Creating Custom Post Templates in WordPress Themes

Posted on 19th June 2023

If you’re a WordPress theme developer, chances are you’ve had to create custom post templates at some point. Custom post templates are themes that allow you to change the way a post is displayed on your site. For example, you might want to create a post template that displays a post’s title, author, and featured image on the left side of the page, with the rest of the content on the right. Or you might want to create a post template that displays a post’s title and author above the content, with the featured image below the content.

Creating custom post templates is a great way to change the way your site looks and feels without having to edit the core WordPress code. In this article, we’ll show you how to create custom post templates in WordPress themes.

Creating a Custom Post Template

Creating a custom post template is easy. First, create a new file in your theme’s directory and name it single-{post-type}-{slug}.php. For example, if you’re creating a custom post template for a post type called “event” with a slug of “concert”, you would name the file single-event-concert.php.

Next, open the file in your text editor and add the following code:

<?php
/*
Template Name: Concert
*/
?>

Save the file and upload it to your theme’s directory. That’s it!

Now when you view a post of the “event” post type with a slug of “concert”, WordPress will use the single-event-concert.php template to display the post. If you don’t have a single-event-concert.php template, WordPress will use the single.php template.

Creating a Custom Post Template for a Specific Post Type

If you want to create a custom post template for a specific post type, you can do so by creating a new file in your theme’s directory and naming it single-{post-type}.php. For example, if you’re creating a custom post template for a post type called “event”, you would name the file single-event.php.

Next, open the file in your text editor and add the following code:

<?php
/*
Template Name: Event
*/
?>

Save the file and upload it to your theme’s directory. That’s it!

Now when you view a post of the “event” post type, WordPress will use the single-event.php template to display the post. If you don’t have a single-event.php template, WordPress will use the single.php template.

Creating a Custom Post Template for a Specific Post

If you want to create a custom post template for a specific post, you can do so by creating a new file in your theme’s directory and naming it single-{post-type}-{slug}.php. For example, if you’re creating a custom post template for a post of the “event” post type with a slug of “concert”, you would name the file single-event-concert.php.

Next, open the file in your text editor and add the following code:

<?php
/*
Template Name: Concert
*/
?>

Save the file and upload it to your theme’s directory. That’s it!

Now when you view the “concert” post, WordPress will use the single-event-concert.php template to display the post. If you don’t have a single-event-concert.php template, WordPress will use the single.php template.

Creating a Custom Post Template for a Specific Post Type and Specific Post

If you want to create a custom post template for a specific post type and a specific post, you can do so by creating a new file in your theme’s directory and naming it single-{post-type}-{slug}.php. For example, if you’re creating a custom post template for a post of the “event” post type with a slug of “concert”, you would name the file single-event-concert.php.

Next, open the file in your text editor and add the following code:

<?php
/*
Template Name: Concert
*/
?>

Save the file and upload it to your theme’s directory. That’s it!

There are a few things to consider when creating custom post templates. First, decide what content will be in the template. This will help you determine what template tags to use. Next, choose a layout for your template. WordPress themes typically have a default layout, but you can customize it to your liking. Finally, style your template to match the rest of your theme.

When creating the actual template, start by creating a new file in your WordPress theme’s directory. Name the file something like “single-{post-type}.php” or “page-{slug}.php”. Replace {post-type} with the slug for your custom post type, and replace {slug} with the slug for the specific post or page you’re creating a template for.

Next, open the file in a text editor and add the following code at the top:

<?php
/*
Template Name: {Name of Template}
*/

get_header();

// The rest of your template code goes here…

get_footer();

Save the file and upload it to your WordPress theme's directory.

Now when you create a new post or page, you can select the template you created from the dropdown menu under "Page Attributes".

Creating Custom Post Templates in WordPress Themes

As a WordPress theme developer, you're probably familiar with the concept of creating custom page templates. Custom page templates are theme files that provide an alternative to the default page template included with WordPress themes. They allow you to create unique layouts for specific pages or groups of pages within your WordPress site.

Custom post templates work in a similar way, but they're used for individual posts instead of pages. They're a great way to create unique layouts for specific posts or groups of posts. In this article, we'll show you how to create custom post templates in WordPress themes.

Creating a Custom Post Template

The first thing you need to do is create a new file in your WordPress theme. You can name this file anything you like, but we recommend using a name that indicates that it's a custom post template. For example, you might name it post-template-my-custom-layout.php.

Once you've created the file, you need to add the following code to it:

This code tells WordPress that this file is a custom post template. The Template Name value is what will be displayed in the WordPress admin when you’re selecting a post template for a specific post.

Now that you’ve created the file and added the template name, you’re ready to start adding your custom layout code. This code will go in the main content area of your post template.

If you want to include the post title in your custom layout, you can use the the_title() function. For example, the following code would display the post title in an

element:

You can also use the the_content() function to display the post content in your custom layout. This function automatically adds the proper paragraph tags around your content, so you don’t need to worry about adding them yourself.

If you want to include the post author’s name, you can use the the_author() function. This function will display the author’s name, linked to their author archive page.

You can use any of the other WordPress template tags in your custom post template. For a complete list of template tags, see the WordPress Codex.

Once you’ve added the code for your custom layout, you’re ready to start using your custom post template.

Using a Custom Post Template

To use a custom post template, edit the post you want to use it for in the WordPress admin. On the post edit screen, you’ll see a drop-down menu labeled “Post Template” in the “Page Attributes” meta box. This drop-down menu contains a list of all the custom post templates available in your WordPress theme.

Select the custom post template you want to use from the “Post Template” drop-down menu and then save your changes. Your custom post template will now be applied to that specific post.

You can also use custom post templates for groups of posts. To do this, edit the category or tag you want to use the custom post template for. On the category or tag edit screen, you’ll see a “Post Template” field in the “Settings” meta box.

Enter the name of the custom post template you want to use in the “Post Template” field and then save your changes. Your custom post template will now be applied to all posts in that category or tag.

Conclusion

Custom post templates are a great way to create unique layouts for specific posts or groups of posts. In this article, we’ve shown you how to create custom post templates in WordPress themes. We’ve also shown you how to use custom post templates for specific posts and groups of posts.

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