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ZeroBloat Reading Time

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ZeroBloat Reading Time

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Description

ZeroBloat Reading Time does one thing: shows how long it takes to read your post.

No settings page. No database entries. No JavaScript. No CSS files. No bloat.

Just install, activate, done.

Features

  • Automatically displays “X min read” before post content
  • Works out of the box — zero configuration
  • Shortcode [reading_time] for custom placement
  • Translation-ready
  • Less than 5KB total plugin size
  • No external dependencies
  • No tracking or analytics
  • No upsells or pro version

Usage

Automatic: Just activate the plugin. Reading time appears on all posts.

Shortcode: Use [reading_time] anywhere in your content or theme.

With specific post: Use [reading_time id="123"] to show reading time for a specific post.

Styling

The plugin adds minimal CSS. To customize, target .mrt-reading-time in your theme:

.mrt-reading-time {
    color: #999;
    font-style: italic;
}
  1. Upload the zerobloat-reading-time folder to /wp-content/plugins/
  2. Activate through the ‘Plugins’ menu
  3. Done. No configuration needed.
Where are the settings?

There are none. The plugin uses sensible defaults (200 words per minute). If you need customization, this plugin isn’t for you.

Can I change the reading speed?

Not through a UI. The plugin is intentionally minimal. Developers can use the filter:

add_filter( 'mrt_words_per_minute', function() {
    return 250;
});

Can I hide the reading time on certain posts?

Add this to your theme’s functions.php:

add_filter( 'the_content', function( $content ) {
    if ( get_the_ID() === 123 ) {
        remove_filter( 'the_content', 'mrt_display_reading_time' );
    }
    return $content;
}, 9 );

Does it work with custom post types?

By default, it only shows on posts. Developers can extend this with a filter.

Why no settings page?

Because you don’t need one. Reading time is simple math. The defaults work for 99% of sites.

1.0.0

  • Initial release
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