External Link Button Under Post Excerpt on Index.php

Question

I'm starting a reviews website and at the moment I have, as standard, my post excerpts on the main index page.

I was wondering if anyone knows of a way in which I can add a link (preferably a button) at the bottom of each post excerpt on the index page in which the viewer can go straight to the site I'm reviewing, without reading the post?

I'd like the post heading to go to my article, but a button at the bottom to go to said website that's being reviews, saying something along the lines of "Go to Site"

For example:

• Site 1 Name: Review
• Post excerpt here...read more

• External Link to site 1 (as a button).

• Site 2 Name: Review

• Post excerpt here...read more
• External Link to site 2 (as a button).

If it can be done by plugin, then I'm OK with that. I'm also OK with editing the code of my site should that be the only way to achieve this.

Theme is Codilight-lite if this helps in any way, shape or form.

If anyone can help, that would be amazing.

Many thanks

Answer 1

The Codilight theme is bypassing the usual the_excerpt with their own version:

inc/extras.php +26:

if ( ! function_exists( 'codilight_lite_excerpt' ) ) :
  /**
   * Get the except content limit by characters.
   *
   * @param string $characters
   * @return string
   */
  function codilight_lite_excerpt( $characters ){
    // $characters = 160;
    $excerpt = get_the_content();
    $excerpt = preg_replace(" (\[.*?\])",'',$excerpt);
    $excerpt = strip_shortcodes($excerpt);
    $excerpt = strip_tags($excerpt);
    $excerpt = substr($excerpt, 0, $characters);
    $excerpt = substr($excerpt, 0, strripos($excerpt, " "));
    $excerpt = trim(preg_replace( '/\s+/', ' ', $excerpt));
    $excerpt = $excerpt.'...';
    return '<div class="ft-excerpt">'. $excerpt .'</div>';
  }
endif;

And on top of that they aren't even using "proper" methods of modifying via actions or filters to make it easy for child themes. Instead they've wrapped their function with a clause to check whether you've written your own, which allows you to override theirs. So in your functions.php you'll need to basically copy their function and add your own code as needed.

add to your-child-theme/functions.php:

  /**
   * override the parent theme excerpt
   *
   * @param string $characters
   * @return string
   */
  function codilight_lite_excerpt( $characters ){
    $excerpt = get_the_content();
    $excerpt = preg_replace( " (\[.*?\])", '', $excerpt );
    $excerpt = strip_shortcodes( $excerpt );
    $excerpt = strip_tags( $excerpt );
    $excerpt = substr( $excerpt, 0, $characters );
    $excerpt = substr( $excerpt, 0, strripos( $excerpt, " " ) );
    $excerpt = trim( preg_replace( '/\s+/', ' ', $excerpt ) );
    $excerpt = $excerpt . '...';
    $excerpt .= "<br><button>Visit Site</button>";
    return '<div class="ft-excerpt">' . $excerpt . '</div>';
  }

Fetching the metadata and building the actual button code I will leave upto you.