Understand the Concept of Custom Post Types and Taxonomies in WordPress

Many times we get ask what is a custom post type. People get lost with the definition of this word. It is just meaning less for many users. In this documentation we want to make it understandable.

In WordPress everything is a post. 

Yes everything you display is a post. 

• A page is a post 
• A post is a post 
• An attachment is a post

In fact if it's not an option which controls something, if your information is displayed some how, its a post.

Its easy! Think of a Custom Post Type like a BOX

A custom post type is just a new box to put posts in. By default you have a box for pages and a box for posts. 

What if you want to have a box for books, products, music, what ever... 

You can create as many boxes to put posts in as you like. They are called custom post types in WordPress

OK, Post Types are like Boxes of Posts. But what are Taxonomies?

Many users think, custom post types are like categories and do not understand the difference.

But let us figure that out.

• A post has categories and tags
• A movie can have a genre.
• A product has product categories.

Post, Movie and Product are "Custom Post Typs". Categories, Tags, Genre or Product Categories are Taxonomies.

Thats actually pretty easy. In my Movie Box I have the index cart "Genres" to order my movies in genres

My product box has Index carts for my product categories so I can order my products in product categories.

The real live example makes it clear. The box is the post type, Cart Tabs are Taxonomies.

You can super easy create custom post type and taxonomies with the Custom Post Type UI Plugin.

You can use any custom post type and taxonomies with BuddyForms. Just select the post type in the form builder settings and add the taxonomy form element to the form to enable your users to select the correct therm.

What is a Therm?

Every taxonomy element is a therm.

If you have a post type "Movies" and a Taxonomy "Genre", all the genre elements are the therms. 

Action, Horror, Humore, Comics are all therms of the taxonomy "Genre".

Please let us know if you still have a question to the concept of Custom Post Types and Taxonomies in WordPress and we will update this Documentation.