Shockoe http://www.shockoe.com Connect | Create | Control Mon, 09 Aug 2010 15:45:07 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Working with WordPress Custom Post Types http://www.shockoe.com/working-with-wordpress-custom-post-types/ http://www.shockoe.com/working-with-wordpress-custom-post-types/#comments Thu, 05 Aug 2010 20:02:20 +0000 neil http://www.shockoe.com/?p=236 One of the major features to be introduced in WordPress 3 was the ability to create custom post types. Basically, this lets you recreate the ‘Posts’ tab with specific functionality in mind. For example, creating a portfolio with fields for project images and client information. At Shockoe, we are using this in an upcoming project to that uses WordPress to provide content for a new iPhone app (being built with Titanium.)

This makes WordPress much more viable as a CMS as opposed to blogging software that struggles to handle larger sites. In previous versions of WordPress this involved either a considerable amount of work or using a massive plugin. The best of those plugins, Magic Fields (a fork of Flutter), is several thousand lines of code. We can create a flexible solution in far fewer lines.

Code in action

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add_action('init', 'post_type_example');
function post_type_example() {
register_post_type(
'example',
array(
'label' => __('Example'),
'public' => true,
'show_ui' => true,
'supports' => array(
'title',
'editor',
'excerpt',
'comments'),
'menu_position' => 5
)
);

register_taxonomy( 'categories', 'example', array( 'hierarchical' => true, 'label' => __('Categories') ) );
register_taxonomy( 'tags', 'example', array('label' => __('Tags')));
}

Here we have created a new post type that will have it’s own sidebar tab under ‘Posts’ as well as fields for title, content (‘editor’), an excerpt, and comments. We also added functionality similar to WordPress’ tags and categories features by calling ‘register_taxonomy.’ Setting ‘hierarchal’ => true will make the field behave like categories while leaving it empty (or setting it to ‘false’) gives us the tags functionality.

That’s it. Simple. In a handful of lines we have a flexible solution that gives us the option of using better contextual grammar. That translates to a much better experience for clients and end users.

Adding Custom Functionality

The code above basically replicates the Posts functionality with the ability to have better labels. But what if we need to include custom information? For that we need add_meta_box:

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add_action("admin_init", "admin_init");
function admin_init(){
add_meta_box("example_field", "Example Text Field", "example_field", "normal", "high");
}

function example_field () {
global $post;

$post_custom = get_post_custom($post->ID);
$text_field_content = $post_custom['text_field'][0];

print "

<label>Please enter your information in the textbox below.</label>
<textarea cols="50" rows="5" name="text_field">$text_field_content</textarea>

";
}

And to save our custom field’s information when we press ‘Publish’:

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add_action('save_post', 'save_details');
function save_details(){
global $post;

update_post_meta($post-&gt;ID, 'text_field', $_POST['text_field']);
}

Now we should have a custom text box that will appear below the content editor. When we save our post, the information in our custom field will be saved to the database. And when we edit our post, the text field will be repopulated.

Conclusion

With a little bit of coding knowledge you can create an elegant solution for turning WordPress into a functional CMS. And this is a very basic example; the possibilities of what can be created from this point are endless.

For more detailed information, see the register_post_type and add_meta_box reference pages in the WordPress Codex.

]]> http://www.shockoe.com/working-with-wordpress-custom-post-types/feed/ 0 Lower Colorado – USBR http://www.shockoe.com/lower-colorado-usbr/ http://www.shockoe.com/lower-colorado-usbr/#comments Fri, 30 Jul 2010 17:24:30 +0000 Edwin http://www.shockoe.com/?p=208 Lower Colorado River, Bureau of Reclamation

http://usbr.shockoe.com [staging site]

The Bureau of Reclamation’s Lower Colorado Region serves as the “water master” for the last 688 miles of the Colorado River within the United States on behalf of the Secretary of the Interior.

The Bureau also manages the River and its reservoirs to meet water and power delivery obligations, protect endangered species and native habitat, enhance outdoor recreation opportunities, and provide flood control.

]]> http://www.shockoe.com/lower-colorado-usbr/feed/ 0 Kalco http://www.shockoe.com/kalco/ http://www.shockoe.com/kalco/#comments Fri, 11 Jun 2010 13:31:32 +0000 Edwin http://www.shockoe.com/?p=198 WWW.KALCO.COM

Product management system
Customized content management system

]]> http://www.shockoe.com/kalco/feed/ 0 Datashark Tools http://www.shockoe.com/datashark-tools/ http://www.shockoe.com/datashark-tools/#comments Mon, 07 Jun 2010 01:33:55 +0000 Edwin http://www.shockoe.com/?p=127 WWW.DATASHARKTOOLS.COM

Custom product management.
Distributor management.

]]> http://www.shockoe.com/datashark-tools/feed/ 0 Powerplay Tools http://www.shockoe.com/powerplay-tools/ http://www.shockoe.com/powerplay-tools/#comments Fri, 04 Jun 2010 01:30:49 +0000 Edwin http://www.shockoe.com/?p=122 WWW.POWERPLAYTOOLS.COM

Custom flash animations.
Product management.

]]> http://www.shockoe.com/powerplay-tools/feed/ 0 Smartbox USA http://www.shockoe.com/smartbox-usa/ http://www.shockoe.com/smartbox-usa/#comments Mon, 31 May 2010 19:20:39 +0000 Edwin http://www.shockoe.com/?p=61 WWW.SMARTBOXUSA.COM

Website maintenance.
Microsites maintenance.

]]> http://www.shockoe.com/smartbox-usa/feed/ 0 The Growers Exchange http://www.shockoe.com/the-growers-exchange/ http://www.shockoe.com/the-growers-exchange/#comments Mon, 24 May 2010 19:22:20 +0000 Edwin http://www.shockoe.com/?p=64 WWW.THEGROWERS-EXCHANGE.COM

Customizations to their E-commerce software.
Web site maintenance.
Custom reports
SEO

]]> http://www.shockoe.com/the-growers-exchange/feed/ 0 The Exchange | TGE http://www.shockoe.com/the-exchange-the-growers-exchange/ http://www.shockoe.com/the-exchange-the-growers-exchange/#comments Mon, 17 May 2010 19:23:59 +0000 Edwin http://www.shockoe.com/?p=67 THEEXCHANGE.THEGROWERS-EXCHANGE.COM

Customization of their Blog site.
Maintenance
SEO

]]> http://www.shockoe.com/the-exchange-the-growers-exchange/feed/ 0 Paladin Tools http://www.shockoe.com/paladin-tools/ http://www.shockoe.com/paladin-tools/#comments Fri, 14 May 2010 01:26:37 +0000 Edwin http://www.shockoe.com/?p=117 WWW.PALADIN-TOOLS.COM

Custom CMS.
Product Management.
Distributor Management.
Cross Reference System

]]> http://www.shockoe.com/paladin-tools/feed/ 0 GCI Pro A/V http://www.shockoe.com/gci-pro-av/ http://www.shockoe.com/gci-pro-av/#comments Mon, 10 May 2010 19:27:02 +0000 Edwin http://www.shockoe.com/?p=72

WWW.GCIPROAVE.NET

Custom Busines to Business E-commerce site.
Custom CMS to handle images and web content.
Product management.
Client management.
Orders Management.

Click here for Support

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