Overview

The [wpdm_categories] shortcode displays a list or grid of package categories. Use it to create navigation menus, category directories, or organized download sections.

Prerequisites

• WordPress Download Manager installed
• At least one category created with packages

Quick Start

Display all categories:

[wpdm_categories]

As a grid:

[wpdm_categories cols="3"]

Only parent categories:

[wpdm_categories parent="0"]

Syntax

[wpdm_categories parameter="value"]

Parameters

Selection Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
parent	int	all	Parent category ID (0 for top-level only)
include	string	–	Comma-separated category IDs to include
exclude	string	–	Comma-separated category IDs to exclude
hide_empty	int	0	Hide categories with no packages (1/0)

Display Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
show_count	int	0	Display package count (1/0)
show_image	int	0	Display category image (1/0)
show_description	int	0	Display category description (1/0)
hierarchical	int	1	Show as hierarchy (1/0)
depth	int	0	Max depth (0 = all levels)

Layout Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
cols	int	1	Number of columns
orderby	string	name	Sort field
order	string	ASC	Sort direction
style	string	list	Display style (list, grid, card)

Orderby Options

Value	Description
name	Alphabetical by name
count	By package count
id	By category ID
slug	Alphabetical by slug
term_order	Custom order

Usage Examples

Basic Category List

Display all categories as a simple list:

[wpdm_categories]

Output:

• Software
• Documents
• Media
• Templates

With Package Counts

Show how many packages in each category:

[wpdm_categories show_count="1"]

Output:

• Software (24)
• Documents (18)
• Media (12)

Grid Layout

Display in columns:

[wpdm_categories cols="3"]

Card Style with Images

Visual cards with category images:

[wpdm_categories style="card" show_image="1" show_description="1" cols="4"]

Top-Level Categories Only

Show only parent categories (not children):

[wpdm_categories parent="0"]

Child Categories

Show children of a specific category:

[wpdm_categories parent="5"]

Where 5 is the parent category ID.

Flat List (Non-Hierarchical)

Display all categories at same level:

[wpdm_categories hierarchical="0"]

Limited Depth

Show only two levels deep:

[wpdm_categories depth="2"]

Hide Empty Categories

Only show categories with packages:

[wpdm_categories hide_empty="1"]

Specific Categories

Display only certain categories:

[wpdm_categories include="5,8,12"]

Exclude Categories

Show all except specified:

[wpdm_categories exclude="3,7"]

Sorted by Count

Most populated categories first:

[wpdm_categories orderby="count" order="DESC"]

Complete Example

Category showcase with all features:

[wpdm_categories
    parent="0"
    show_count="1"
    show_image="1"
    show_description="1"
    cols="3"
    style="card"
    hide_empty="1"
    orderby="count"
    order="DESC"]

Output Structure

List Style

    

        Software
        (24)
        

            

                Plugins
            
        
    

Grid Style

    

        
            Software
            24 packages
        
    
    

Card Style

    

        

            
        
        

            

                Software
            
            
Download software...
            24 packages
        
    

Category Images

Setting Category Images

• Go to Downloads > Categories
• Edit a category
• Upload or select an image
• Save the category

Image Display

When show_image="1":

• Image displays as thumbnail
• Default placeholder if no image
• Clickable, links to category

Styling

CSS Classes

Class	Element
.wpdm-categories	Main container
.wpdm-category	Category list item
.wpdm-category-item	Grid item
.wpdm-category-card	Card container
.category-name	Category title
.category-image	Image container
.category-description	Description text
.count	Package count
.children	Child categories

Example Custom CSS

/* Grid layout */
.wpdm-categories-grid {
    display: grid;
    gap: 20px;
}

.wpdm-categories-grid.cols-3 {
    grid-template-columns: repeat(3, 1fr);
}

/* Card styling */
.wpdm-category-card {
    border: 1px solid #e5e7eb;
    border-radius: 8px;
    overflow: hidden;
    transition: box-shadow 0.2s;
}

.wpdm-category-card:hover {
    box-shadow: 0 4px 12px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1);
}

.wpdm-category-card .category-image img {
    width: 100%;
    height: 150px;
    object-fit: cover;
}

.wpdm-category-card .category-content {
    padding: 16px;
}

.wpdm-category-card .category-name {
    margin: 0 0 8px 0;
    font-size: 18px;
}

.wpdm-category-card .count {
    font-size: 14px;
    color: #6b7280;
}

/* List styling */
.wpdm-categories ul {
    list-style: none;
    padding-left: 0;
}

.wpdm-categories .children {
    padding-left: 20px;
    margin-top: 8px;
}

.wpdm-categories li {
    padding: 8px 0;
    border-bottom: 1px solid #f3f4f6;
}

/* Count badge */
.wpdm-categories .count {
    background: #e5e7eb;
    padding: 2px 8px;
    border-radius: 12px;
    font-size: 12px;
    margin-left: 8px;
}

/* Responsive */
@media (max-width: 768px) {
    .wpdm-categories-grid.cols-3,
    .wpdm-categories-grid.cols-4 {
        grid-template-columns: repeat(2, 1fr);
    }
}

@media (max-width: 480px) {
    .wpdm-categories-grid.cols-3,
    .wpdm-categories-grid.cols-4 {
        grid-template-columns: 1fr;
    }
}

Common Use Cases

Sidebar Navigation

Categories
[wpdm_categories show_count="1" hierarchical="1"]

Category Landing Page

Download Categories
[wpdm_categories
    parent="0"
    style="card"
    show_image="1"
    show_description="1"
    cols="3"]

Footer Category Links

[wpdm_categories
    parent="0"
    hide_empty="1"
    cols="4"
    show_count="0"]

Top Categories Section

Popular Categories
[wpdm_categories
    orderby="count"
    order="DESC"
    hide_empty="1"
    include="5,8,12,15"]

Widget Alternative

For sidebars, you can also use the WPDM Categories widget:

• Go to Appearance > Widgets
• Add WPDM Categories widget
• Configure display options
• Save

Gutenberg Block

A Categories block is available in the block editor:

• Add new block
• Search for “WPDM Categories”
• Configure in block settings
• Preview and publish

Troubleshooting

No Categories Displayed

Causes:

• No categories exist
• All categories are empty and hide_empty="1"
• Invalid parent ID

Solutions:

• Create categories at Downloads > Categories
• Add packages to categories
• Verify parent ID exists

Counts Incorrect

Cause: Cached counts

Solution:

• Edit and save any category to refresh counts
• Wait for cache to clear

Images Not Showing

Causes:

• show_image not set to 1
• No images assigned to categories
• Image file missing

Solutions:

• Add show_image="1" parameter
• Edit categories and add images
• Check media library for images

Hierarchy Not Displaying

Cause: hierarchical set to 0

Solution:

• Use hierarchical="1" (default)
• Check depth parameter

Related Shortcodes

Shortcode	Purpose
[wpdm_packages]	List packages (optionally by category)
[wpdm_all_packages]	DataTable with category column
[wpdm_tag]	Packages by tag

Related Documentation

• Managing Categories
• Category Templates
• [[wpdm_packages] Shortcode](/doc/shortcodes/wpdm-packages/)

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Last updated: January 2026
Applies to: WordPress Download Manager 7.x