Blast Slider

Description

Blast Slider lets you create customizable and responsive post carousels using the Gutenberg block editor, Elementor, or a simple shortcode. Perfect for showcasing recent posts, featured content, or blog categories.

Features:

  • Gutenberg block support
  • Elementor widget support
  • Shortcode [blast_slider] support with multiple attributes
  • Responsive layout with Swiper.js
  • Show/hide post title, image, date, and excerpt
  • Adjust number of posts and visible slides
  • Enable/disable loop and autoplay
  • Lightweight and blazing fast

Great for blogs, portfolios, news sites, and more.

Shortcode

You can use the [blast_slider] shortcode to display a customizable post carousel anywhere on your site — including inside the Classic Editor, widgets, page builders, or templates.

Basic Usage:
[blast_slider]

Available Attributes:

  • numberOfPosts — Total number of posts to display. Default: 6
  • autoplay — Enable automatic slide change. Accepts true or false. Default: false
  • autoplaySpeed — Time in milliseconds between slides (if autoplay is enabled). Default: 3000
  • theme — Visual theme of the slider. Accepts light or dark. Default: light
  • showTitle — Show the post title. Accepts true or false. Default: true
  • showImage — Show the featured image or a placeholder. Accepts true or false. Default: true
  • showDate — Display the post publication date. Accepts true or false. Default: true
  • showExcerpt — Show an excerpt of the post. Accepts true or false. Default: true
  • loop — Enable infinite loop for the slider. Accepts true or false. Default: false
  • slidesPerView — Number of visible slides at once. Default: 3
  • slidesPerGroup — Number of slides to move per navigation step. Default: 3
  • spaceBetween — Space between slides in pixels. Default: 20

Example:
[blast_slider numberOfPosts="8" slidesPerView="2" autoplay="true" autoplaySpeed="5000" loop="true" theme="dark"]

In PHP templates:
php
echo do_shortcode('[blast_slider numberOfPosts="4" showTitle="false"]');

Notes:
– If the number of posts is not divisible by slidesPerGroup and loop is enabled, the slider will be filled with empty slides to maintain smooth looping.
– When no posts are found, a fallback message is shown.
– If no featured image is set, a default placeholder image is displayed.

Development

This WordPress.org release contains only compiled production assets.

The full source code (including development files) is available in the project’s development repository.

To build from source:

  1. npm install
  2. npm run build

Third-party libraries

  • Swiper v12.0.2 — MIT License — https://github.com/nolimits4web/swiper

Screenshots

  • Frontend preview of Blast Slider
  • Gutenberg editor block preview
  • Elementor widget preview
  • Settings dashboard preview

Blocks

This plugin provides 1 block.

  • Blast Slider A customizable post carousel using Blast Slider.

Installation

  1. Upload the plugin files to the /wp-content/plugins/blast-slider directory, or install the plugin through the WordPress plugins screen directly.
  2. Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ screen in WordPress.
  3. Use the Gutenberg block editor, Elementor, or the [blast_slider] shortcode to insert a carousel into your content.

FAQ

Does this plugin require Gutenberg or Elementor?

You can use either Gutenberg or Elementor — the plugin supports both.

Can I use it with custom post types?

Not yet. The current version supports only standard WordPress posts.

Is it responsive?

Yes, the carousel is powered by Swiper.js and is fully responsive on all devices.

Why is a placeholder image rendered using <img> instead of wp_get_attachment_image()?

The placeholder image used by Blast Slider is a static local file included in the plugin. Since it is not part of the WordPress media library, it does not have an attachment ID, and therefore cannot be used with wp_get_attachment_image(). The <img> tag is rendered safely using wp_kses() to comply with WordPress security standards.

Reviews

There are no reviews for this plugin.

Contributors & Developers

“Blast Slider” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.

Contributors

Translate “Blast Slider” into your language.

Interested in development?

Browse the code, check out the SVN repository, or subscribe to the development log by RSS.

Changelog

1.0.0

  • Initial release
  • Gutenberg and Elementor integration
  • Post carousel with loop, autoplay, and responsive layout
  • Shortcode with full attribute support
  • Settings for image, title, excerpt, and more