Overview

The WPRentals Recent Items widget displays recent property listings on a page.

You can use this widget to show recent listings in different layouts on pages created with Elementor or WPBakery Page Builder.

Before You Start

Before adding the Recent Items widget, check the following:

• The listings you want to show are published.
• The listings have featured images if you want images to show in the cards.
• The listings are assigned to the correct categories, types, cities, or areas if you want to filter the results.
• The page is edited with Elementor or WPBakery.
• If you use Elementor, the WPRentals Elementor Widgets plugin must be installed and activated.

Recent Items Widget Versions

In Elementor, WPRentals includes several Recent Items widget versions. Each version displays property cards in a different layout.

• WPRentals Recent Items V1
• WPRentals Recent Items V2
• WPRentals Recent Items V3

You can test the available versions and use the one that best matches your page design.

How to Add Recent Items in Elementor

Step 1: Edit the Page with Elementor

1. Go to the page where you want to add the recent listings section.
2. Click Edit with Elementor.
3. Select the section where the listings should appear, or create a new section.

Step 2: Add the Widget

1. In the Elementor sidebar, search for Recent Items.
2. Select the Recent Items version you want to use.
3. Drag the widget into the page section.

Elementor Widget Settings Explained

After adding the widget, open the widget settings from the Elementor left panel.

What Type of Items

Select Properties in the What type of items dropdown.

Number of Items

This option controls how many listings are displayed.

Items per Row

This option controls how many listing cards appear in one row.

For example, if you select 3, the widget will show 3 listing cards per row on desktop, depending on the page width and responsive behavior.

Link to Global Listing Page

This optional field can be used to add a link to your main listing page.

Use it if you want visitors to click from the recent listings section to the full properties page.

Random Pick?

This option controls whether the widget shows a random selection of listings each time the page loads.

• Set this option to Yes if you want the widget to randomly choose listings.
• Set this option to No if you want the widget to show listings based on the normal recent listings order.

Listing Filters

The Recent Items widget can display all recent listings or only listings that match selected filters.

You can filter listings by:

• Specific list of category names – shows listings assigned to selected listing categories.
• Specific list of action names / types – shows listings assigned to selected action categories or types.
• Specific list of city names – shows listings assigned to selected cities.
• Specific list of area names – shows listings assigned to selected areas.
• Show featured listings only? – choose Yes to show only listings marked as featured, or No to include normal listings too.

Display Listings as a Grid

When you display listings as a grid, the listing cards are arranged in columns instead of one below the other.

This layout works well for homepage sections, landing pages, and pages where you want to show several listings in a compact format.

On smaller screens, the grid adjusts based on the responsive settings and available width.

Listing Card Design

The Recent Items widget displays property listing cards.

The listing card design is managed from:

WPRentals Options > Listing Card Design

From that section, you can manage the global listing card design used in lists, shortcodes, and widgets.

Theme Options – Listing Card Design

Display Listings Without Spaces

The option Display listings without spaces? changes the widget layout to a specific compact design.

When this option is enabled, listing titles and the global listing page link are hidden.

Style the Widget

The widget includes Elementor style options that allow you to adjust the visual design of the section.

Depending on the widget version and selected layout, you can manage options such as:

• Typography details
• Spaces and sizes for card elements
• Colors for card elements

How to Add Recent Items in WPBakery

Step 1: Edit the Page with WPBakery

1. Go to Pages.
2. Edit the page where you want to add the recent listings section.
3. Click Edit with WPBakery Page Builder.

Step 2: Add the Recent Items Element

1. Click the + Add Element button.
2. Search for Recent Items.
3. Click the element to insert it into the page.

Step 3: Select Properties

In the shortcode settings, select Properties from the item type dropdown if you want to display listings.

Step 4: Configure the Shortcode Options

Depending on the available settings, you can manage:

• Number of listings
• Items per row
• Listing categories
• Action categories / types
• Cities
• Areas
• Featured listings only
• Random pick
• Optional global listing page link

Step 5: Save the Page

Save or update the page, then check the result on the front end.

Save and Test the Widget

After adding the widget or shortcode, test the section on the front end.

1. Save or update the page.
2. Open the page as a visitor.
3. Check that the listing cards appear.
4. Check that the correct number of listings is displayed.
5. Click the listing cards and confirm they open the correct property pages.
6. Test the layout on desktop, tablet, and mobile.

Troubleshooting

The widget does not appear in Elementor

• Make sure Elementor is installed and active.
• Make sure the WPRentals Elementor Widgets plugin is installed and active.
• Search for Recent Items in the Elementor widgets panel.
• Update WPRentals theme and included plugins to compatible versions.

No listings show in the widget

• Check that the listings are published.
• Check that the widget is set to display Properties.
• Check if category, type, city, or area filters are selected.
• Make sure listings are assigned to the selected filters.
• If Show featured listings only? is set to Yes, make sure the listings are marked as featured.
• Increase the number of listings to show and test again.

The random option does not change the listings

• Check if a cache plugin is active.
• Clear plugin cache, server cache, CDN cache, and browser cache.
• Test while logged out or in a private/incognito browser window.
• If caching is required, disable the random option for predictable results.

The listing cards do not look as expected

• Check the selected Recent Items widget version.
• Check the settings from WPRentals Options > Listing Card Design.
• Check if Display listings without spaces? is enabled.
• Check Elementor section or container spacing.
• Clear cache and test again.

Important Notes

• The Recent Items widget displays recent property listings.
• Select Properties as the item type when using this widget for listings.
• WPRentals includes several Recent Items widget versions for Elementor.
• The widget can be filtered by category, type, city, area, or featured status.
• If no filters are selected, the widget displays recent listings based on the widget settings.
• If filters are selected, only listings matching those filters will display.
• The random option may not work correctly with cache and can slow down the page.
• The listing card design follows the settings from WPRentals Options > Listing Card Design.
• The option Display listings without spaces? changes the widget to a compact layout and hides titles and the global listing link.
• Use Elementor only for pages built with Elementor.
• Use WPBakery only for pages built with WPBakery.
• Do not mix Elementor and WPBakery on the same page.
• If changes do not appear, clear plugin cache, server cache, CDN cache, and browser cache, then test again.

Related Help

• Recent Items Shortcode for Listings with Elementor or WPBakery
• Recent Items Shortcode for Articles with Elementor or WPBakery
• Theme Options – Listing Card Design
• How to Work With the WPRentals Elementor Widgets Plugin and Import Pre-built Elementor Templates