WordPress: Add Featured Image and a Sortable Last Edit Date To WordPress Admin

We’re launching a new WordPress site I designed and developed at my company. Having developed and deployed hundreds of WordPress sites, I always install some essential plugins and make customizations to manage the site more effectively. One example is the admin panel’s page, posts, and custom post type (CPT) lists. I like ensuring each entry has a featured image, and I often want to sort the list by when it was last edited, not necessarily when it was published.

Neither of those columns exists, but they can be easily added using either a child theme functions.php file or by building a custom plugin. As a common practice, I like to develop a custom WordPress plugin for each install so that functionality persists even if I change themes on the site.

WordPress Plugin: Featured Image and Last Edit Date (Sortable)

This plugin adds a Featured Image column (only if the post type supports thumbnails) and a Last Edited column to posts, pages, and all custom post types.

• Automatically applies to all CPTs
• Featured Image appears right after the checkbox (if supported)
• Last Edited appears after the Published Date column
• Last Edited is sortable

<?php
/*
Plugin Name: Admin Post Columns Enhancer
Plugin URI:  https://dknewmedia.com
Description: Adds "Featured Image" (if supported) and "Last Edited" columns to posts, pages, and custom post types in the admin panel.
Version:     1.0.0
Author:      Douglas Karr
Author URI:  https://dknewmedia.com
License:     GPL2
License URI: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html
Text Domain: admin-post-columns-enhancer
*/

if (!defined('ABSPATH')) {
    exit; // Exit if accessed directly
}

/**
 * Get all registered public post types, including posts and pages.
 * If you are using this code in a theme, use everything after this comment
 */
function apce_get_all_post_types() {
    $args = [
        'public'   => true,
        '_builtin' => false,
    ];
    $post_types = get_post_types($args, 'names');

    // Include 'post' and 'page' as well
    $post_types[] = 'post';
    $post_types[] = 'page';

    return $post_types;
}

/**
 * Modify admin post list columns to include "Featured Image" and "Last Edited".
 */
function apce_add_custom_columns($columns, $post_type) {
    $new_columns = [];

    // Add Featured Image column only if the post type supports thumbnails
    $supports_thumbnails = post_type_supports($post_type, 'thumbnail');

    foreach ($columns as $key => $value) {
        if ($key === 'cb') { // Checkbox column
            $new_columns[$key] = $value;
            if ($supports_thumbnails) {
                $new_columns['featured_image'] = __('Featured Image', 'admin-post-columns-enhancer');
            }
        } elseif ($key === 'date') {
            $new_columns[$key] = $value;
            $new_columns['last_edited'] = __('Last Edited', 'admin-post-columns-enhancer'); // Place Last Edited after Date
        } else {
            $new_columns[$key] = $value;
        }
    }

    return $new_columns;
}

/**
 * Format the Last Edited Date as "YYYY/MM/DD at H:i am/pm".
 */
function apce_format_last_edited_date($post_id) {
    $last_edit_timestamp = get_post_modified_time('U', false, $post_id, true);
    if (!$last_edit_timestamp) {
        return __('Never', 'admin-post-columns-enhancer');
    }

    // Format: YYYY/MM/DD at H:i am/pm
    $formatted_date = date('Y/m/d \a\t g:i a', $last_edit_timestamp);

    return sprintf(
        '%s<br>%s',
        __('Last Edited', 'admin-post-columns-enhancer'),
        esc_html($formatted_date)
    );
}

/**
 * Populate "Last Edited" and "Featured Image" columns.
 */
function apce_custom_column_content($column_name, $post_id) {
    if ($column_name === 'featured_image') {
        if (has_post_thumbnail($post_id)) {
            echo '<div style="height: 80px; overflow: hidden; display: flex; align-items: center; justify-content: center;">';
            echo get_the_post_thumbnail($post_id, 'medium', ['style' => 'height: 80px; width: auto; max-width: 100%;']);
            echo '</div>';
        } else {
            echo __('No Image', 'admin-post-columns-enhancer');
        }
    } elseif ($column_name === 'last_edited') {
        echo apce_format_last_edited_date($post_id);
    }
}

/**
 * Make "Last Edited" column sortable.
 */
function apce_make_last_edited_column_sortable($columns) {
    $columns['last_edited'] = 'modified';
    return $columns;
}

/**
 * Initialize hooks for all post types.
 */
function apce_init() {
    foreach (apce_get_all_post_types() as $post_type) {
        add_filter("manage_edit-{$post_type}_columns", function($columns) use ($post_type) {
            return apce_add_custom_columns($columns, $post_type);
        });
        add_action("manage_{$post_type}_posts_custom_column", 'apce_custom_column_content', 10, 2);
        add_filter("manage_edit-{$post_type}_sortable_columns", 'apce_make_last_edited_column_sortable');
    }
}
add_action('admin_init', 'apce_init');

How to Install the Plugin

1. Create a new folder in your WordPress plugins directory:
   /wp-content/plugins/admin-post-columns-enhancer/
2. Create a file inside this folder and name it:
   admin-post-columns-enhancer.php
3. Paste the above code into this file.
4. Activate the plugin from the WordPress admin panel (Plugins → Installed Plugins).
5. Enjoy your new Featured Image and Last Edited columns!