Archive Lightbox Gallery

Transform WordPress archive pages into visual galleries with a lightbox, using post featured images.

Description

Archive Lightbox Gallery automatically converts your category, tag, and taxonomy archive pages into beautiful image galleries. Each post's featured image becomes a gallery thumbnail that opens in a lightbox overlay, displaying the full-size image along with the post title and content.

Perfect for:

• Photo bloggers
• Visual storytellers
• Portfolio sites
• Any site using categories or tags as photo collections

Features

• Automatic gallery display - Archive pages instantly become image galleries
• Built-in lightbox - Click any image to view it full-size with post content
• Keyboard navigation - Use arrow keys to navigate, ESC to close
• Responsive grid - Adapts to any screen size
• Configurable columns - Choose 1-6 columns for your grid
• Content options - Display full post content or excerpts in the lightbox
• Per-taxonomy control - Enable or disable for specific taxonomies
• Accessibility ready - Full keyboard support and ARIA labels
• Lightweight - No jQuery dependency, minimal footprint

How It Works

1. Install and activate the plugin
2. Configure which taxonomies should display as galleries (Settings > Archive Gallery)
3. Visit any category or tag archive page
4. Your posts with featured images are displayed as a clickable gallery grid

Installation

1. Upload the archive-lightbox-gallery folder to the /wp-content/plugins/ directory
2. Activate the plugin through the 'Plugins' menu in WordPress
3. Go to Settings > Archive Gallery to configure options
4. Visit a category or tag archive to see your gallery

Frequently Asked Questions

Which archive pages are supported?

Categories, tags, and custom taxonomy archives are all supported. You can enable or disable the gallery for each taxonomy type in the settings.

What happens to posts without featured images?

Posts without featured images are simply not displayed in the gallery. Only posts with a featured image will appear.

Can I customize the number of columns?

Yes, you can set between 1 and 6 columns in Settings > Archive Gallery. The grid is also responsive and will automatically reduce columns on smaller screens.

Does this work with my theme?

The plugin renders its own template for archive pages, so it should work with any theme. The design is intentionally minimal to fit most sites.

Can I show full post content or just excerpts?

Yes, you can choose between displaying the full post content or just the excerpt in the lightbox. This is configurable in the settings.

Is the lightbox accessible?

Yes, the lightbox includes full keyboard navigation (arrow keys to navigate, ESC to close), proper focus management, and ARIA attributes for screen readers.

Does this affect my single post pages?

No, single posts and pages are not affected. The gallery only appears on archive pages (categories, tags, taxonomies).

Screenshots

1. Gallery grid display on a category archive page
2. Lightbox view with image and post content
3. Settings page with taxonomy and display options

Changelog

1.0.0

• Initial release
• Gallery grid display for archive pages
• Custom lightbox with navigation
• Settings page for taxonomy and display configuration
• Keyboard navigation support
• Responsive design

Upgrade Notice

1.0.0

Initial release of Archive Lightbox Gallery.