Easy Custom Skin Free - Documentation

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⭐ Elementor Plugin v4.2.0

Easy Custom Skin Free

A powerful Posts Grid & Loop Builder plugin for Elementor FREE. Create stunning blog layouts, magazine grids, news sections, and custom post displays without Elementor Pro. Features 24 built-in layouts, custom loop templates, and extensive styling options!

🎨 24 Layout Styles 🧩 Loop Templates 📝 30+ Loop Widgets 🔗 Shortcode Support 📱 Fully Responsive 🎠 Slider/Carousel ⏳ AJAX Load More 🎯 Query Filters 🆓 100% Free

📑 Table of Contents

🚀 Getting Started

• System Requirements
• Installation Guide
• Quick Setup
• First Posts Grid

🎨 24 Layout Styles

• Grid Layouts (14)
• List Layouts (4)
• Slider Layouts (2)
• Special Layouts (4)

🧩 Loop Templates

• Creating Templates
• Loop Item Widget
• Dynamic Tags
• Template Shortcodes

🔧 Widget Settings

• Query Controls
• Layout Options
• Style Controls
• Pagination

📝 Shortcodes

• Basic Usage
• All Parameters
• Shortcode Generator
• Examples

❓ Help & Support

• Troubleshooting
• FAQ
• Changelog
• Support

System Requirements

Minimum requirements to run the plugin

📦

WordPress

5.0+

🐘

PHP

7.4+

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Elementor

3.0+ (Free)

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Memory

128MB+

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MySQL

5.6+

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Browser

Modern

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Important: This plugin works with Elementor FREE - you do NOT need Elementor Pro! WooCommerce is optional and only needed if you want to display products.

Key Features

Everything you need to create beautiful post displays

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24 Built-in Layouts

Card, Overlay, Mosaic, Banner, Gradient, Metro, Magazine, News Grid, Timeline, Featured, and many more professional layouts ready to use.

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Loop Templates

Create custom loop templates using Elementor's visual editor. Design your own post cards with complete control over every element.

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30+ Loop Widgets

Post Title, Image, Excerpt, Meta, Categories, Tags, Author Box, Reading Time, Share Buttons, Navigation, and more dynamic widgets.

🎠

Slider & Carousel

Built-in slider layouts with autoplay, navigation arrows, dots pagination, and smooth transitions. Perfect for featured posts.

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Advanced Query

Filter posts by category, tag, author, date, custom fields, and more. Include/exclude specific posts, order by various criteria.

⏳

AJAX Load More

Load more posts without page refresh. Infinite scroll or button-triggered loading for better user experience.

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Fully Responsive

Set different columns for desktop, tablet, and mobile. Every layout adapts perfectly to all screen sizes.

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Style Controls

Extensive styling options for typography, colors, spacing, borders, shadows, and hover effects. No CSS needed!

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Shortcode Support

Use shortcodes anywhere - widgets, posts, pages, theme files. Visual shortcode generator included for easy setup.

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Performance Optimized

Clean code, minimal assets, lazy loading support. Built for speed without compromising features.

Installation Guide

Get started in minutes

📦 Method 1: WordPress Admin

1
Go to Plugins → Add New
2
Click Upload Plugin
3
Choose easy-custom-skin-free.zip
4
Click Install Now
5
Click Activate Plugin

📁 Method 2: FTP Upload

1
Extract easy-custom-skin-free.zip
2
Connect to server via FTP/SFTP
3
Navigate to /wp-content/plugins/
4
Upload easy-custom-skin-free folder
5
Activate in Plugins menu

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After Activation: You'll find the Posts Grid widget in Elementor under the "Easy Custom Skin" category. Loop Templates will appear in the WordPress admin menu.

Quick Setup Workflow

Create your first posts grid in 4 simple steps

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1. Install Plugin

Upload & activate

✏️

2. Edit Page

Open with Elementor

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3. Add Widget

Drag Posts Grid

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4. Customize

Choose layout & style

24 Layout Styles

Professional designs for every use case

📐 Grid Layouts (14)

📦 Card (Default)

Classic card with image, title, meta, excerpt, and read more button

🖼️ Overlay

Content overlaid on image with gradient. Great for featured posts

↔️ Side by Side

Horizontal layout with image on left, content on right

✨ Minimal

Clean, text-focused design with minimal decoration

📰 Magazine

Editorial style with prominent category badges

🌙 News Grid (Dark)

Dark overlay style perfect for news websites

🏷️ Category List

Colorful backgrounds based on category. Great for archives

📚 Classic Blog

Traditional blog style with full content preview

🎯 Modern Clean

Contemporary design with subtle shadows and rounded corners

🔲 Grid Overlay

Full image with gradient overlay and bottom content

📋 Compact Cards

Small, condensed cards for sidebar or dense layouts

🎨 Mosaic (Masonry)

Pinterest-style with varying heights for visual interest

🚩 Banner (Full Width)

Horizontal full-width cards with image on side

🌈 Gradient Cards

Modern cards with colorful gradient overlays

📋 List Layouts (4)

📄 Vertical List

Stacked list with thumbnail and content side by side

↔️ List Alternate

Alternating left/right image positions

📝 List Minimal

Text-only list with clean separators

⏳ Timeline

Vertical timeline with date markers

🎠 Slider Layouts (2)

🎠 Carousel Slider

Horizontal slider with navigation and dots

🖼️ Slider Overlay

Full-image slides with content overlay

⭐ Special Layouts (4)

⭐ Featured (1+Small)

One large featured post with smaller posts beside

💡 Highlight Cards

Tall portrait cards with prominent imagery

🖼️ Portrait Cards

Vertical cards optimized for portrait images

🔲 Metro Tiles

Windows Metro-style colored tiles with varying sizes

🧩 Loop Templates

Create fully custom post designs with Elementor

📝 Creating Templates

Go to Loop Templates in admin
Click "Add New Template"
Edit with Elementor
Add Loop Item widgets
Publish and select in Posts Grid

🧩 Loop Item Widget

Dynamic post title
Featured image with link
Post excerpt/content
Author, date, categories
Read more button

🎨 Design Freedom

Any Elementor widget
Custom CSS classes
Responsive controls
Hover animations
Complete styling options

💾 Template Shortcode

Each template has shortcode
Use anywhere in WordPress
Combine with Posts Grid
Override built-in layouts
Reuse across site

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Pro Tip: In the Posts Grid widget, set Template Type to "Custom" and select your loop template from the dropdown to use it instead of built-in layouts.

30+ Loop Widgets

Dynamic widgets for building custom loop templates

Widget Settings

Complete control over your posts display

🔍 Query Controls

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Post Type: Posts, Pages, Products, Custom
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Posts Per Page: 1-100 posts
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Categories: Include/exclude specific
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Tags: Filter by post tags
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Authors: Show specific authors only
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Order By: Date, Title, Random, Menu Order, Comments
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Exclude: Current post, specific IDs

🎨 Layout Options

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Layout Style: 24 built-in layouts
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Columns: 1-6 columns (responsive)
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Gap: Custom spacing between items
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Image Size: Thumbnail to Full
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Excerpt Length: Custom word count
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Title Tag: H1-H6 selection
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Meta Data: Date, Author, Comments, Reading Time

🎯 Style Controls

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Typography: Font family, size, weight
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Colors: Title, text, links, backgrounds
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Spacing: Padding, margins
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Borders: Width, color, radius
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Shadow: Box shadow effects
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Hover: Transform, color changes
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Category Badge: Background, text color, padding

📄 Pagination

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None: No pagination
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Numbers: Page numbers with navigation
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Prev/Next: Previous and next buttons
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Load More: AJAX button to load more
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Button Text: Customizable label

Shortcode Reference

Use posts grids anywhere with shortcodes

📝 Basic Usage

[ecsf_loop]

Displays posts with default settings (3 columns, 6 posts, card layout).

🎨 With Layout

[ecsf_loop layout="overlay" columns="4" posts="8"]

Displays 8 posts in overlay layout with 4 columns.

📁 Filter by Category

[ecsf_loop category="news,featured" posts="6"]

Shows posts from "news" and "featured" categories.

🧩 With Custom Template

[ecsf_loop template="123" columns="3"]

Uses loop template with ID 123 instead of built-in layout.

📋 All Shortcode Parameters

Parameter	Default	Description
`layout`	card	Layout style: card, overlay, mosaic, banner, gradient, metro, side, minimal, magazine, news_grid, category_list, classic, modern, grid_overlay, compact, list, list_alternate, list_minimal, timeline, carousel, slider_overlay, featured, highlight, portrait
`posts`	6	Number of posts to display
`columns`	3	Number of columns (desktop)
`columns_tablet`	2	Columns on tablet
`columns_mobile`	1	Columns on mobile
`gap`	20	Gap between items (px)
`category`		Category slugs (comma-separated)
`tag`		Tag slugs (comma-separated)
`author`		Author ID or username
`orderby`	date	Order by: date, title, rand, comment_count, menu_order
`order`	DESC	Sort order: ASC or DESC
`exclude`		Post IDs to exclude (comma-separated)
`template`		Loop template ID (overrides layout)
`show_image`	yes	Show featured image: yes/no
`show_title`	yes	Show post title: yes/no
`show_excerpt`	yes	Show excerpt: yes/no
`show_meta`	yes	Show meta (date, author): yes/no
`show_readmore`	yes	Show read more button: yes/no
`excerpt_length`	20	Number of words in excerpt
`readmore_text`	Read More	Read more button text
`image_size`	medium_large	Image size: thumbnail, medium, large, full
`pagination`	no	Show pagination: yes/no
`class`		Custom CSS class

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Shortcode Generator: Go to Loop Templates → Shortcode Generator for a visual interface to build shortcodes without remembering parameters.

💡 Shortcode Examples

Common use cases and configurations

📰 News Homepage

[ecsf_loop layout="news_grid" posts="6" columns="3" category="news"]

Dark overlay style for news sections

⭐ Featured Posts

[ecsf_loop layout="featured" posts="4" tag="featured"]

1 large + 3 small featured layout

📋 Sidebar List

[ecsf_loop layout="compact" posts="5" columns="1" show_excerpt="no"]

Compact list for sidebars

🎠 Post Slider

[ecsf_loop layout="carousel" posts="8" columns="3"]

Carousel slider with 3 visible items

🎨 Masonry Gallery

[ecsf_loop layout="mosaic" posts="9" columns="3" category="gallery"]

Pinterest-style masonry grid

⏳ Timeline

[ecsf_loop layout="timeline" posts="10" columns="1" orderby="date"]

Chronological timeline view

Troubleshooting Guide

Common issues and solutions

❌ Widget not appearing in Elementor

Posts Grid widget missing from panel

Solution: Ensure both Elementor and Easy Custom Skin Free are activated. Clear browser cache and Elementor cache (Elementor → Tools → Regenerate CSS).

❌ Posts not displaying

Grid shows empty or no posts

Solution: Check if you have published posts. Verify category/tag filters aren't too restrictive. Make sure post type is correct.

⚠️ Styles not applying

Colors or typography not changing

Solution: Clear all caches (browser, plugin, server). Check for CSS conflicts with theme. Use browser inspector to debug specificity issues.

⚠️ Category badge color not changing

Badge stays red regardless of settings

Solution: Update to v4.2.0 or later. Go to Style → Category and set Background color. Clear cache after saving.

ℹ️ Slider not working

Carousel doesn't slide

Solution: Check JavaScript console for errors. Ensure jQuery is loaded. Disable other slider plugins that may conflict.

ℹ️ Loop template not showing

Custom template appears empty

Solution: Publish the loop template. Add at least one Loop Item widget. Select template in Posts Grid widget settings.

⚠️ AJAX Load More not working

Button doesn't load more posts

Solution: Check for JavaScript errors. Ensure REST API is not blocked. Verify there are more posts to load.

ℹ️ Shortcode not rendering

Shows raw shortcode text

Solution: Make sure plugin is activated. Check shortcode syntax is correct. Ensure you're not in a text widget that strips shortcodes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions answered

Q: Do I need Elementor Pro?

No! Easy Custom Skin Free works with the FREE version of Elementor. You don't need Elementor Pro to use any features of this plugin.

Q: Can I display custom post types?

Yes! The plugin supports any registered custom post type. Select your post type from the Query settings in the widget.

Q: Does it work with WooCommerce products?

Yes, you can display WooCommerce products. Set post type to "Products" in query settings. Note: For full WooCommerce features, consider dedicated product widgets.

Q: Can I use multiple Posts Grid widgets on one page?

Absolutely! You can add as many Posts Grid widgets as needed, each with different settings, layouts, and query filters.

Q: How do I create a custom layout?

Go to Loop Templates → Add New. Design your post card using Elementor and Loop Item widgets. Then select this template in the Posts Grid widget.

Q: Can I exclude the current post from related posts?

Yes! In the Query settings, enable "Exclude Current Post" option. This is perfect for related posts sections on single post pages.

Q: Is the plugin translation ready?

Yes, Easy Custom Skin Free is fully translation-ready. All strings are internationalized and can be translated using WPML, Polylang, or Loco Translate.

Q: Does it support RTL languages?

Yes! The plugin includes full RTL (Right-to-Left) support for Arabic, Hebrew, and other RTL languages.

Q: Can I use shortcodes in widgets?

Yes, shortcodes work in most WordPress widgets, theme template files, and anywhere shortcodes are processed. Use the Shortcode Generator for easy setup.

Q: How do I report a bug or request a feature?

Visit our support forum or GitHub repository. We actively monitor feedback and regularly release updates with improvements and new features.

Changelog

Version history and updates

v4.2.0 - Latest Release

🆕 Added 4 new layout styles: Mosaic (Masonry), Banner (Full Width), Gradient Cards, Metro Tiles
🐛 Fixed category badge color not changeable in overlay layouts (Highlight, News Grid, Featured, etc.)
✨ Added CSS custom properties for better styling control
✨ Added Intersection Observer for slider visibility detection
✨ Added image preloading for smoother transitions
✨ Added skeleton loading states
✨ Added auto RTL detection
🔧 Improved lazy loading protection
🔧 Improved CSS selectors for theme compatibility
📊 Total layouts now: 24

v4.0.0 - Major Release

🎉 Initial public release
📦 Posts Grid Widget with 20 built-in layouts
🧩 Loop Templates custom post type
📝 30+ Loop Item widgets for dynamic content
🔗 Shortcode support with visual generator
⏳ AJAX Load More pagination
📱 Full responsive controls
🎨 Extensive styling options
🎠 Carousel and slider layouts
🌐 RTL and translation ready

Support & Resources

Get help when you need it

📖

Documentation

Comprehensive guides covering all features, settings, and use cases. Start here for self-service help.

💬

Community Support

Join our community forums to ask questions, share tips, and connect with other users.

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Free Updates

Regular updates with new features, improvements, and bug fixes. Always stay up to date!

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Pro Tip: Before asking for support, check the Troubleshooting section and FAQ above. Most common issues have quick solutions documented here.

Ready to Create Amazing Posts Grids?

Start building beautiful blog layouts, news sections, and custom post displays today!

🚀 Get Started Now 📖 View Examples

Easy Custom Skin Free

📑 Table of Contents

🚀 Getting Started

🎨 24 Layout Styles

🧩 Loop Templates

🔧 Widget Settings

📝 Shortcodes

❓ Help & Support

System Requirements

WordPress

PHP

Elementor

Memory

MySQL

Browser

Key Features

24 Built-in Layouts

Loop Templates

30+ Loop Widgets

Slider & Carousel

Advanced Query

AJAX Load More

Fully Responsive

Style Controls

Shortcode Support

Performance Optimized

Installation Guide

📦 Method 1: WordPress Admin

📁 Method 2: FTP Upload

Quick Setup Workflow

1. Install Plugin

2. Edit Page

3. Add Widget

4. Customize

24 Layout Styles

📐 Grid Layouts (14)

📦 Card (Default)

🖼️ Overlay

↔️ Side by Side

✨ Minimal

📰 Magazine

🌙 News Grid (Dark)

🏷️ Category List

📚 Classic Blog

🎯 Modern Clean

🔲 Grid Overlay

📋 Compact Cards

🎨 Mosaic (Masonry)

🚩 Banner (Full Width)

🌈 Gradient Cards

📋 List Layouts (4)

📄 Vertical List

↔️ List Alternate

📝 List Minimal

⏳ Timeline

🎠 Slider Layouts (2)

🎠 Carousel Slider

🖼️ Slider Overlay

⭐ Special Layouts (4)

⭐ Featured (1+Small)

💡 Highlight Cards

🖼️ Portrait Cards

🔲 Metro Tiles

🧩 Loop Templates

📝 Creating Templates

🧩 Loop Item Widget

🎨 Design Freedom

💾 Template Shortcode

30+ Loop Widgets

Post Title

Post Image

Post Excerpt

Post Content

Post Date

Post Author

Categories

Tags

Post Meta

Read More

Reading Time