Custom Post Types: What They Are & When You Should Use Them | EP 144

Custom Post Types: What They Are & When You Should Use Them

1. What Are They? 00:43
   • Essentially they add a menu item in the back end of the website that you can use to create a specific type of content.
   • For example, when you install the Divi theme, it adds a custom post type called “projects” that allows you to include projects for your portfolio.
2. When a Non-Technical Client Will Be Adding Content 02:17
   • If you have a non-technical client and they have a specific need, then you could set up a custom post type.
   •  Sticking with the portfolio example… you could set up a custom post type for your client to add in new projects for their portfolio. This is something that they will be able to reuse over and over, without having to change the design.
3. When You Need to Query/Display Content in a Unique Way 03:12
   • For example, let’s say you are a big company and you want to display all of your employee profiles on your website. With a custom post type, you can input all the information in the back end using a template and then the data will output on the front end with all of the columns and design already formatted.
   • This means that the client doesn’t have to readjust columns and design elements when they add new information.
4. Add Custom Meta Boxes 04:32
   • You can also use this feature to create custom meta boxes to display more information on the page in creative ways.
5. Plugins 05:36
   • A lot of plugins that build in functionality on your website are actually creating custom post types.

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