How to create custom taxonomy pages in WordPress?

WordPress is a versatile platform that allows you to create a custom website for your business or personal use. With WordPress, you can create custom post types, custom fields, and custom taxonomies. In this article, we will discuss how to create custom taxonomy pages in WordPress.

What is Custom Taxonomy in WordPress?

Custom taxonomy is a way to categorize or group posts, pages, or custom post types in WordPress. For example, if you have a website for a restaurant, you may want to create a custom taxonomy for the menu items. The taxonomy could be “Appetizers,” “Entrees,” “Desserts,” etc. You can create custom taxonomies for any purpose you need, and each taxonomy can have its own set of terms.

Why create custom taxonomy pages?

Creating custom taxonomy pages can be useful for a number of reasons. First and foremost, it allows you to organize your content in a more meaningful way. By creating custom taxonomies, you can group related content together and make it easier for users to find what they’re looking for.

In addition, creating custom taxonomy pages can be a great way to boost your site’s SEO. By creating targeted pages around specific keywords and topics, you can improve your site’s relevance and authority in the eyes of search engines.

Steps to Create Custom Taxonomy Pages in WordPress

Step 1: Register Your Custom Taxonomy

Before you can create a custom taxonomy page, you need to register your custom taxonomy in WordPress. You can do this by adding the following code to your WordPress theme’s functions.php file or a custom plugin:

function custom_taxonomy() {

    $labels = array(
        'name'              => _x( 'Menu Categories', 'taxonomy general name' ),
        'singular_name'     => _x( 'Menu Category', 'taxonomy singular name' ),
        'search_items'      => __( 'Search Menu Categories' ),
        'all_items'         => __( 'All Menu Categories' ),
        'parent_item'       => __( 'Parent Menu Category' ),
        'parent_item_colon' => __( 'Parent Menu Category:' ),
        'edit_item'         => __( 'Edit Menu Category' ),
        'update_item'       => __( 'Update Menu Category' ),
        'add_new_item'      => __( 'Add New Menu Category' ),
        'new_item_name'     => __( 'New Menu Category Name' ),
        'menu_name'         => __( 'Menu Categories' ),
    );

    $args = array(
        'hierarchical'      => true,
        'labels'            => $labels,
        'show_ui'           => true,
        'show_admin_column' => true,
        'query_var'         => true,
        'rewrite'           => array( 'slug' => 'menu-category' ),
    );

    register_taxonomy( 'menu-category', array( 'post' ), $args );

}
add_action( 'init', 'custom_taxonomy', 0 );

In this example, we are registering a custom taxonomy called “Menu Categories” and associating it with a default post type called “post”. We have also specified the slug for the custom taxonomy URL as “menu-category”.

Step 2: Create a New Template File for Your Custom Taxonomy

Once you have registered your custom taxonomy, you need to create a new template file for your custom taxonomy. The file should be named based on your taxonomy name with a prefix “taxonomy-“. For example, if your custom taxonomy is called “menu-category”, the file should be named “taxonomy-menu-category.php”.

Step 3: Edit the Template File

After creating the template file, you can edit it to display the content for the custom taxonomy. You can use WordPress functions like get_header(), get_footer(), and the_post() to create your custom design. You can also use WordPress functions like get_terms() and get_posts() to fetch the posts or terms associated with your custom taxonomy.

Here is an example of how to display a list of terms for your custom taxonomy:

<?php 
//Template name: Menu Categories

get_header(); ?>

<div class="container">

    <h1><?php single_term_title(); ?></h1>

  <?php
    $terms = get_terms( 'menu-category' );
    if ( ! empty( $terms ) && ! is_wp_error( $terms ) ) {
        echo '<ul>';
        foreach ( $terms as $term ) {
            echo '<li><a href="' . get_term_link( $term ) . '">' . $term->name . '</a></li>';
        }
        echo '</ul>';
    }
?>
</div>
<?php get_footer(); ?>   

In this example, we are using the get_terms() function to fetch all the terms associated with the “menu-category” custom taxonomy. We are then displaying the list of terms using a foreach loop and the get_term_link() function to generate the URL for each term.

Step 4: Save the Template File

After editing the template file, save it and upload it to your WordPress theme’s directory.

Step 5: Create a New Page for Your Custom Taxonomy

In your WordPress admin panel, create a new page and give it a title. In the right sidebar, you’ll see a dropdown menu labeled “Page Attributes”. Choose your custom taxonomy from the “Template” dropdown menu. In our example, we would select the “Menu Categories” template.

Step 6: Publish the Page

Finally, publish the page and your custom taxonomy page will be live. You can repeat steps 2-6 for each custom taxonomy page you want to create.

Conclusion

Creating custom taxonomy pages in WordPress is an easy way to organize your content and make it more accessible to your visitors. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can create custom taxonomy pages for your WordPress website in just a few minutes.

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