🎯 Purpose
The Read More widget lets you display a condensed preview of post content on archive pages, with an option to expand and read the full content. It’s also possible to add a toggle-like feature within single post templates when using custom fields.
⚙️ Archive Page Usage
Content Excerpt Setup: When building archive or blog listing pages, enable the Read More option to show a shortened preview of each post—typically the first few lines or sentences.
Customizable Length: You can define the number of words or characters to display before the “Read More” link appears, giving you control over the teaser length.
Link Behavior: Clicking the Read More link navigates users to the full post, making it seamless to preview and dive deeper into content.
🛠️ Single Post with Toggle Behavior
Although primarily for archives, you can create a Read More toggle within individual posts by:
Creating a Custom Field: Use a plugin (like Advanced Custom Fields) to define a WYSIWYG field named “Read More Content.”
Adding a Toggle Widget: Place a Toggle widget below the main post content.
Dynamically Linking Content: Set the Toggle’s content to that custom field, allowing users to expand and read additional content inline without leaving the page.
✅ Best Practices
Use Read More on archive or blog listing pages to keep previews concise and manageable.
Define custom word/character limits that maintain clean layout and readability.
For single post expansion, use the toggle approach only when supplemental content is needed—like pull quotes, extra sections, or detailed examples.
Style the Read More link (or toggle label) to fit seamlessly with headings or paragraph styles across devices.
Always test on different screen sizes to ensure previews remain tidy and expandable content works fluidly.
The Read More widget enhances content presentation by making previews clean and navigable while offering flexibility—whether you link to full posts or reveal additional sections inline using toggles and custom fields.
