232 PART IV • Additional Features and Functionality
Want to make a simple static website on steroids? Consider throwing custom post
types into the mix, giving you even more options when it comes to managing
primarily static material.DOING MORE THAN THE BASICS
Sometimes you need more than the static site I just described. For example, you might need to
add additional post types; perhaps you need a product listing and have to create a custom post
type for products with its own taxonomies and everything.Some websites obviously need more attention: The more advanced the site, the more tweaks and
adaptations are needed to make it fit. Sometimes this means that you’ll have to write custom
loops or use Page templates, and at other times you may want more flexibility without touching
the code for every little update. That’s when widgets come in, not only because a lot of cool
features come as plugins that are widget-ready, but also because widgets offer drag-and-drop
functionality, which nontechie users will surely appreciate.The following subsections discuss how you can add this kind of functionality to a pretty basic
WordPress CMS setup without too much hassle.USES FOR CUSTOM POST TYPES AND TAXONOMIES
IN A WORDPRESS CMS
Custom post types is the best thing to happen to WordPress since tagging came along. I
already covered the technique in Chapter 6, “Advanced Theme Usage,” so this section is more
about how you can put it to really good use when using WordPress as a CMS.There are often great benefits of having more than just posts and Pages to play with. Thanks to
custom post types, you can create whatever type of post- or Page-like content you like without
having to mix it with your regular posts and Pages. Here are a few examples off the top of my head:◾ Products: Create a post type called “Products” and let posts residing in it be products,
with descriptions, tagging, and everything.
◾ Persons: Why not create a directory of people, one person per post in this post type?
◾ Portfolio: Perhaps you have a portfolio part of your site residing in a category. No need
for that anymore; should you want to separate it from the rest of the content flow, just
create that post type!
◾ Manual: Need to put up a static manual? No need to mix it with your Pages anymore; just
create a new post type to keep it apart.The list goes on and on. What’s really great is that your custom post types each get their own
dedicated menu item on the left side of the WordPress admin interface, just like posts or
Pages. That makes it really easy for the end user to find and use them, compared to solutions
sporting custom fields or similar methods.