Show Template
Prints an html comment in the footer of every page letting you know which template file of your theme was used for the display.
Consider an alternative
Show Template shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 60+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 16 years ago, and scores 32/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (60+ active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
- No update in 16 years
- Only tested up to WordPress 3.1 (latest is 7.1)
How does it stack up?
Side-by-side on installs, updates, ratings & support
Daily downloads
Download spikes usually follow a new release — each site that auto-updates counts as a download.
Rankings
Where Show Template stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| development | >100 |
| show | >100 |
| show-template | >100 |
| template | >100 |
| theme | >100 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
Rating breakdown
★★★★★★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
About Show Template
From the official readme · v1.1Description
Prints an html comment in the footer of every page letting you know which template file of your theme was used for the display.
This plugin is aimed towards theme developers and for theme support. It is recommended to only have this plugin activated during development or support as it will expose your file system path structure.
Props to Joel Fisher for the idea behind this plugin.
Upgrade
- Use the plugin updater in WordPress or…
- Delete the previous
show-templatefolder from the/wp-content/plugins/directory - Upload the new
show-templatefolder to the/wp-content/plugins/directory
Usage
- Install and activate.
- View source of your blog through your web browser. You will see a html comment in the form of
<!-- Active Template: /home/username/public_html/wordpress/wp-content/themes/default/index.php -->
Installation
- Upload the
show-templatefolder to the/wp-content/plugins/directory or install directly through the plugin installer. - Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ menu in WordPress or by using the link provided by the plugin installer
Changelog
Update to use new template loader features in WordPress 3.0 and add beter detection for when a plugin or theme has intercepted the template loader
1.1 (2010-09-12):
- Use the WordPress 3.0 logic in determining the template file to include
- Add additional functionality to detect when a plugin or theme has intercepted the template loader
1.0 (2009-05-13):
- Initial Public Release
For developers
Is this your plugin? Show off the numbers.
Add a live badge to your site, docs or GitHub README. It updates on its own — no account needed.
Best Show Template alternatives
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FAQ
Show Template: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 14, 2026
Is Show Template free?
Yes. Show Template is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is Show Template safe to use in 2026?
Show Template shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 60+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 16 years ago, and scores 32/100 on our health check.
How many websites use Show Template?
Show Template is active on 60+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 8,134 times since it launched in May 2009. It was downloaded 63 times in the last 30 days.
Does Show Template work with WordPress 7.1?
Show Template is officially tested up to WordPress 3.1.4, while the latest release is 7.1.3. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
When was Show Template last updated?
The latest version, 1.1, was released on September 12, 2010 (16 years ago).
Who makes Show Template?
Show Template is developed and maintained by Matt Martz.
What are the best alternatives to Show Template?
The most popular alternatives to Show Template are Query Monitor (200K+ installs), Yoast Test Helper (60K+ installs) and What The File (40K+ installs).
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