Topics

  • Usage
  • Displaying Custom Fields

WordPress has the power to allow post authors to assign custom fields to a mail service. This arbitrary extra data is known every bit metadata. This metadata can include bits of information such as:

  • Mood: Happy
  • Currently Reading: Cinderella
  • Listening To: Rock Around the Clock
  • Weather condition: Hot and boiling

With some extra coding, information technology is possible to achieve more than circuitous deportment, such as using the metadata to store an expiration date for a mail service.

Metadata is handled with fundamental/value pairs. The key is the name of the metadata chemical element. The value is the information that will announced in the metadata list on each individual mail that the information is associated with.

Keys can be used more than once per post. For example, if you lot were reading ii different books (perhaps a technical volume at work and a fiction at home), you could create a "reading" key and utilize it twice on the same postal service, once for each book.

Here is an example of what this information might look like on your mail service:

                  Currently Reading:                  Calvin and Hobbes                  
                  Today'southward Mood:                  Jolly and Happy

Usage

Based upon our instance to a higher place, permit'southward add two custom fields, one chosen "Currently Reading" and the other "Today'south Mood". Please follow the below steps to add this information to a mail using Custom Fields.

  1. Custom Fields options on the Post & Page edit screens are hidden by default if they accept not been used before. Using the Cake Editor, click the three dots push at the superlative of the right sidebar and visit Options to enable it. (If you are using the Archetype editor, check the screen options).
  2. Subsequently you have written your mail, scroll down to the expanse titled Custom Fields.
  3. To create a new Custom Field chosen "Currently Reading", enter the text "Currently Reading" (without the quotes) in the text entry field titled Proper name.
  4. The newly created Key ("Currently Reading") should now exist assigned a Value, which in our case is the name of the book currently being read, "Calvin and Hobbes". Blazon "Calvin and Hobbes" in the Value field, again without the quotes.
  5. Click Add Custom Field button to salvage this custom data for that post.
Custom Fields

To add your "Today's Mood", repeat the process and add "Today's Mood" to the key and a description of your mood in the value text boxes and click Add Custom Field to relieve this information with the postal service.

On your next post, you can add a new book and mood to your metadata. In the Custom Fields section, the Key will now feature a pull-down list with the previously entered Custom Fields. Choose "Currently Reading" and then enter the new book you are reading in the value. Click Add together Custom Field and then repeat the process to add "Today'south Mood".

You only demand to create a new "Cardinal" once, subsequently which you tin assign a value to that key for every post, if you so want. You can likewise assign more ane Value to a key, for a post. This volition come in handy for people who read more one volume at a time.

Top ↑

Displaying Custom Fields

To display the Custom Fields for each mail, you have to employ a template tag that customizes your theme. For more details about it, delight refer to:

  • the_meta() – Template tag that automatically lists all Custom Fields of a postal service
  • get_post_custom() and get_post_meta() – Retrieves 1 or all metadata of a postal service.
  • get_post_custom_values() – Retrieves values for a custom mail service field.
  • Template Tags – WordPress Theme Developers Handbook page on Template Tags

You may install Plugin that manages custom fields.

  • Meta Box plugin – Plugin that allows you to create custom meta boxes and custom fields.
  • Piklist – Plugin that allows you to create custom meta boxes and fields everywhere in WordPress.
  • Advanced Custom Fields – Plugin that allows you to create complex fields and layouts using a user friendly interface.