Custom Post Types

Choose Your Own Adventure

WordCamp Atlanta 15 March 2014Evan Mullins @circlecube

WordPress is for more than just blogging. Create and manage more types of content, like a portfolio, events, testimonials, images, people, cats anything you can think of you’d like to have a website about. Learn how to add content types like they were built in.

Who am I?

I’ve been using WordPress since late 2005, that’s WP 2.0! First I knew WordPress as a blogger, then as designer, then front-end coder and since as a theme and plug-in developer. I’m the Interactive Director at Brand Fever, an Atlanta-based brand & marketing agency, where I get a kick out of developing sites in WordPress every day! I see WordPress as a flexible, user-friendly option that is nearly always the best tool for the job. I most enjoy playing with custom fields and custom post types to create simple CMS solutions to complex problems and making them responsive & interactive. When not programming, I’m likely busy as a soccer coach, boy scout leader or playing with my family: My awesome wife & our 3 boys (daughter on the way) and our lab-hound mutt. I like pizza and chocolate.

Evan Mullinscirclecube.com

Post Types

Introducing: Post Types

WordPress can hold and display many different types of content. A single item of such a content is generally called a post, although post is also a specific post type. Internally, all the post types are stored in the same place, in the wp_posts database table, but are differentiated by a column called post_type.

WordPress 3.0 gives you the capability to add your own custom post types and to use them in different ways.

Posts

Posts in WordPress refer to the blog content. Each blog post is a “post”. But all other content is also a post. I try to distinguish by always calling blog posts, “blog posts” or “Posts” and using the term “post” as a more abstract term.

Pages

WordPress pages are not time based like blog posts but would be best located in your main navigation. Things like your “about” page or your “contact” page. Pages are posts of post_type page.

Pages can select templates to be used so you can customize the layout and you can customize the content using custom fields.

Etc

Attachment (Post Type: 'attachment')

Revision (Post Type: 'revision')

Navigation menu (Post Type: 'nav_menu_item')

WordPress NIB - Default post types

Introducing:Custom Post Types

Custom post types are new post types you can create. A custom post type can be added to WordPress via the register_post_type() function. This function allows you to define a new post type by its labels, supported features, availability and other specifics.

http://codex.wordpress.org/Post_Types#Custom_Post_Types

What are they used for?

ProductsPortfolio WorksEventsTestimonialsPress ReleasesMoviesBooksStarsGolf Courses

CarsSongsRecipesBlocksPeopleCatsGames

etc...

http://locallylost.com/pop/about-2/

http://www.brandfeverinc.com/portfolio/

CPT

Custom post types for different types of data or content that you’d manage in a website.

(Queue Devil’s Advocate)But, we have that already right?

Categories, tags, post formats …Posts, pages ...

When to use?

Formats vs Taxonomies vs CPT

Taxonomies

Taxonomy is a way to group things together.

Built in taxonomies are categories and tags. But we can create custom taxonomies as well!

http://codex.wordpress.org/Taxonomies

Taxonomy ≠ CPT

If you just want to organize or categorize your content, a CPT is not the answer. Use a taxonomy.

Post Formats

A Post Format is a formatting designation made to a post. A piece of meta information that can be used by a theme to customize the presentation (or format) of a post.

The Post Formats feature provides a standardized list of formats that are available to all themes that support the feature.

http://codex.wordpress.org/Post_Formats

http://markjaquith.wordpress.com/2010/11/12/post-formats-vs-custom-post-types/

Post Formats ≠ CPT

If your aim is to just display blog content but display each ‘type’ of blog post differently, you might rather use Post Formats.

When to use?

Posts vs Pages vs CPT

(Blog) Posts

Post in WordPress is a post type that is typical for and most used by blogs. Posts are normally displayed in a blog in reverse chronological order. Posts are also used for creating the feeds.

Posts usually have comments enabled and contain a title and body text. They can be organized via taxonomy and formatted via Post Formats.

Posts ≠ posts (CPT)

Blog posts belong to the blog section of your site. If you need any other type of content. You have to create it via CPT.

Pages ≠ CPT

I hope this one is obvious.

Pages in WordPress are posts, but not part of the blog

posts or Posts. Pages can use different page templates

to display them. Pages can also be organized in a

hierarchical structure, with pages being parents to

other pages, but they normally cannot be assigned

categories and tags.

Choose Your Own

CPT come with many options/arguments:

label(s), description, public, exclude_from_search,

publicly_queryable, show_ui, show_in_nav_menu,

show_in_menu, show_in_admin_bar, menu_position,

capability_type, capabilities, map_meta_cap, hierarchical,

supports, register_meta_box_cb, taxonomies, has_archive,

permalink_epmask, rewrite, query_var, can_export.

How to

How to create a CPT : 1 of 3

Code it yourself:

add_action( 'init', 'create_post_type' );function create_post_type() {

register_post_type( 'acme_product',array(

'labels' => array('name' => __( 'Products' ),'singular_name' => __( 'Product' )

),'public' => true,'has_archive' => true, ...)

);}

Program it where?(queue debate: theme vs plugin)

Hooks

Hooks are provided by WordPress to allow you to 'hook into' the rest of WordPress. That is, your functions hook into WordPress functions. Then when the WordPress functions are called at any time, it sets your code in motion.

Hooks

actionsActions are the hooks that the WordPress core launches at specific points during execution, or when specific events occur. Your plugin can specify that one or more of its PHP functions are executed at these points, using the Action API.

filtersFilters are the hooks that WordPress launches to modify text of various types before adding it to the database or sending it to the browser screen. Your plugin can specify that one or more of its PHP functions is executed to modify specific types of text at these times, using the Filter API.

How to Create CPT: 2 of 3

Use a tool to write the code for you.

GenerateWP.com

http://generatewp.com/post-type/

Themergency.com

http://themergency.com/generators/wordpress-custom-post-types/

How to Create CPT: 3 of 3

Use a plugin to manage your custom post types.

Any favorites out there?

Custom Post Type UI

http://wordpress.org/plugins/custom-post-type-ui/

Types

http://wordpress.org/plugins/types/

PIKLIST

http://wordpress.org/plugins/piklist/

WP Easy Post Types

http://wordpress.org/plugins/easy-post-types/

MasterPress

http://masterpressplugin.com/

Now What?

You’ve decided what post types you want.You’ve decided how to add them.

Add your recipe post type.Add all your favorite recipes as content.

Most likely though, your custom post type needs custom content, no? A recipe has different data than the default title + body.

And Then?

How to customize content for the custom post type?

How to display customized content for the custom post type?

Custom Fields

Again 3 ways:1. Write your own.2. Use a tool to help you write it.3. Use a plugin.

Custom Fields: 1 of 3

Roll your own. Use the built-in custom fields to add these values to your content.

Custom Fields: 1 of 3

Custom Fields: 1 of 3

<?php the_meta(); ?>

<?php $key="mykey"; echo get_post_meta($post->ID, $key, true); ?>

Then, set up your template files for this custom post type to display the fields.

Theme Template Hierarchy

Which template file(s) will WordPress use when it displays a certain type of page?

The huge logic tree (diagram) that helps WordPress decide which template to show for every type of content. It shows the defaults and fallbacks, notice how everything defaults back to index as a fallback if that specific type of content does not have a template.

https://codex.wordpress.org/Template_Hierarchy

Template Files for CPTs

single-$posttype.php

single-recipe.php will be used instead of the default single.php file for this CPT.

archive-$posttype.php

archive-recipe.php will be used instead of the default archive.php file for this CPT.

Custom Fields: 2 of 3

Use a tool/library/generator to support/write your code.

Custom Metaboxes and Fields for WordPressby WebDevStudios on github

any other shout outs?

https://github.com/webdevstudios/Custom-Metaboxes-and-Fields-for-WordPress

Custom Fields: 3 of 3

Use a plugin. I recommend my all-time favorite plugin EVER:

Advanced Custom Fields by mate Elliot Condon

any other shout outs?

http://www.advancedcustomfields.com/ http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/advanced-custom-fields/

<?php the_field(‘field_name’); ?>

<?php get_field(‘field_name’); ?>

Additional Reading:

http://codex.wordpress.org/Post_Types#Custom_Post_Types

http://justintadlock.com/archives/2010/04/29/custom-post-types-in-wordpress

http://wp.smashingmagazine.com/2012/11/08/complete-guide-custom-post-types/

Thank You! Any Questions?

Slides @ http://circlecube.com/wordpress/

Evan Mullinscirclecube.com