Post Types Order Code Snippet

7 min read Oct 16, 2024

How to Control the Order of Your Post Types in WordPress

As a WordPress user, you're probably familiar with the concept of post types. They are custom content types that allow you to organize your website beyond the default "Posts" and "Pages". This allows you to create content like products, portfolio items, testimonials, and much more. However, sometimes you may find the default order of these post types in your WordPress admin area isn't the most intuitive or practical.

For example, imagine you have a website that showcases your photography. You might have separate post types for "Portraits", "Landscapes", and "Travel". It would be helpful if these post types appear in a specific order in your WordPress dashboard, such as "Landscapes", "Portraits", and then "Travel".

This is where post types order code snippets come in. These snippets are small pieces of code that you can use to change the order in which post types are displayed in the WordPress admin.

Understanding the Concept

Before we dive into the code snippets, it's important to understand how WordPress determines the order of post types. By default, WordPress sorts post types alphabetically by their name. However, we can use code to override this behavior.

Method 1: Using a Plugin

The easiest way to control the order of your post types is by using a plugin. There are several plugins available that can achieve this, like "Post Type Order" or "Custom Post Type Order". These plugins offer user-friendly interfaces, eliminating the need to manually edit code.

Method 2: Using Code Snippets

For users who are comfortable working with code, post types order code snippets offer a direct way to change the order. These snippets can be added to your WordPress theme's functions.php file or a custom plugin.

Here's a basic example of a post types order code snippet:

function change_post_type_order( $post_type_order ) {
  $new_order = array( 'portfolio', 'product', 'post' ); 
  return $new_order;
}
add_filter( 'manage_edit-post_type_order', 'change_post_type_order' );

In this snippet:

change_post_type_order is the function name.
$post_type_order is an array containing the default order of your post types.
$new_order is an array defining the new order you want to apply. The order is determined by the position in the array, with the first element being the highest priority.
add_filter is used to apply the function to the manage_edit-post_type_order filter.

Important Note: Replace "portfolio", "product", and "post" with the actual slugs of your post types.

Tips and Tricks

Here are some additional tips for using post types order code snippets:

Use the correct slug: Make sure you are using the correct slug for your post types in the code. You can find the slug in the "Edit Post Type" screen under the "Post Type" menu in your WordPress dashboard.
Test thoroughly: After implementing any changes, make sure you test your website thoroughly to ensure everything is working correctly.
Use a child theme: It's best practice to make changes in a child theme rather than directly editing your parent theme's functions.php file. This allows for easier updates and reduces the risk of losing your customizations when updating your theme.

Example: Customizing the Order of Your Posts

Let's assume you have two post types: "product" and "news". You want to make sure "news" appears before "product" in the WordPress admin. Here's how you can achieve this:

function change_post_type_order( $post_type_order ) {
  $new_order = array( 'news', 'product', 'post' ); 
  return $new_order;
}
add_filter( 'manage_edit-post_type_order', 'change_post_type_order' );

This code snippet will make sure the "news" post type appears before the "product" post type in the WordPress dashboard.

Conclusion

Controlling the order of post types in your WordPress admin can greatly improve the usability and organization of your website. Using post types order code snippets allows you to customize this order to your specific needs, ensuring a smooth workflow and a more streamlined experience. By understanding the basics of post types order code snippets and following the tips outlined in this article, you can efficiently manage the organization of your content within your WordPress admin area.