> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://vr-it-services-pro.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

> The blog index, category filtering, featured posts, and archive layouts.

# Blog and archives

# Blog and archives

The blog index, category filtering, featured posts, and how archives differ from the blog home.

![Screenshot: the blog index showing the hero, featured post and card grid](https://mintlify.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/vr-it-services-pro/images/screenshots/blog-and-archives-index.png)

## The blog index layout

Four templates share this layout: `home.php`, `archive.php`, `search.php`, and the posts-mode branch of `front-page.php`.

**1. Hero band**

A title, a subtitle, a search form, and your top four categories as filter pills. Archives and search results supply their own wording.

**2. Featured post**

On the blog home only — the first sticky post, or the newest post if none are sticky. It is then excluded from the grid so it is not duplicated.

**3. Card grid**

A responsive grid of post cards. Posts using the **aside** post format render as compact cards with content clamped to six lines instead.

**4. Pagination**

`paginate_links()` in list mode, with screen-reader-only "previous" and "next" labels.

## The blog hero

![Screenshot: the blog hero with title, subtitle, search form and category pills](https://mintlify.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/vr-it-services-pro/images/screenshots/blog-and-archives-hero.png)

| Part | What it does |
| - | - |
| **Title** | Your posts page title, or the archive title on archives |
| **Subtitle** | The blog tagline, or the archive description |
| **Search form** | Site search, carrying any active category filter as a hidden field |
| **Category pills** | Your top four categories by post count |

> [!WARNING]
>
> **The default title and subtitle are demo text.** On a fresh install the hero reads *"Insights for Infrastructure Engineers"* with a matching tagline about network architecture. This is leftover from the demo content and should be replaced — it appears on every blog page.

To change them, edit the tagline at **Settings → General → Tagline**, or override the hero in a child theme. See [Child themes](/developers/child-themes.md).

## Category filtering

Category filtering works out of the box through a `?vara_cat=` query parameter.

**1. The hero shows your top four categories**

Determined by post count, ordered by number of posts.

**2. Clicking a pill filters the grid**

The URL becomes `?vara_cat=<term_id>` and the grid shows only that category.

**3. The active pill is highlighted**

And marked with `aria-pressed` so its state is announced.

**4. Searching preserves the filter**

The search form carries the active category as a hidden field, so searching from a filtered view keeps the filter.

**Only four categories appear**

The pills show your four most-used categories. For more categories, use the **Categories** widget
in the sidebar, or a dedicated plugin. The parameter still works for any category ID.

## Featured and sticky posts

The blog home highlights one post above the grid.

| Situation | Which post is featured |
| - | - |
| You have sticky posts | The most recent sticky post |
| No sticky posts | The newest post by date |

The featured post renders in a larger two-column card and is **removed from the grid below**, so it never appears twice.

To feature a specific post, edit it and set **Visibility → Stick to the top of the blog**.

> [!NOTE]
>
> **Archives do not feature a post.** Only the blog home does. Category, tag, author, and date archives go straight to the grid.

## Post cards

Each card shows:

| Element | Source |
| - | - |
| **Category chip** | The post's primary category, with a color modifier for a few common slugs |
| **Reading time** | Calculated at 200 words per minute |
| **Title** | The post title, linked |
| **Excerpt** | The post excerpt, or auto-generated if none is set |
| **Author** | Avatar and display name |

![Screenshot: a blog card showing category chip, reading time, title, excerpt and author](https://mintlify.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/vr-it-services-pro/images/screenshots/blog-and-archives-card.png)

### Aside post format

Posts using the **Aside** post format render as compact cards — a labelled date link, the content clamped to six lines, and the author. This suits short updates and links without needing a full article treatment.

Set it under **Posts → Add New → Format → Aside** in the sidebar of the editor.

## Archives

| Archive type | Hero title | Featured post |
| - | - | - |
| **Category** | Category name and description | No |
| **Tag** | Tag name | No |
| **Author** | Author display name and bio | No |
| **Date** | Month and year | No |
| **Post type archive** | Post type label | No |

All of them use the same grid and pagination as the blog home.

## Search results

| Element | Content |
| - | - |
| **Title** | `Search results for: *(your query)*` |
| **Subtitle** | *(N) results found* |
| **Layout** | Same grid, no featured post |
| **Category pills** | Preserved, with any active filter carried through |

> [!NOTE]
>
> Search results come from **WordPress core search**, not from an external service. If you need relevance ranking, faceted search, or typo tolerance, install a search plugin such as SearchWP or Relevanssi.

## Post formats

The theme supports WordPress post formats and renders them distinctly.

| Format | Treatment |
| - | - |
| **Aside** | Compact card in the grid, clamped to six lines |
| **Quote** | Standard card |
| **Gallery** | Standard card |
| **Image** | Standard card |
| **Video** | Standard card |
| **Audio** | Standard card |
| **Link** | Standard card |
| **Status** | Standard card |
| **Chat** | Standard card |

## Controlling the blog

> **Posts per page**
>
> **Settings → Reading → Blog pages show at most** — a WordPress setting, not a theme setting.

> **Which page is the blog**
>
> **Settings → Reading → Posts page**. The demo import assigns `/blog/` automatically.

> **Front page as blog**
>
> Under **Settings → Reading**, choosing *Your latest posts* makes the front page render this same blog layout.

## Styling notes

> **Overflow pills**
>
> Categories and tags collapse behind a "(+N)" pill when they do not fit. The pill is keyboard operable and uses `aria-expanded` and `aria-controls`.

> **Sticky cards**
>
> A sticky post is marked in the grid so readers can see it is pinned.

> **Conditional CSS loads only here**
>
> The blog index stylesheet is only enqueued on the blog home, archives, and search — not on your marketing pages.

## Troubleshooting

> **The blog page is empty**
>
> Check **Settings → Reading → Posts page** points at the right page, and that you have published posts rather than drafts.

> **No category pills appear**
>
> You need at least one published post with a category. Pillar categories — fewer, used consistently — produce better filtering than many narrow ones.

> **The hero shows infrastructure text**
>
> That is the default demo tagline. Change **Settings → General → Tagline** or override the hero.

> **A post appears twice on the blog home**
>
> It shouldn't — featured posts are excluded from the grid. If it does, clear your cache.

## Related

> **[Single post settings](/customization/single-post-settings.md)**
>
> What happens after a reader clicks a card.

> **[Colors reference](/customization/colors-reference.md)**
>
> Styling the chips, pills, and cards.


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