1. WordPress Custom Post Types In-Depth
Colin Vernon & Joachim Kudish

2. Organizing Content of
Different Types
• It’s about Content: websites usually have
content of different types: posts, pages,
articles, videos, newsletters, products,
books, anything
• A question of content and information
architecture
vs data structure

3. Back in the day...
• Websites were simpler... ?
• Created custom architecture with pages
• Different content types could be “faked” with
categories and category navigation

6. What are custom post
types?
• Introduced in WordPress 2.9, much
simplified in 3.0 and expanded upon in 3.1
• Classic blog format used categories to
classify content
• Custom post types allow for more in-depth
fine-grained control and separation of
content
• Better name = custom content type

7. Advanced uses of CPTs
• Products (WP E-Commerce uses it -
http://getshopped.org/)
• Job Postings
• Testimonials
• Newsletters
• Possibilities are endless!

10. Registering Custom Post
Types
Graphical/easy way:
• Plug and play, simple interfaces
• Custom Post Type UI - http://
wordpress.org/extend/plugins/custom-
post-type-ui/
• GD Custom Posts And Taxonomies Tools
- http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/
gd-taxonomies-tools/
• More Types - http://wordpress.org/
extend/plugins/more-types/
• Lots of other examples

14. GRAPHICAL
≠
USER
INTERFACE

15. Code Method
register_post_type();
• http://codex.wordpress.org/
Function_Reference/register_post_type
• core function
• lots of $args for lots of possibilities

16. http://pastie.org/2169751 (taken from the WP Codex)

17. $args = customization
Admin:
• labels, show_ui, show_in_menu,
menu_position, menu_icon,
capability_type, capabilities,
map_meta_cap, register_meta_box_cb,
can_export, show_in_nav_menus
Front-end:
• public, publicly_queryable,
exclude_from_search, hierarchical,
taxonomies
Permalinks:

18. Code = Good ☺
• versionable (svn, git, etc...)
• core WordPress way
• easy to edit at any time
• you keep full control
• similar to what GUI plugins do,
but without relying on the database
• only a few lines of code

19. Some Shortcomings of
WP API
• lots of repetition in the code
• not good enough defaults (labels!)
• now has good support for archives (since
3.1) but still no built-in support for feed
permalinks, etc.

20. Alternate Code Methods
• Smarter Custom Post Types by Matt Wiebe:
• http://somadesign.ca/projects/smarter-
custom-post-types/
• now obsolete because of 3.1’s archive/
permalinks abilities
• Our own SLD Custom Content & Taxonomy
• https://github.com/jkudish/SLD-
Custom-Post-Types-Taxonomies-for-
Wordpress
• wrapper plugin/class for

21. Taking CPTs even
further
• Taxonomies
• further way of classifying content
• group different content types together
based on taxonomies
• use built-in taxonomies (categories &
tags) or custom taxonomies
• register custom taxonomies with code,
not GUI plugins
• use the core WP function
register_taxonomy()
http://codex.wordpress.org/
Function_Reference/register_taxonomy

23. http://pastie.org/2170028

24. Taking CPTs even
further
• Meta fields / meta boxes / custom fields:
• allow you to store any information
• extremely expandable
• WordPress API requires a lot of code, no
good defaults:
• add_meta_box()
• http://codex.wordpress.org/
Function_Reference/add_meta_box

26. Meta Boxes
• similarly to content types & taxonomies,
there are GUI plugins to register meta
boxes
• More Fields: http://wordpress.org/
extend/plugins/more-fields/
• Advanced Custom Fields: http://
wordpress.org/extend/plugins/
advanced-custom-fields/
• Verve Meta Boxes: http://
wordpress.org/extend/plugins/verve-
meta-boxes/

27. Easier Meta Fields
• Custom Metadata Manager by Mohammad
Jangda
• http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/
custom-metadata/
• easy wrapper functions for adding meta
boxes and custom fields

28. Custom Metadata
Manager
x_add_metadata_field(
$slug,
$object_types = 'post',
$args = array()
)
x_add_metadata_group(
$slug,
$object_types = 'post',
$args = array()
)

29. Even Further...
• complex post to post (content to content)
relations
• allows web app functionality à la Rails/
Django
• posts 2 posts plugin: http://
wordpress.org/extend/plugins/posts-to-
posts/
• different page/content templates = different
set of fields

30. ✔ Lessons Learned
• use custom content types for anything that
isn’t a blog post and isn’t a static page
• if you’re a developer, don’t rely on the
database to register CPTs
• if you’re not a developer, hire a developer,
learn to code (copy/paste) or use a plugin
• best way to learn = read the codex, code and
make mistakes

31. Extra links
• Custom post type & custom taxonomy
generator: http://themergency.com/
generators/
• Joachim’s WP.org profile page (the SLD
helper class plugin will appear here once it’s
live): http://profiles.wordpress.org/users/
jkudish
• Colin’s WP.org profile page: http://
profiles.wordpress.org/users/cvernon
• WordPress.tv (recorded presentation will
appear here): http://wordpress.tv/

32. Thanks!
Any Questions?

33. Thanks!
Any Questions?
http://stresslim.it/welovewp
@stresslimit / http://stresslimitdesign.com
@jkudish / http://jkudish.com

34. Thanks!
Any Questions?