WordPress Curated Lists (CMCLM) - Use Case - How to Create a Curated List of Links on a Specific Topic


Use Case – How to create a curated list of links on a specific topic

Back to User Guides

Note: This guide requires:


Video Use-Case

Introduction

WordPress Curated Lists plugin lets users organize links and aggregate content around categories, displaying them as a curated list.

WordPress Curated Lists is a great tool for content marketing and for building a WordPress knowledge base and sharing it in an engaging way.

Use Case Front-End

Front-end example - WordPress Content Curation Plugin
Front-end example

Use Case Assumptions

In this example we will consider how to create a curated list with links about SEO resources and articles on our site. You can apply the same idea to the topic of your site.

We consider that you have already bought the plugin, but not installed it. 

It follows:

Installing the Plugin

The process is the same for all CM plugins and add-ons.

CreativeMinds Customer Account Dashboard - Downloads tab
CreativeMinds Customer Account Dashboard
  • Download the plugin from your customer dashboard.
  • Log in to WordPress and navigate to the WordPress Admin → Plugins settings.
  • Click on Add New.
  • Activate it and add the license.

Learn more: Getting Started - Plugin Overview


How the Plugin Works

The way the WordPress Curated Lists plugin works is in the following:

  1. Create a list (one or more).
  2. Create categories and add them to needed lists.
  3. Add links to categories.
  4. Use a shortcode to display specific list or specific category on any page or post.
  5. Optionally, add tags and assign them to links.

Configuring the Plugin

Before start, you can configure the plugin according to your needs - appearance of the curated list, what should be displayed, how filters should work and some more options. 

Learn more: WordPress Curated Lists (CMCLM) - Options (General, Search Filter, Social, Appearance)

Create a List

The process of building a curated list starts by adding a new List. Navigate to Admin Dashboard → Curated List Manager Pro → Lists.

Navigation to the lists dashboard - WordPress Content Aggregation
Navigation to the lists dashboard

The process of creating a new List is really simple. On the left part of the screen you can see the form, where you need to write a Name and Description, and click Add New List button. You can also write a Slug, but it can be generated automatically from the Name.

Creating new list - WordPress Knowledge Base Plugin
Creating new list

On the right part of the screen you can see the list of created Lists, where you can edit or delete them.

Managing created lists - Knowledge Base WordPress Plugin
Managing created lists

Add Categories to the List

Next you need to add  Categories to the curated list. Navigate to Admin Dashboard → Curated List Manager Pro → Categories.

Navigation to the categories dashboard - Knowledge Base Wiki WordPress Plugin
Navigation to the categories dashboard

On the left part of the screen you can see the form where you need to fill the data. 

Form for creating new category - Content Curation Plugin
Form for creating new category

Adding a new category is almost the same easy as adding new List. You need to input: 

  • Name - The Category name.
Adding category name - WordPress Plugin Content Curation
Adding category name
  • Slug - You can write it or leave empty, as it can be generated automatically from the Name.
Adding category slug - WordPress Content Curation Plugin
Adding category slug
  • Parent Category - Assign a parent term to create a hierarchy. 
Choosing parent category - WordPress Content Aggregation
Choosing parent category
  • Description - Description of the Category.
Adding category description - WordPress Knowledge Base Plugin
Adding category description
  • Category link - Clicking on the Category header will direct the user to this link.
Adding category link - Knowledge Base WordPress Plugin
Adding category link
  • Lists - Select the List the Category belongs to. The Category can belong to many Lists. If there are no Lists, then you need to create them first. 
Assigning category to lists - Knowledge Base Wiki WordPress Plugin
Assigning category to lists
  • Color - Change the Category background color. 
Choosing category background color - Content Curation Plugin
Choosing category background color
  • Category view access - Choose which users can view the Category. Choose between:
    • All users
    • Logged-in users only
    • Registered users with selected roles
    • Personal (category author) access only
    • Default access (based on the plugin's settings)
Setting up the category access - WordPress Plugin Content Curation
Setting up the category access

Then, click Add New Category button. 

On the right part of the screen you can see the list of created Categories that you can edit or delete.

Managing created categories - WordPress Content Curation Plugin
Managing created categories

TIP: Change the Order of Categories

You can change the order of the Categories in the list on the Front-End by dragging and dropping it in the list. Learn more: WordPress Curated Lists (CMCLM) - Organization - Ordering Categories

Now it's time to add Links to the Category. Navigate to Admin Dashboard → Curated List Manager Pro → Links.

Navigation to the links dashboard - WordPress Content Aggregation
Navigation to the links dashboard

Here again - on the left part of the screen you can see the form for filling the data about the Link.

Form for adding new links - WordPress Knowledge Base Plugin
Form for adding new links

So, you need to fill here the following fields:

  • Name - The name is how it appears on your site.
Adding link name - Knowledge Base WordPress Plugin
Adding link name
  • Subtitle - The subtitle is displayed under the name.
Adding link subtitle - Knowledge Base Wiki WordPress Plugin
Adding link subtitle
  • Description - Not shown in many themes, but will show as a tooltip.
Adding link description - Content Curation Plugin
Adding link description
  • URL - The destination URL.
Adding the link itself - WordPress Plugin Content Curation
Adding the link itself
  • Attachments - You can add up to three additional links. You can change the link box colors from the plugin's settings. They will accompany an icon depending on the file extension. For each, you can choose:
    • URL of attachment 1 - Where this additional link will direct to.
    • The name of link to attachment 1 - The title that will be displayed.
    • Upload file - The URL to file to be uploaded from your Media Library.
    • Add attachment - Adding two more additional links.
Adding attachments - WordPress Content Curation Plugin
Adding attachments
  • Video URL - Add YouTube or Vimeo URL with each link. The video size is specified in the Plugin Appearance options.
Adding video - WordPress Content Aggregation
Adding video
  • Image URL - Add an image URL with each link. The image size is specified in the Plugin Appearance options.
Adding image - WordPress Knowledge Base Plugin
Adding image
  • Category - Select one or more categories for each link to organize them.
Assigning link to categories - Knowledge Base WordPress Plugin
Assigning link to categories
  • Tags - Can be selected to organize further and provide more information about the link.
Assigning link to tags - Knowledge Base Wiki WordPress Plugin
Assigning link to tags
  • Show checkbox - This option shows a checkbox next to the individual link that allows users to mark visited address.
Displaying link as a checkbox - Content Curation Plugin
Displaying link as a checkbox
  • Date - Set the date that will be displayed under the link. Can be used for the links that are dedicated to some events, for example.
Adding the event date - WordPress Plugin Content Curation
Adding the event date

On the right part of the screen you can see the list of created Links that you can edit or delete.

Managing created links - WordPress Content Curation Plugin
Managing created links

The same way we can add some more links to the Category.

TIP 1: Change the Order of Links

You can change the order of the Links in the list on the Front-End by dragging and dropping it in the list. Learn more: WordPress Curated Lists (CMCLM) - Organization - Ordering Links

TIP 2: How to Add a Link Easily

There is a really simple way how to add Links to the Categories using Bookmarklet. Learn more: WordPress Curated Lists (CMCLM) - Set Up - Adding Links Via Bookmarklet

Display List on a Page or Post

When we created Lists, Categories and added Links, we need to display it all on the Front-end. For that we need to put a shortcode [cm_list_manager] on the page or post. This shortcode will display all lists and categories that we've created.

Displaying list using a shortcode - WordPress Content Aggregation
Displaying list using a shortcode
You can further specify what content to show from the list. This is done by using the following parameters:
  • list - slug or series of list slugs.
  • category - slug or series of category slugs.
  • tag - slug or series of tag slugs.

Note that, in every case, the slug is used, and not the name of the list, category or tag.

You can use many parameters at the same time, as they work like filters. 

You can learn more about it: WordPress Curated Lists (CMCLM) - Set Up - Adding List to Website (With Shortcode)

Add Tags and Assign Them to Links (Optionally)

Along with categories and sub-categories, Tags are another way to organize Links and add important information. Readers are able to search for specific Tags in the curated list to easily find what interests them. 

To create and manage Tags, navigate to Admin Dashboard → Curated List Manager Pro → Tags

Navigation to the tags dashboard - WordPress Knowledge Base Plugin
Navigation to the tags dashboard

As usual - on the left part of the screen you can see the form for adding the data. You need just give a Name for the Tag and choose the color. Slug can be generated automatically from the Name. Then click the Add New Tag button.

Adding new tag - Knowledge Base WordPress Plugin
Adding new tag

And on the right part of the screen you can see the list of created Tags that you can edit or delete.

Managing created tags - Knowledge Base Wiki WordPress Plugin
Managing created tags

TIP: Adding "New" Tag

You can create a tag NEW and configure, that every link would automatically have that tag for definite period of time, and the tag would disappear when that time passes. To do this navigate to Admin Dashboard → Curated List Manager Pro → Options, choose that Tag and choose the Duration.

'New' tag settings - Content Curation Plugin
'New' tag settings

This is how it looks like on the Front-end.

Front-end example - WordPress Plugin Content Curation
Front-end example

Learn more: WordPress Curated Lists (CMCLM) - Organization - Using Tags

End Result

Following instructions found in the WordPress Curated Lists plugin and guides, you should be able to create a curated list with links on your site.

Use Case Front-End

Front-end example - WordPress Content Curation Plugin
Front-end example

More information about the WordPress Curated Lists plugin

Other WordPress products can be found at CreativeMinds WordPress Store

Let us know how we can Improve this Product Documentation Page

To open a Support Ticket visit our support center
Did this answer your question? Thanks for the feedback There was a problem submitting your feedback. Please try again later.