# Latest Posts From the Main Site on Any Subsite

> Adds a [wpide_main_site_posts] shortcode that lists the newest posts from the network's main site, perfect for a "News from HQ" box on every subsite.

- Type: PHP
- Runs: Run everywhere
- Category: [Multisite](https://wpide.com/library/category/multisite/)
- Tags: shared-content, posts, shortcode
- Author: WPIDE Team
- Installs: 0
- Updated: 2026-10-28
- Page: https://wpide.com/library/ms-main-site-latest-posts/

## Code

```php
if ( ! is_multisite() ) {
    return;
}

add_shortcode( 'wpide_main_site_posts', function ( $atts ) {
    $atts = shortcode_atts( array( 'number' => 5, 'category' => '' ), $atts, 'wpide_main_site_posts' );
    $key  = 'wpide_main_posts_' . md5( absint( $atts['number'] ) . '|' . sanitize_title( $atts['category'] ) ) . '_' . (int) get_site_option( 'wpide_main_posts_ver', 1 );
    $html = get_site_transient( $key );

    if ( false === $html ) {
        switch_to_blog( get_main_site_id() );

        $posts = get_posts( array(
            'numberposts'      => min( 20, max( 1, absint( $atts['number'] ) ) ),
            'category_name'    => sanitize_title( $atts['category'] ),
            'no_found_rows'    => true,
            'suppress_filters' => false,
        ) );

        $html = '';
        if ( $posts ) {
            $html = '<ul class="wpide-main-site-posts">';
            foreach ( $posts as $post ) {
                $html .= sprintf(
                    '<li><a href="%1$s">%2$s</a> <time datetime="%3$s">%4$s</time></li>',
                    esc_url( get_permalink( $post ) ),
                    esc_html( get_the_title( $post ) ),
                    esc_attr( get_the_date( 'c', $post ) ),
                    esc_html( get_the_date( '', $post ) )
                );
            }
            $html .= '</ul>';
        }

        restore_current_blog();
        set_site_transient( $key, $html, 15 * MINUTE_IN_SECONDS );
    }

    return $html;
} );

add_action( 'transition_post_status', function ( $new, $old, $post ) {
    if ( is_main_site() && 'post' === $post->post_type && ( 'publish' === $new || 'publish' === $old ) ) {
        update_site_option( 'wpide_main_posts_ver', (int) get_site_option( 'wpide_main_posts_ver', 1 ) + 1 );
    }
}, 10, 3 );
```

## Notes

Attributes: number (default 5) and category (a category slug on the main site). Cached for 15 minutes and refreshed when the main site publishes.

## How to use it

Install the free WPIDE plugin (https://wordpress.org/plugins/wpide/), find "Latest Posts From the Main Site on Any Subsite" in its snippet library and add it in one click; or create a new PHP snippet in WPIDE (or any code snippets plugin) and paste the code above. More snippets: https://wpide.com/library/