CC Child Pages Shortcode Guide
Overview
Last updated: 13th November 2025 for CC Child Pages version 2.0
The CC Child Pages shortcode allows you to display child pages of any page in a flexible grid or list format. It is ideal for creating visual navigation sections, subpage indexes, or site maps.
You can insert it in any page or post using the shortcode .
In CC Child Pages Pro, you can also display child pages from multiple parents, filter by tags or categories, and apply advanced skins and hover effects.
Basic Usage
To display child pages of the current page:
[child_pages]To show child pages of a specific parent (by ID):
[child_pages id="12"]To display a list in two columns with thumbnails:
[child_pages id="12" cols="2" thumbs="true"]
Full Attribute Reference
Parent and hierarchy
| Attribute | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| id | Parent page ID | Current page via get_the_ID() |
| page_ids | Comma-separated list of specific page IDs to include | |
| depth | Levels of hierarchy to include | 1 |
| siblings | Show sibling pages instead of children | false |
| show_current_page | Include the current page in results | false |
Sorting and limits / pagination
| Attribute | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| orderby | Sort field (menu_order, title, date) | menu_order |
| order | Sort direction (ASC or DESC) | ASC |
| offset | Number of results to skip | 0 |
| limit | Limit total number of pages displayed (-1 = no limit) | -1 |
| posts_per_page | Items per page when paginating | -1 |
| page | Force a specific page number for pagination (-1 = auto) | -1 |
| ignore_sticky_posts | Ignore sticky posts | true |
| post_status | Filter by status |
Layout and style
| Attribute | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| cols | Number of columns | |
| skin | Visual style template | simple |
| list | Force list layout instead of grid | false |
| class | Additional CSS class on wrapper | |
| use_legacy_css | Use classic stylesheet for compatibility | false |
Content display
| Attribute | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| hide_title | Hide page title | false |
| hide_excerpt | Hide excerpt | false |
| hide_more | Hide "Read more ..." link | false |
| hide_wp_more | Ignore WP "more" tag | false |
| show_page_content | Show full page content | false |
| truncate_excerpt | Truncate long excerpts | true |
| words | Words to include in truncated excerpt | 55 |
| thumbs | Show featured image | false |
| link_thumbs | Make thumbnails clickable | false |
| link_titles | Make titles clickable | false |
| title_link_class | Class for linked titles | ccpage_title_link |
| more | Text for "Read more" link | Read more ... |
| link_target | Target for links | |
| link | Override link URL | |
| use_custom_excerpt | Use custom excerpt field if present | |
| use_custom_title | Use custom title field if present | |
| use_custom_more | Use custom "more" text field if present | |
| use_custom_thumbs | Use custom thumbnail field if present | |
| use_custom_link | Meta key for custom link | cc_child_pages_link |
| use_custom_link_target | Meta key for custom target | cc_child_pages_link_target |
| show_author | Show page author | false |
| show_date_created | Show created date | false |
| show_date_modified | Show modified date | false |
| subpage_title | Custom heading above list/grid |
Tip: Most users only need id, cols, skin, and thumbs to create attractive page grids.
Examples
Display child pages of About page with thumbnails:
[child_pages id="25" thumbs="true" cols="3" skin="cards"]Show sibling pages of the current page:
[child_pages siblings="true"]Show top-level pages (depth=1) sorted by title:
[child_pages list="true" depth="1" orderby="title"]
Optional Reading
How Pagination Works
If usePagination="true", CC Child Pages divides long lists of subpages into multiple pages. The number of items per page is set by postsPerPage.
Custom Fields and Dynamic Titles (Pro)
In CC Child Pages Pro, you can use custom fields for titles, excerpts, and thumbnails. This allows dynamic linking and content presentation for advanced sites.
Troubleshooting
- No pages displayed: Check that the parent page actually has published child pages.
- Unexpected ordering: Ensure
orderbymatches a valid field liketitle,menu_order, ordate. - CSS looks incorrect: Try
useLegacyCSS="true"for older themes.
FAQ
Q: Can I display grandchild pages (two levels deep)?
A: Yes. Use depth="2" to include grandchildren.
Q: How do I show thumbnails only?
A: Set hide_title="true", hide_excerpt="true" and hide_more="true" and make sure that thumbs id set to a valid image size. To link the images to the posts, set link_thumbs="true".
Q: Will it work in widget areas?
A: Yes. Use the “CC Child Pages” widget under Appearance → Widgets.