Creating Killer Custom Post Types with ACF and Custom Post Type UI

What are Custom Post Types?

Welcome, fellow WordPress enthusiasts! Today, we'll dive into custom post types. For those unfamiliar, custom post types is a powerful feature in WordPress that allows you to create new types of content beyond the traditional "posts" and "pages." This can be incredibly useful when you want to make different types of content on your website, such as testimonials, portfolios, or team members.

In this article, we'll focus on using two popular WordPress plugins, Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) and Custom Post Type UI, to create custom post types. These plugins are great options for creating custom post types because they're both easy to use and offer a wide range of functionality. By the end of this article, you'll have a solid understanding of how to use these plugins to create custom post types and custom fields to take your WordPress site to the next level. So, let's get started!

Setting up Custom Post Type UI

Custom Post Type UI is a free WordPress plugin that allows you to create and manage custom post types and taxonomies easily. With this plugin, you can create new post types without writing any code, making it an excellent option for users new to WordPress development. To start with Custom Post Type UI, you'll need to install and activate the plugin. This can be done by going to the "Plugins" section of the WordPress admin dashboard, searching for "Custom Post Type UI," and then clicking "Install" and "Activate."

Crafting Custom Post Types in WordPress with Custom Post Type UI

1. Install and activate the Custom Post Type UI plugin.
2. Once the plugin is activated, you'll see a new menu item called "CPT UI" in the WordPress admin dashboard. Go to CPT UI > Add/Edit Post Types.
3. Fill in the post type name, slug, and other options like the labels, public, and other functionalities. Once you've filled in all the options, click "Add Post Type." Most settings can be left blank unless you would like to customize them.
4. Create custom taxonomies. It allows you to group your custom post types logically, making it easy for the users to find the information they need. Go to CPT UI > Add/Edit Taxonomies and fill out the form to create your taxonomy.
5. That's it! With just a few clicks, you've created a new custom post type and taxonomy using Custom Post Type UI. Now you can start adding posts to your latest post type and using it on your WordPress site.

Understanding and Using ACF to Add Custom Fields to Custom Post Types

Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) is a powerful plugin that allows you to add custom fields to custom post types in WordPress. It is easy to use and offers a wide range of functionality, making it an excellent option for creating custom fields for your custom post types.

1. Install and activate the Advanced Custom Fields plugin. This can be done by going to the "Plugins" section of the WordPress admin dashboard, searching for "Advanced Custom Fields," and then clicking "Install" and "Activate."
2. Once the plugin is activated, you'll see a new menu item called "Custom Fields" in the WordPress admin dashboard. Go to Custom Fields > Add New.
3. Create custom fields by filling out the form. You can choose the field type, set the label, the instructions, and other options. Once you've filled in all the options, you can click "Publish."
4. To associate the fields with a custom post type, you can go to Custom Fields > Field Groups, and on the field group you just created, you can set the location rules to your custom post type.
5. To use the fields on the front end of your website, you can use the functions provided by the plugin, like the_field() and get_field(). You can also use them in your templates by using the specific templates offered by the plugin.

With ACF, you can easily create custom fields for your custom post types and have many customization options. ACF offers different fields, such as text, text area, image, and many more. You can also set the field labels, the functionality, and the placement of the fields.

Unlocking the Power of Custom Fields with ACF

Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) offers a wide range of field types to create custom fields for your custom post types. Some of the most commonly used field types include:

Available Field Types in ACF

• Text: allows you to create a single-line text input field.
• Text Area: allows you to create a multi-line text input field.
• WYSIWYG Editor: allows you to create a field for editing rich text content.
• Image: allows you to create a field for uploading and selecting an image.
• File: allows you to create a field for uploading and selecting a file.
• Gallery: allows you to create a field for uploading and selecting multiple images.
• Relationship: allows you to create a field for selecting and linking to other post types.
• Taxonomy: allows you to create a field for selecting and linking to taxonomy terms.
• Select: allows you to create a dropdown select field.
• Checkbox: allows you to create a checkbox field.
• Radio Button: allows you to create a radio button field.
• True/False: allows you to create a true/false toggle field.
• Number: allows you to create a number field.
• Date Picker: allows you to create a date picker field.
• Time Picker: allows you to create a time picker field.
• Google Map: allows you to create a field for displaying and editing google maps.
• Color Picker: allows you to create a color.

Showcasing Custom Post Types and Fields on Your WordPress Site

Once you've created custom post types and fields using ACF and Custom Post Type UI, it's time to display them on your WordPress site. There are a few different ways to do this, but one of the most common methods is to use the built-in WordPress functions to display custom post types and fields in a template file.

1. The most basic method is to use the `the_content()` function to display the content of the custom post type in the single post template.

<?php while ( have_posts() ) : the_post(); ?>
    <h1><?php the_title(); ?></h1>
    <?php the_content(); ?>
<?php endwhile; ?>

2. To display the custom fields, you can use the ACF plugin's `the_field()` function. For example, if you have a custom field named "subtitle," you can use the following:

<h2><?php the_field('subtitle'); ?></h2>

3. You can also use `WP_Query` to create a custom loop for your custom post type. This is useful if you want to display the custom post type differently, like in a slider or a grid.

<?php
$args = array(
    'post_type' => 'custom_post_type',
    'posts_per_page' => -1
);
$query = new WP_Query( $args );
while ( $query->have_posts() ) : $query->the_post();
    the_title();
    the_content();
endwhile; wp_reset_postdata();
?>

Resources

The following resources are a great starting point for anyone looking to get started with WordPress custom post types and ACF in WordPress. The plugins, documentation, and tutorials will help you easily create custom post types and fields for your WordPress site.

• WordPress Codex - The WordPress Codex provides a wealth of information on custom post types, including creating them, registering them, and displaying them on your site.
• Advanced Custom Fields - The ACF website provides detailed documentation and tutorials on using the plugin to create custom fields for your custom post types.
• Custom Post Type UI - The Custom Post Type UI plugin page on WordPress.org provides documentation, tutorials, and troubleshooting resources for the plugin.
• Custom Post Types for WordPress: A Beginner's Guide - A beginner-friendly guide on creating custom post types on the WPBeginner website, including step-by-step instructions and examples.

In Conclusion

This article used ACF and Custom Post Type UI to create custom post types. We've discussed the benefits of custom post types, including the ability to create custom fields and tailor them to your specific needs. We also covered step-by-step instructions on configuring and using the plugins for creating custom post types and fields.

Several resources are available online if you're interested in learning more about custom post types and ACF. Some great places to start include the WordPress Codex and the ACF website. Additionally, you can find many tutorials and discussions about custom post types on WordPress-related forums and blogs.

I encourage you to experiment with custom post types on your site and see how they can enhance your content and user experience. With the right tools and a little bit of creativity, custom post types can make a significant impact on your website.

What are some custom post types you've created for your website?