InDesign Random Quotes

FAQ

My template doesn’t allow for widgets in the header. How can I add this?

That’s a great question and a common one! Unfortunately, not all themes support widget areas in the header out of the box, but don’t worry — there are solutions. We’d recommend searching for “WordPress add a template widget area” and you’ll find several helpful guides written by the community. Please be aware that this will involve some light editing of your theme’s template files. If you’re not comfortable doing that yourself, it may be worth reaching out to a WordPress developer who can assist you quickly and safely.

How do I display a random quote on my page or post?

It’s really simple — just paste the shortcode [id_popular_quotes] into any page, post, sidebar widget, or shortcode-aware field in your theme. Every time someone visits that page, the plugin quietly picks a fresh random quote from your active collection and displays it automatically. No configuration is needed beyond that for basic use. If you’d like to choose a specific design style, simply add the layout attribute — for example [id_popular_quotes layout="neon-glow"]. If you leave out the attribute, the plugin will kindly default to the Classic layout. It works comfortably inside the Gutenberg block editor, the Classic Editor, Elementor text or shortcode widgets, and most other shortcode-aware environments.

What is the difference between Universal mode and Manual mode?

We’re glad you asked, as it’s an important distinction! Universal mode uses our carefully curated, built-in library of 100 well-known historical quotes from inspiring figures across literature, science, philosophy, and leadership — it works right out of the box with no setup needed on your part. Manual mode, on the other hand, gives you full control to build your very own collection using the friendly Quick Add form inside the ID Quotes dashboard. You provide the quote text and the author name exactly as you’d like them to appear. You can switch freely between the two modes at any time without ever losing your saved custom quotes. Just keep in mind that only one mode is active at a time, so whichever you’ve selected is what your visitors will see.

How do I use the carousel and how do I control the fade speed?

Using the carousel is just as easy as the standard shortcode — simply use [id_popular_quotes_carousel] wherever you’d like it to appear. The carousel will kindly load your entire active quote collection, shuffle it into a random order, and then gently fade from one quote to the next on a comfortable timed interval. By default, each quote is displayed for 10 seconds before fading to the next. If you’d like to adjust that pace, just add the speed attribute with your preferred number of seconds — for example [id_popular_quotes_carousel layout="glass" speed="5"] for a snappier feel, or speed="20"] if you’d prefer a more leisurely read. All 16 beautiful layout designs work seamlessly with the carousel, so you have plenty of options to match your site’s style.

Can I use multiple different layouts on the same page at the same time?

Absolutely, yes! Each shortcode instance runs completely independently, so you’re welcome to place as many as you need on a single page, each with its own layout and its own random selection or carousel cycle. For instance, you could comfortably display [id_popular_quotes layout="minimal"] in a hero section, [id_popular_quotes layout="paper-note"] in the middle of an article, and [id_popular_quotes_carousel layout="retro-wave" speed="8"] down in the footer — all at the same time without any conflicts. Each layout’s styles are carefully scoped so they won’t interfere with one another or with your theme.

Where do I find the ready-to-use shortcodes for each layout?

You’ll find everything you need inside the ID Quotes menu in your WordPress admin panel. The Quote Studio page shows you a live, fully styled preview of all 16 layouts exactly as they’ll appear to your visitors. Beneath each preview card you’ll see two handy 1-Click Copy buttons — one for the Random shortcode and one for the Carousel shortcode — already formatted with the correct layout attribute for that design. Just click the button and the shortcode is copied to your clipboard, ready to paste wherever you need it. No typing or memorising required!

How do I add my own custom quotes?

Adding your own quotes is a breeze. Head over to ID Quotes in your WordPress admin menu and make sure you’ve selected Manual mode. Then scroll down to the Quick Add form, type your quote in the first field and the author’s name in the second field, exactly as you’d like them to appear. The plugin will display them precisely as you’ve written them — we deliberately avoid adding any forced dashes, hyphens, or decorative symbols before author names, so you stay in full control of the formatting. Hit Add Quote and it’s saved instantly. You can add as many quotes as you like, and once Manual mode is active, all your shortcodes across the site will draw from your personal collection.

How many design layouts are available and how do I choose one?

We’re happy to say there are currently 16 beautiful design layouts to choose from: Classic, Modern Blockquote, Minimalist, Gradient Card, Glassmorphism, Gradient Border, Dark Sleek, Quote Bubble, Elegant Serif, Neon Glow, Paper Note, Brutalist, Typewriter, Floating Shadow, Cyber Punk, and Retro Wave. To use any of them, simply add the layout attribute to your shortcode with the matching slug — for example [id_popular_quotes layout="typewriter"] or [id_popular_quotes_carousel layout="cyber-punk"]. If you’re not sure which one you like best, we’d encourage you to visit the Quote Studio dashboard first — it shows a live, accurate preview of all 16 side by side so you can compare before deciding.

Will the plugin slow down my website?

We understand performance is important to you, and we’re happy to reassure you that this plugin is designed to be very lightweight. The random quote shortcode does a simple, fast PHP lookup from a small in-memory array on each page load — there are no heavy database queries and no external HTTP requests involved. The carousel uses a minimal amount of vanilla JavaScript for its smooth fade transitions, with no extra jQuery beyond what WordPress already includes. The layouts’ CSS is compact and carefully scoped. We’ve intentionally avoided loading any external resources like Google Fonts, third-party CDN scripts, or analytics trackers, so the impact on your page load time should be truly negligible.

Is the plugin compatible with page builders like Elementor, Divi, or Beaver Builder?

Yes, and we’re happy to confirm it works well with the most popular page builders! Because InDesign Random Quotes relies on standard WordPress shortcodes, it fits naturally into any builder that supports shortcode rendering. In Elementor, you can drop the shortcode into a Shortcode widget or a Text Editor widget. In Divi, a Code module or Divi’s built-in shortcode support will do the job nicely. In Beaver Builder, a Text module works perfectly. The carousel’s fade script initialises on DOMContentLoaded, which is fully compatible with how page builders render content on the front end. If you notice the shortcode isn’t previewing inside the builder’s editor canvas, please don’t worry — it will display correctly for your visitors on the live published page.

What happens if I have no manual quotes saved and Manual mode is active?

That’s a helpful thing to be aware of! If you’ve switched to Manual mode but haven’t added any quotes yet, the shortcode will simply render nothing — the space on your page will be blank rather than displaying an error message or automatically falling back to the Universal collection. To avoid an empty display, we’d kindly suggest adding at least a handful of quotes via the Quick Add form before enabling Manual mode, especially if you plan to use the carousel (which works best with several quotes to cycle through). If you ever find yourself in this situation, the quickest fix is to pop back into the ID Quotes dashboard, add some quotes, or switch back to Universal mode temporarily until your list is ready.