Wordpress plugin: Random Blogroll Category

This plugin will display a given number of random blogroll categories to show. It will show all the links in those categories. It's also available from the official Wordpress plugin directory.

Installation

1. Upload 'random-blogroll-category.php' to the '/wp-content/plugins/' directory
2. Activate the plugin through the 'Plugins' menu in WordPress

Usage

Unless you've changed some defaults, your blogroll is most likely displayed by the following line of code in wp-content/themes/[your theme]/sidebar.php:
<php wp_list_bookmarks(); ?>

The simplest way to display a random category is just by replacing that line with a call to blogroll_random_category:
<php blogroll_random_category(); ?>

If you want to include a link to the whole blogroll, you can create a page in Wordpress using the links template. Note the permalink. If you've already got a list of your pages in the sidebar, you're in business. Otherwise you can add one with the following line of code:
<a href="[your permalink]">See complete blogroll</a>

If your blogroll is not set to be categorized, or if there is only one category, it will return the whole thing untouched.

Advanced

Showing multiple categories

If you want multiple categories returned, you can send the function that number. For example:
<php blogroll_random_category(5); ?>
will return 5 randomized categories. If you only have 4 categories, it will return all of them in a random order.

Retaining arguments sent to wp_list_bookmarks

If you're sending arguments to wp_list_bookmarks, you can send those to blogroll_random_category and it will pass them along to wp_list bookmarks. In this example, we're showing all categories except #23:
<php wp_list_bookmarks('exclude_category=23'); ?>

The change below will show five random categories, none of which will be #23. If you only have four categories, this will return the three that are not #23:
<php blogroll_random_category(5, 'exclude_category=23'); ?>

To show one category all the time and the rest randomize the rest

In the sidebar you can explicitly call that category. When only one category is selected, this plugin knows to return it as it is. Any subsequent calls to blogroll_random_category ought to be instructed to exclude it in order to avoid the possibility that it happens to be randomly selected:

Frequently Asked Questions

None yet.

Changelog

1.0

• The first version.

1.5

• Whereas this plugin previously altered the behavior of wp_list_bookmarks in a way that made it impossible to see the whole blogroll. Now it uses a separate function call so that in some instances you can see random categories, but in others you can see the whole blogroll.
• Now possible to return multiple random categories without separate function calls, thus eliminating the possibility that two of the random categories will be the same.

A personal request

If you use/enjoy this plugin, I'd love to hear from you. You're under no obligation, but I'd enjoy knowing that somebody out there is enjoying my work. Promptly returning e-mail is not my strong suit, so you may never get the courtesy of a reply, but you can rest assured that I appreciated your effort.

I can be reached at kj@kjcoop.com.