Custom Post Types is a new feature in WordPress which greatly extends the versatility of the script. It was originally introduced in WP 2.9 but it’s functionality has been greatly extended in WP 3.0.

The word ‘Post’ is a bit misleading about the feature though. As Justin Tadlock suggests, the word ‘Content’ would be more appropriate as post types refers to the different types of ‘content’ which WordPress displays.

By default WordPress comes with 5 post types: Post, Page, Attachment, Revisions (i.e. drafts) and Nav Menus. Custom Post Types allow you to add more content types. For example, you could add a post type for events, movies, galleries and much more.

To manually add a new post type you need to use the register post type function, which is not too difficult to use but non-coders may want to use one of the many post type plugins instead as it makes the whole process a lot easier.

WP Easy Post Types

There are plugins available which add specific post types to your site such as the Featured Post Type from Ranjith Siji and the YouTube Post Type from Aizat Faiz. However the best plugin I have seen so far is WP Easy Post Types (brought to my attention by Blog Perfume). WP Easy Post Types lets you easily create custom fields and categories for your added post types.

Adding a new post type is easy. You simply need to enter the name of the post type and determine the post types fields etc.

Once you have added your post type you will see a new menu for it in the admin sidebar which allows you to add new content.

The fields of your new post type can easily be modified using the plugin. Post types can also be imported and exported, which is useful if you are using custom post types on more than one website.

Overview

If you have a large content website then you should look more into Custom Post Types as they can greatly extend the scope of WordPress. WP Easy Post Types makes the whole process of adding new post types straight forward so I would encourage you to check it out if you are looking into adding more content types to your website.

Good luck,
Kevin

Download: WP Easy Post Types