Must-Have Features to Stand Out

Features the Native Content Relationships plugin is missing to stand out vs. competitors (Posts 2 Posts, MB Relationships) and meet user expectations. Resolve one by one.

Priority overview

Priority	Feature	Status
P0	Built-in shortcode(s)	✅ Done
P0	REST embed for relations	✅ Done
P1	Manual order for related items	⬜ Todo
P1	Classic widget	✅ Done
P2	Duplicate-post integration	✅ Done
P2	Block/shortcode layout options	✅ Done
P2	Onboarding / guided setup	✅ Done
P3	Suggest related / auto-relations	✅ Done

1. Built-in shortcode(s) — P0

Why: Block and Elementor exist; the only shortcode is an example in the developer guide. Many sites still rely on shortcodes.

Gap: No [naticore_related_posts] (and siblings) registered by the plugin.

Tasks:

[x] Register [naticore_related_posts] with atts: type, limit, order, post_id, layout (list/grid), optional class
[x] Optionally add [naticore_related_users] and [naticore_related_terms] with similar atts
[x] Use existing wp_get_related() / wp_get_related_users() / wp_get_related_terms(); keep output minimal but semantic (e.g. <ul> or <div class="naticore-related">)
[x] Document shortcodes in readme and in-plugin help

Notes: Implemented in includes/class-shortcodes.php. Minimal frontend CSS in assets/css/shortcodes.css (enqueued when shortcode is used).

2. REST embed for relations — P0

Why: Headless clients currently need two requests (post + relations). Embedding relations in core REST responses makes NCR the natural choice for headless.

Gap: No register_rest_field() on wp/v2/posts, wp/v2/users, or terms to expose relations.

Tasks:

[x] Add optional REST field (e.g. naticore_relations or content_relations) to wp/v2/posts (and optionally pages/CPTs)
[x] Add same for wp/v2/users and wp/v2/categories/tags if applicable
[x] Respect _embed or a query param (e.g. ?context=edit or ?naticore_relations=1) so it’s opt-in and performant
[x] Document in REST API / developer docs

Notes: Implemented in includes/core/class-rest-api.php: register_embed_fields() hooks rest_prepare_{post_type}, rest_prepare_user, rest_prepare_{taxonomy}. Opt-in via ?naticore_relations=1. Response shape: naticore_relations array of { to_id, to_type, type, title?|display_name?|name? }.

Why: Editors need to control the order of “related products” or “related posts” per post. Currently order is only by date/title/random.

Gap: No relation_order (or similar) column and no UI to reorder relations.

Tasks:

[x] Add optional relation_order (integer) column to wp_content_relations (migration in NATICORE_Database)
[x] Add setting "Enable manual ordering" (default: off) in General tab; when on: sortable list in meta box, save order on post save
[x] In get_all_relations() and get_related(), when setting on: order by relation_order ASC, created_at DESC
[x] Expose order in REST and in block/shortcode when using “manual” order

Optional, off by default: Controlled from Settings → Content Relationships → General: "Manual Order for Related Items".

Notes: Column via maybe_add_relation_order_column(). Order saved in save_relationships(). Cache key in get_related includes manual_order.

Why: Users who don’t use blocks or Elementor have no built-in way to show related content in sidebars.

Gap: No WP_Widget for “Related content”.

Tasks:

[x] Create a widget class extending WP_Widget: title, relation type, limit, order, optional “post ID” (default current)
[x] Register widget on widgets_init
[x] Reuse same output logic as shortcode for consistency
[x] Document in readme

Notes: Widget: includes/frontend/class-widget.php. Registered in main plugin. Uses shortcode render_related_posts() for output.

5. Duplicate-post integration — P2

Why: When duplicating a post, relationships are usually not copied. Common user expectation.

Gap: No hook or helper to copy relations when a post is cloned.

Tasks:

[x] Add helper naticore_copy_relations( $from_post_id, $to_post_id, $relation_types = null ) in API
[x] Fire hook naticore_after_duplicate_post after copy; document for duplicate-post plugins
[x] Integrate with Yoast Duplicate Post (dp_duplicate_post, dp_duplicate_page) so relations copy automatically

Notes: Helper in NATICORE_API::copy_relations(). Integration in includes/integrations/class-duplicate-post.php. Supported: Yoast Duplicate Post (dp_duplicate_post/dp_duplicate_page), Post Duplicator (mtphr_post_duplicator_created), Copy & Delete Posts (_cdp_origin meta).

6. Block / shortcode layout options — P2

Why: The Related Content block is minimal (plain list). Better layout and style options improve first-run experience without custom CSS.

Gap: No built-in layout (list vs grid) or style controls.

Tasks:

[x] Add block attributes: layout, showThumbnail, excerptLength, wrapperClass
[x] Add shortcode attributes show_thumbnail, excerpt_length (layout and class already existed)
[x] Output semantic markup and BEM classes; minimal CSS in shortcodes.css
[x] Defaults (no thumbnail, no excerpt) keep output backward compatible

Notes: Block delegates to shortcode render_related_posts(). Gutenberg sidebar controls added in gutenberg.js.

7. Onboarding / guided setup — P2

Why: New users may not know where to start; activation notice exists but no clear “first steps”.

Gap: No short “Get started” or “Recommended relationship types” flow.

Tasks:

[x] Extend activation notice with a link to the Get started tab (e.g. “Enable for Posts & Pages”, “Add Related Content block once”)
[x] Add a “Recommended setup” or “Get started” checklist in Settings or Overview (e.g. enable types, add block/shortcode)
[x] Optional: one-time “Quick setup” wizard (2–3 steps) and set a transient so it doesn’t show again

Notes: Get started tab in class-settings.php (render_get_started_tab()). Activation notice in class-admin.php.

Why: “Suggest related by category/tag” or title similarity gives editors one-click suggestions and positions NCR as “smart”.

Gap: Auto-relations only do “on publish → link to parent as part_of”. No taxonomy-based or similarity-based suggestions.

Tasks:

[x] In meta box, add “Suggest related” (or “Find related”) that suggests posts by same category/tag (or post type) with one-click add
[ ] Optional: settings for auto-relation rules (e.g. same category, same tag) that create relations on save
[x] Keep suggestions cheap (limit 10, tax_query only)

Notes: "Suggest related" button in meta box (class-admin.php) calls AJAX naticore_suggest_related; suggests by same category/tag or same post type; one-click add reuses existing add-relation flow. Auto-relation on save not implemented.

Progress log

Date	Feature	Outcome
2026-02-13	Built-in shortcodes	Added [naticore_related_posts], [naticore_related_users], [naticore_related_terms] in class-shortcodes.php
2026-02-13	REST embed for relations	Opt-in naticore_relations on wp/v2 posts, users, terms via ?naticore_relations=1

Last updated: 2026-02-13

Must-Have Features to Stand Out ​

Priority overview ​

1. Built-in shortcode(s) — P0 ​

2. REST embed for relations — P0 ​

3. Manual order for related items — P1 ​

4. Classic widget — P1 ​

5. Duplicate-post integration — P2 ​

6. Block / shortcode layout options — P2 ​

7. Onboarding / guided setup — P2 ​

8. Suggest related / auto-relations — P3 ​

Progress log ​

Must-Have Features to Stand Out

Priority overview

1. Built-in shortcode(s) — P0

2. REST embed for relations — P0

3. Manual order for related items — P1

4. Classic widget — P1

5. Duplicate-post integration — P2

6. Block / shortcode layout options — P2

7. Onboarding / guided setup — P2

8. Suggest related / auto-relations — P3

Progress log