A Beginner's Guide to Installing and Using the ​​​​Custom Post Type UI Plugin

Introduction

WordPress, one of the most popular content management systems worldwide, allows you to manage your website in an easy, user-friendly way. One of its standout features is its support for plugins, which are additional tools that can extend the functionalities of a website. In this article, we will discuss the Custom Post Type UI (CPTUI) plugin, a tool that provides an easy-to-use interface for managing custom post types and taxonomies in WordPress.

How to Install the ​​​Custom Post Type UI Plugin

Let's start by guiding you through the process of installing the plugin on your WordPress site:

Log in to your WordPress site's admin dashboard.

Navigate to the 'Plugins' section on the left-hand menu and select 'Add New'.

In the 'Search plugins...' box, type 'Custom Post Type UI' and hit 'Enter'.

The CPTUI plugin should appear as one of the first results. Click the 'Install Now' button next to the plugin.

After installation, the 'Install Now' button changes to 'Activate'. Click on 'Activate' to enable the plugin on your WordPress site.
With the CPTUI plugin installed and activated, let's dive into its numerous features.

Exploring the Features of the Custom Post Type UI Plugin

Adding content after “Default” shortcode items

Shortcodes in WordPress are unique tags that allow users to add various types of content to their posts or pages. In CPTUI, you can add content after default shortcode items by following these steps:

Navigate to the CPTUI area in your WordPress admin dashboard.

Select the 'Shortcodes' tab.

Here you can see the default shortcodes provided by the plugin. To add content after a shortcode, select the shortcode to modify.
In the 'Additional Content' field, input the content you want to add after the shortcode.

Click 'Save Changes'. Now, when you use this shortcode, the additional content will appear after the shortcode output.

Change thumbnail size for default shortcode display

Changing the thumbnail size for the default shortcode display is a straightforward process:

In the CPTUI area, go to the 'Settings' tab.

Find the 'Thumbnail Size' option in the 'Default Shortcode Display' section.

Input the desired width and height for your thumbnails.

Click 'Save Changes'. The thumbnail size for the default shortcode display will update accordingly.

CPTUI-Extended Compatibility Fixes

CPTUI-Extended Compatibility Fixes address potential issues that can occur between CPTUI and other plugins or themes. You can activate these fixes in the 'Settings' tab of the CPTUI area, under 'Compatibility Settings'. Tick the checkbox labeled 'Enable compatibility fixes', then click 'Save Changes'. This feature will help ensure your custom post types and taxonomies work smoothly across different themes and plugins.

Custom Post Type UI Extended Block

The CPTUI Extended Block is a feature available in the Gutenberg editor. It allows you to insert custom post types and taxonomies directly into your posts and pages. Here's how to use it:

Open a post or page in the Gutenberg editor.

Click the '+' button to add a new block.

In the block library, search for 'CPTUI', and select the 'CPTUI Extended Block'.

In the block settings, choose the custom post type or taxonomy you wish to insert.

Configure the display options as desired, then click 'Publish' or 'Update' to save your changes.

Customizing shortcode templates with CPTUI-Extended

With CPTUI-Extended, you can customize shortcode templates to tailor the output to your needs. Here's how you do it:

In the CPTUI area, select the 'Shortcodes' tab.

Choose the shortcode you want to customize.

You can edit the shortcode's settings in the 'Template' field.

Click 'Save Changes' to apply your modifications.

Extending the shortcode builder

CPTUI's shortcode builder allows you to create complex shortcodes without writing any code. If you want to extend its functionality, you can do so through the plugin's filters:

From your WordPress admin area, navigate to 'Appearance' > 'Theme Editor'.

Open your theme's functions.php file.

Add the necessary filter and function to extend the shortcode builder (you will need some knowledge of PHP for this).

Click 'Update File' to save your changes.

Extra feature settings for post types

CPTUI allows you to configure extra feature settings for your custom post types. This includes enabling comments, revisions, custom fields, and more:

In the CPTUI area, select 'Add/Edit Post Types'.

Choose the post type you want to modify.

Scroll down to 'Supports' and select the features you want to enable.

Click 'Save Post Type' to apply the changes.

How to add post type to main blog query

Adding a custom post type to your main blog query allows it to appear on your blog's main page. This can be done by editing your theme's functions.php file:

Navigate to 'Appearance' > 'Theme Editor'.

Open the functions.php file.

Add a function that modifies the main query to include your custom post type.

Click 'Update File' to save your changes.

How to make CPTUI-Extended show posts with any of selected terms instead of all selected terms

By default, CPTUI-Extended will display posts that match all selected terms. If you want to display posts that match any of the selected terms, you will need to modify the 'Relation' setting in your shortcode:

Go to the 'Shortcodes' tab in the CPTUI area.

Choose the shortcode you want to modify.

Find the 'Relation' field and change it to 'OR'.

Click 'Save Changes' to apply this modification.

Managing and viewing network-level post types and taxonomies

If your WordPress installation is a multisite network, you can manage and view network-level post types and taxonomies with CPTUI:

Navigate to the Network Admin dashboard.

Go to 'Settings' > 'Network Settings'.

Under 'Post Types to enable', select the post types you want to be available network-wide.

Similarly, under 'Taxonomies to enable', select the taxonomies you want to be available network-wide.

Click 'Save Changes' to apply your selections.

Shortcode ID attribute

The Shortcode ID attribute is a unique identifier for each instance of a shortcode. This allows you to style or script individual shortcodes differently:

In the 'Shortcodes' tab of the CPTUI area, select the shortcode you want to modify.

In the 'Shortcode Attributes' field, input an ID value for the 'id' attribute.

Click 'Save Changes' to apply this modification.

Understanding and customizing HTML classes added to shortcode output

CPTUI automatically adds HTML classes to the output of its shortcodes, which can be useful for styling your content. You can modify these classes to suit your needs:

In the 'Shortcodes' tab, choose the shortcode you wish to edit. 2. Find the 'HTML Class' field and input the desired class.

Click 'Save Changes' to update your settings.

Remember that the classes you add here should be defined in your theme's CSS for them to affect the shortcode's output visually.

Which shortcode templates use which CPTUI-Extended template file

CPTUI-Extended has a specific template file for each type of shortcode. The template file used depends on the shortcode's settings:

'Default' shortcodes use the content-cptui_default.php template file.

'Grid' shortcodes use the content-cptui_grid.php template file.

'List' shortcodes use the content-cptui_list.php template file.

These files are located in the CPTUI-Extended plugin directory and can be customized by copying them to your theme's directory and making changes there.

Other Useful Features

CPTUI offers several other features that weren't mentioned in the list but are worth noting:

Import/Export functionality: CPTUI allows you to import and export your custom post types and taxonomies, making it easy to migrate your settings between different WordPress sites.

Built-in Debug Information: CPTUI has a 'Debug Info' section that provides useful information for troubleshooting issues related to the plugin.

Manage Post Columns: With CPTUI, you can choose which columns appear on the admin listing screen for your custom post types.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Custom Post Type UI plugin is a powerful tool for managing custom post types and taxonomies in WordPress. Its user-friendly interface, combined with a plethora of features, makes it an excellent choice for both beginners and experienced WordPress users. With this guide, you should now have a solid understanding of how to install, activate, and use the various features of the Custom Post Type UI plugin. Enjoy exploring the additional possibilities this plugin brings to your WordPress site!