘.

This tutorial covers only WordPress shortcode basics. For more detailed description see WordPress shortcode API.

Solution

To retrieve a list of tags, you need the post ID:

$tags = get_the_tags($post_id);

The result in $tags is an array. For each tag assigned with the post, the $tags array contains an object that describes the tag. The tag object has following properties:

• term_id
• name
• slug
• term_group
• term_taxonomy_id
• taxonomy
• description
• parent
• count
• object_id

To retrieve a list of tags for the current post in WordPress Loop:

$tags = get_the_tags($post_id);

Preparation
You can apply this solution to any WordPress theme. You will need your favorite WordPress theme and a text editor. We will use custom post fields to specify post thumbnails. Custom fields allow you to define a key and assign it a value.
Step-by-step Solution

1. Let’s first create a post.
2. From Post Editor panel click the “Add an image” button and upload an image. The good size for a thumbnail depends on your theme. On some themes it could be 150×150 pixels. On other themes 220×220 pixels is better. Copy the image URL to the Clipboard.
3. Scroll down and locate the Custom Fields panel. Click the “Enter new” link. In the Name filed enter ‘icon’. In the Value field paste the image URL. Click the “Add Custom Field” button.
4. Publish the post. If you now navigate to your home page, you will not see any change. The custom field is defined, but WordPress doesn’t know how to use it.
5. Open the index.php file from your theme’s directory for editing. Locate the WordPress loop and add the following code:

   <?php
      $icon = get_post_meta(get_the_ID(), 'icon', true);
      if (!empty($icon)) :
   ?>
       <a href="<?php the_permalink(); ?>"><img
          src="<?php echo htmlspecialchars($icon); ?>"
          alt="<?php the_title(); ?>" /></a>
   <?php
       endif;
   ?>