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Easy TubeCasting

Easy TubeCasting

By Veda
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Description

Easy TubeCasting helps you turn YouTube videos, playlists, channels, handles, and video podcasts into a clean WordPress video experience. Add the block or generate a shortcode, paste a YouTube URL, choose your display settings, and publish a responsive YouTube player with an interactive playlist.

The plugin is useful for creators, podcasters, course publishers, churches, educators, businesses, and anyone who wants a better way to showcase YouTube content on a WordPress site.

What you can display

  • A single YouTube video.
  • Multiple selected YouTube videos using comma-separated URLs.
  • A YouTube playlist.
  • A YouTube channel, custom channel URL, username URL, or @handle.
  • A video podcast or recurring YouTube show.

Key features

  • Easy TubeCasting block for the WordPress block editor.
  • Shortcode generator for reusable players in posts, pages, widgets, builders, and template areas.
  • [easy_tubecasting] shortcode support, including saved instances and direct URL attributes.
  • Responsive Spotlight player with a large video area and playlist rail.
  • Support for YouTube video, playlist, channel, username, and handle URLs.
  • Comma-separated video URLs for custom video lists.
  • Frontend playlist search, sorting, and Load More controls when multiple videos are available.
  • Custom player controls including play/pause, seek, responsive volume controls, fullscreen, and captions when available.
  • Playback sequence control for looping the playlist, shuffling, repeating the current episode, or stopping after the current episode.
  • Dark and light theme modes.
  • Accent color control for the player interface.
  • Videos per batch setting, with the option to show only a single player.
  • Optional YouTube Data API v3 key for playlist and channel imports, richer metadata, and syncing.
  • Admin dashboard showing indexed collections and videos.
  • Manual sync, single collection sync, collection reset, and configurable automatic sync.
  • Local caching of YouTube metadata to reduce repeated API calls.
  • RTL stylesheet support.

YouTube Data API key

Single videos and custom lists of specific video URLs can work without a YouTube Data API key by using YouTube oEmbed fallback data.

A valid YouTube Data API v3 key is required for playlists, channels, usernames, and handles because the plugin must ask YouTube which videos belong to that collection. The plugin includes a setup guide in Easy TubeCasting -> Settings, validates the key before saving it, masks it in the admin UI, and stores it in plugin options.

Supported URL examples

  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID
  • https://youtu.be/VIDEO_ID
  • https://www.youtube.com/embed/VIDEO_ID
  • https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAYLIST_ID
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID&list=PLAYLIST_ID
  • https://www.youtube.com/channel/CHANNEL_ID
  • https://www.youtube.com/c/CHANNEL_NAME
  • https://www.youtube.com/user/USERNAME
  • https://www.youtube.com/@HANDLE

Privacy and data

Easy TubeCasting does not add separate analytics or plugin telemetry. It does connect to YouTube and Google services when needed to display videos, fetch metadata, validate an API key, and sync playlist or channel data. See the External services section below for details.

The plugin stores settings in WordPress options and stores fetched video, playlist, channel, and mapping data in custom database tables. When the plugin is uninstalled, its options and custom tables are removed.

Shortcodes

Easy TubeCasting includes a shortcode generator for reusable saved players. Create a shortcode in Easy TubeCasting -> Shortcode Generator, configure the player options, preview the player, and copy the generated shortcode.

Saved shortcode instance

[easy_tubecasting instance="1"]

Direct shortcode attributes

[easy_tubecasting url="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAYLIST_ID" theme="dark" videos="10" accent="#0466ff"]

Supported attributes include instance, url, media_url, layout, layout_style, videos, videos_per_batch, theme, theme_mode, accent, and accent_color.

The alias [easy-tubecasting] is also supported.

External services

This plugin connects to YouTube and Google services to display videos, fetch video metadata, validate a YouTube Data API key, and keep playlists or channels synced.

YouTube IFrame Player API and embedded player

  • Service provider: YouTube / Google.
  • Purpose: Loads the YouTube player so visitors can watch videos on the front end.
  • Data sent: The visitor’s browser requests player assets from YouTube. This may include the selected YouTube video ID, IP address, browser details, and cookies handled by YouTube or Google.
  • When: When a visitor opens a page containing an Easy TubeCasting player and the YouTube player is initialized or playback starts.
  • Terms: https://www.youtube.com/t/terms
  • Privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy

YouTube Data API v3 and YouTube oEmbed

  • Service provider: YouTube / Google.
  • Purpose: Validates API keys, fetches video metadata, fetches playlist and channel video lists, and supports manual or automatic syncing.
  • Data sent: The site server sends YouTube video IDs, playlist IDs, channel identifiers, usernames, handles, or YouTube URLs to YouTube or Google. When an administrator saves or revalidates an API key, the key is also sent to Google for validation.
  • When: When an administrator saves or revalidates an API key, when metadata is needed for a block, and when manual or automatic sync runs.
  • API terms: https://developers.google.com/youtube/terms/api-services-terms-of-service
  • Privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy

YouTube thumbnail image CDN

  • Service provider: YouTube / Google.
  • Purpose: Displays YouTube thumbnail images for videos and playlists.
  • Data sent: The visitor’s browser requests thumbnail images from YouTube or Google using the relevant video ID.
  • When: When a visitor views a page containing video artwork or playlist items.
  • Terms: https://www.youtube.com/t/terms
  • Privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy

Development

The plugin includes source JavaScript files alongside built JavaScript assets. Frontend source files are in frontend/js/ and admin/editor source files are in backend/js/.

Screenshots

  • Settings page for API key validation and sync configuration.
  • Easy TubeCasting block URL input in the editor.
  • Block appearance controls for theme mode, accent color, and videos per batch.
  • Spotlight player layout with an interactive playlist.

Blocks

This plugin provides 1 block.

  • Easy TubeCasting

Installation

  1. Install the plugin from Plugins -> Add New, or upload the plugin ZIP from Plugins -> Add New -> Upload Plugin.
  2. Activate Easy TubeCasting.
  3. Go to Easy TubeCasting -> Settings.
  4. Add and validate a YouTube Data API v3 key if you want to display playlists, channels, usernames, or handles.
  5. Edit a page or post and add the Easy TubeCasting block.
  6. Paste a YouTube video, playlist, channel, username, or handle URL.
  7. Adjust the videos per batch, theme mode, accent color, and display settings.
  8. Publish the page.

You can also go to Easy TubeCasting -> Shortcode Generator to create a reusable shortcode for areas where the block editor is not convenient.

FAQ

Do I need a YouTube Data API key?

Not for basic single video embeds or comma-separated lists of specific video URLs. A key is required for playlists, channels, usernames, and handles because YouTube requires API access to retrieve collection video lists and full metadata.

Where do I add the API key?

Go to Easy TubeCasting -> Settings. The settings page includes a step-by-step guide with links to Google Cloud Console, YouTube Data API v3, credentials, restrictions, and quota pages.

What happens when I save an API key?

The plugin validates the key with YouTube Data API v3 before saving it. If the key is valid, it is stored in plugin options, masked in the admin interface, and used for collection metadata and syncing.

Can I display more than one video without creating a playlist on YouTube?

Yes. Paste multiple YouTube video URLs separated by commas in the block URL field.

Which display layout is available?

Presently, It includes the Spotlight Player layout. It shows a large primary player with an interactive video list when more than one video is available.

Can visitors search and sort videos?

Yes, when the block has multiple videos. Visitors can search by title or author and sort by default order, newest, oldest, most viewed, longest, or A-Z.

How does Load More work?

The Videos Per Batch block setting controls how many playlist items are visible at first and how many additional items are revealed with each Load More click. Set it to 1 if you want to hide the playlist and show only the primary player.

Does the plugin automatically update playlist or channel content?

Yes, if automatic sync is enabled and a valid YouTube Data API key is saved. You can configure the refresh interval in Easy TubeCasting -> Settings and run manual sync from the plugin admin screens.

Why is my playlist or channel not showing?

Check that the YouTube Data API v3 key is valid, the API is enabled in the correct Google Cloud project, the playlist or channel is public, and your Google API quota has not been reached. You can also reset a collection from the Easy TubeCasting admin screen so it is fetched again.

Does this plugin work with the Classic Editor?

Yes. The block editor remains the primary editing experience, and the shortcode generator can be used with the Classic Editor, widgets, page builders, and template areas that support shortcodes.

What data is removed on uninstall?

The uninstall routine removes the plugin options, saved shortcode generator settings, and the custom Easy TubeCasting video, playlist, and mapping tables.

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Contributors & Developers

“Easy TubeCasting” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.

Contributors

Translate “Easy TubeCasting” into your language.

Interested in development?

Browse the code, check out the SVN repository, or subscribe to the development log by RSS.

Changelog

1.0.5

  • Add Shortcode Generator admin page with live player preview, saved shortcode instances, copy action, editing, and deletion.
  • Add [easy_tubecasting] and [easy-tubecasting] shortcode rendering with saved instance and direct attribute support.
  • Improve small-screen player controls so the volume section adapts more cleanly on narrow layouts.
  • Keep player controls visible and usable in fullscreen mode.
  • Add playback sequence control for loop, shuffle, repeat current episode, and stop-after-current playback.
  • Improve player control positioning across desktop and mobile layouts.

1.0.4

  • Final changes before plugin release.

1.0.3

  • Address WordPress.org review issues.
  • Improve external service and privacy disclosures.
  • Document current block, syncing, and player features.

1.0.2

  • Minor fixes and documentation improvements.

1.0.0

  • Initial release.

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