What is site structure?

• Post Types
• Metaboxes and Fields
• Taxonomy
• Menus
• Permalink Structure

Why a custom plugin?

• Functionality should live in code, not the database
• Themes for presentation, plugins for functionality
• Manage code in version control system (git, svn)
• Code Portability / Deployment
  • dev / staging / production
  • re-use for multiple websites / different clients

Our Sample Plugin

We'll create a Film listing (like IMDB)

• Custom Post Type: Film
• Custom Taxonomy: Genre
• Metabox: Film Info
• Fields: Release Date, Duration, Director

github.com/rexrana/my-custom-structure

WordPress core functionality

• Not easy to use — you have to do all the heavy lifting
  • CRUD functions (create, read, update and delete)
  • Callback functions with HTML to display fields in admin
  • Sanitization / validation of input
  • nonces
• It's a lot to remember — time could be better spent

Thankfully, there’s a better way!

Many tools exist for simplifying the creation of site structure:

• Plugins (Advanced Custom Fields, Pods, Meta Box, Toolset)
  • Most have an export to code functionality
• Developer libraries: CMB2, Carbon Fields
• Code Generators: GenerateWP, WP-CLI scaffold command

GUI-based structure plugins

• Create your structure in the admin dashboard.
• optionally, export to code
• Advanced Custom Fields
• Pods framework
• Meta Box
• Toolset

• most popular plugin for creating custom fields
• free version very LIMITED - requires Pro version (subscription) for :
  • repeating field groups
  • Gutenberg block support
  • more field types
  • export to code - JSON and PHP formats

• Can create Content Types and Fields
• support for block editor (Gutenberg) and Classic Editor
• create advanced relationships
• includes REST API and WP-CLI commands
• Translation Ready - integrations with WPML, Polylang

• lightweight, fast and simple to use
• multisite support
• 40+ field types
• includes online generators for fields, post types, taxonomies and blocks

• Extensive support for block editor, including a library of dynamic blocks
• Types: Custom Post Types, Taxonomies and Fields
• create templates using block editor
• Forms builder
• Access: manage roles and privileges
• Maps: Google Maps or Azure Maps

Developer libraries

• Declare metaboxes, fields in code using defined API
• you can track changes in git within your plugin
• include() the library in PHP, or use Composer to delcare as plugin dependency

• Toolkit for building metaboxes, custom fields, and forms
• Declare metaboxes and fields using arrays of parameters
• 35 field types included, with API to declare your own
• Use on Post Types, Options Pages, User Profiles
  • even on the front end of your site

• Developer-friendly way of declaring custom fields
• Feature rich out-of-the-box (no paid "pro" version)
• custom fields for post types, options pages, taxonomies, users, comments, navigation menus, and widgets.
• repeatable field groups
• define dynamic Gutenberg blocks without JavaScript.

Code Generators

• online forms or command-line tools
• generates the code for you
• copy / paste into php file in your plugin

• Form-based wizards for generating code compliant with WordPress coding standards
• Select a tool, fill in the form, generate the code
• Copy ready-to-use code directly to your plugin.

• Command for WordPress command-line interface (WP-CLI)
• Generates starter code for themes, plugins, unit tests, post types and taxonomy.
• Limited - cannot specify advanced parameters, only gives minimal config with defaults
• Provides a quick start-off point

Run commands from within site root directory

Post Type: Film

wp scaffold post-type film --label=Film --textdomain=structure \
--dashicon=editor-video --plugin=my-custom-structure

Taxonomy: Genre

wp scaffold taxonomy genre --post_types=film --label=Genre \
--textdomain=structure --plugin=my-custom-structure

• GUI based plugins: install plugin in normal way
• Developer libraries: usually need to do a PHP include() , or declare as Composer dependency for your plugin
• Create separate PHP files for each of: Post Types, Taxonomy, Metaboxes/Fields
  • include these files in your main plugin PHP file
  • this makes items easier to find, comment out or remove

CMB2:

if( file_exists( dirname(__FILE__).'/lib/cmb2/init.php' ) ) {
require_once( 'lib/cmb2/init.php' );
}

Carbon Fields (using Composer):

composer require htmlburger/carbon-fields

Make sure to include Composer's PSR-4 autoloader in plugin

require_once (__DIR__ . '/vendor/autoload.php');

// Post Types / Taxonomies.
require_once('post-types/film.php');
require_once('taxonomies/genre.php');

// METABOXES AND FIELDS.

/* using WordPress core functionality */
require_once('inc/wp-fields.php');

/* using ACF */
require_once('inc/acf-fields.php');

/* using CMB2  */
require_once('inc/cmb2-metaboxes.php');

Blog post (with all referenced links and slides):

rexrana.ca/wcyvr2016

Follow

Rex Rana   rexrana.ca   rexrana  rex-rana

Peter Hebert   peterhebert.com

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@peterhebert@fosstodon.org