WordPress Custom Post Type – Mastering Advanced WordPress Development Series

Mastering Advanced WordPress Development Series

WordPress is a powerful content management system that allows you to create and manage a wide range of content types, including posts, pages, and custom post types. Custom post types are a powerful tool for creating structured content that is different from the standard blog post or page.

In this tutorial, we’ll walk you through the process of creating your own custom post types in WordPress. We’ll cover what custom post types are, why you might want to use them, and how to create one step-by-step.

Part 1: What are WordPress custom post types?

Before we dive into the details of creating a custom post type, let’s first define what custom post types are and why they’re useful.

Custom post types are a way to extend the content types that WordPress provides by default. With custom post types, you can define your own content types and the fields that they should have. This allows you to create structured content that is different from the standard blog post or page.

Custom post types are useful for a wide range of applications, from creating a portfolio of work to creating a database of products. By creating a custom post type, you can ensure that your content is structured in a way that makes sense for your specific use case.

Part 2: Creating a WordPress custom post type

Now that we’ve covered what custom post types are and why they’re useful, let’s dive into how to create one.

Step 1: Define your custom post type

The first step to creating a custom post type is to define what it will be. You’ll need to decide on a name for your custom post type and the fields that it should have.

To define your custom post type, you can add some code to your WordPress theme’s functions.php file. Here’s an example of what your code might look like:

/**
 * Register a custom post type called "custom-post-type".
 */
function custom_post_type() {

    // Define the labels for the custom post type
    $labels = array(
        'name'                  => esc_html__( 'My Custom Post Type', 'textdomain' ), // The plural name for the post type
        'singular_name'         => esc_html__( 'Custom Post', 'textdomain' ), // The singular name for the post type
        'menu_name'             => esc_html__( 'Custom Post Type', 'textdomain' ), // The name that appears in the WordPress admin menu
        'all_items'             => esc_html__( 'All Custom Posts', 'textdomain' ), // The label for the all items view
        'add_new'               => esc_html__( 'Add New', 'textdomain' ), // The label for the add new button
        'add_new_item'          => esc_html__( 'Add New Custom Post', 'textdomain' ), // The label for adding a new custom post
        'edit_item'             => esc_html__( 'Edit Custom Post', 'textdomain' ), // The label for editing a custom post
        'new_item'              => esc_html__( 'New Custom Post', 'textdomain' ), // The label for a new custom post
        'view_item'             => esc_html__( 'View Custom Post', 'textdomain' ), // The label for viewing a custom post
        'view_items'            => esc_html__( 'View Custom Posts', 'textdomain' ), // The label for viewing all custom posts
        'search_items'          => esc_html__( 'Search Custom Posts', 'textdomain' ), // The label for searching custom posts
        'not_found'             => esc_html__( 'No custom posts found', 'textdomain' ), // The label for no custom posts found
        'not_found_in_trash'    => esc_html__( 'No custom posts found in trash', 'textdomain' ), // The label for no custom posts found in trash
        'parent_item_colon'     => esc_html__( 'Parent Custom Post:', 'textdomain' ), // The label for the parent custom post (hierarchical only)
        'featured_image'        => esc_html__( 'Custom Post Image', 'textdomain' ), // The label for the featured image
        'set_featured_image'    => esc_html__( 'Set custom post image', 'textdomain' ), // The label for setting the featured image
        'remove_featured_image' => esc_html__( 'Remove custom post image', 'textdomain' ), // The label for removing the featured image
        'use_featured_image'    => esc_html__( 'Use as custom post image', 'textdomain' ), // The label for using the featured image
        'archives'              => esc_html__( 'Custom Post Archives', 'textdomain' ), // The label for the archives page
        'insert_into_item'      => esc_html__( 'Insert into custom post', 'textdomain' ), // The label for inserting into a custom post
        'uploaded_to_this_item' => esc_html__( 'Uploaded to this custom post', 'textdomain' ), // The label for media uploaded to the custom post
        'filter_items_list'     => esc_html__( 'Filter custom posts list', 'textdomain' ), // The label for the filter dropdown
        'items_list_navigation' => esc_html__( 'Custom posts list navigation', 'textdomain' ), // The label for the list navigation
        'items_list'            => esc_html__( 'Custom posts list', 'textdomain' ), // The label for the items list
    );

    // Define the arguments for the custom post type
    $args = array(
        'labels'                => $labels, // Array of labels for the post type
        'description'           => esc_html__( 'Description of the custom post type', 'textdomain' ), // A short description of the post type
        'public'                => true, // Whether the post type should be publicly visible
        'exclude_from_search'   => false, // Whether the post type should be excluded from search results
        'publicly_queryable'    => true, // Whether the post type should be publicly queryable
        'show_ui'               => true, // Whether to display a user interface for the post type in the WordPress admin
        'show_in_menu'          => true, // Whether to display the post type in the WordPress admin menu
        'show_in_nav_menus'     => true, // Whether to display the post type in navigation menus
        'show_in_admin_bar'     => true, // Whether to display the post type in the WordPress admin bar
        'menu_position'         => 5, // The position in the WordPress admin menu where the post type should appear
        'menu_icon'             => 'dashicons-format-aside', // The icon to use in the WordPress admin menu for the post type
        'capability_type'       => 'post', // The type of WordPress capability that should be used to manage the post type
        'map_meta_cap'          => true, // Whether to use WordPress meta capabilities for managing the post type
        'hierarchical'          => false, // Whether the post type should be hierarchical (like pages)
        'supports'              => array( 'title', 'editor', 'thumbnail', 'custom-fields' ), // An array of features that are supported by the post type
        'register_meta_box_cb'  => 'custom_meta_boxes_function', // A function to call when registering custom meta boxes for the post type
        'taxonomies'            => array( 'category', 'post_tag' ), // An array of taxonomy names that should be associated with the post type
        'has_archive'           => true, // Whether the post type should have an archive page
        'rewrite'               => array( 'slug' => 'custom-post-type', 'with_front' => false ), // An array of options for the post type URL rewrite rules
        'query_var'             => true, // Whether to allow the post type to be queried using a URL query variable
        'can_export'            => true, // Whether the post type can be exported to a file
        'delete_with_user'      => false, // Whether posts of this type should be deleted when the user associated with the post is deleted
        'show_in_rest'          => true, // Whether the post type should be exposed in the WordPress REST API
        'rest_base'             => 'custom-post-types', // The base URL for REST API routes for the post type
        'rest_controller_class' => 'WP_REST_Posts_Controller', // The class that should be used as the controller for REST API routes for the post type
    );


    // Register the custom post type with WordPress
    register_post_type( 'custom_post_type', $args );

}

// Add the custom post type to the WordPress init hook
add_action( 'init', 'custom_post_type' );

In this code, replace “My Custom Post Type” with the name of your custom post type, and replace “Custom Post” with the singular name of your custom post type. You can also modify the other options in the $args array to fit your specific use case.

Step 2: Add fields to your custom post type

Once you’ve defined your custom post type, you can add fields to it using a plugin like Advanced Custom Fields or Custom Post Type UI.

These plugins allow you to add custom fields to your custom post type, such as text fields, image fields, and more. You can also add custom taxonomies to your custom post type, which allow you to categorize and tag your content in a way that makes sense for your specific use case.

Step 3: Use your custom post type

Now that you’ve created your custom post type and added fields to it, you’re ready to use it in your WordPress site.

To create a new post of your custom post type, go to the WordPress dashboard and navigate to "Posts" > "Add New". You should see your new custom post type listed alongside the standard post and page options. Click on your custom post type to create a new post.

Conclusion:

In this tutorial, we’ve covered the basics of creating a custom post type in WordPress. By defining a custom post type and adding fields to it, you can create structured content that is different from the standard blog post or page. This can be useful for a wide range of applications, from creating a portfolio of work to creating a database of products.

We covered the three main steps to creating a custom post type in WordPress: defining the custom post type, adding fields to it, and using it in your WordPress site. By following these steps, you can create your own custom post type and add structured content to your WordPress site.


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