Register a Custom Post Type in WordPress

To add your own type of content to WordPress, such as team members, awards or testimonials, you register a custom post type. Add this code to your theme’s functions.php. A child theme or a custom plugin is the better home for it, so the post type stays registered if you switch themes.

//registering custom post
add_action( 'init', 'themename_custom_posts' );
function themename_custom_posts() {
    

    //custom post type
    register_post_type( 'name',
        array(
            'labels' => array(
                'name' => __( 'Names' ),
                'singular_name' => __( 'name' )
            ),
            'supports' => array('title', 'editor', 'thumbnail', 'page-attributes'),
            'public' => false,
            'publicly_queryable' => true,
            'show_ui' => true,
            'menu_icon'   => 'dashicons-awards',
        )
    );
}

What the code does

The function runs on the init hook, which is where post types should be registered. register_post_type() takes the post type key ('name' here) and an array of settings:

• labels: the plural and singular names shown in the admin. __() makes them translatable; add your text domain as its second argument.
• supports: the editing features the post type gets: title, content editor, featured image and page attributes (the Order field).
• public is false, so by default the post type is left out of front-end search results and the Menus screen. show_ui still gives it admin screens, and publicly_queryable still allows front-end queries for it.
• menu_icon: the Dashicons class used for its admin menu item.

Before you use it

• Replace 'name' with your own key: lowercase letters, numbers, dashes or underscores, at most 20 characters. Update the labels to match.
• The featured image box only appears if your theme supports post-thumbnails.
• If the entries should appear in search results and menus like regular posts, set public to true.
• After registering a new post type, re-save Settings > Permalinks so its URLs don’t return 404 errors (why new post types return 404).
• Without 'show_in_rest' => true, this post type is edited in the classic editor. Add it if you want the block editor.

Related articles

• setting up a single-{post_type}.php template: what to check when the new post type’s content doesn’t show
• letting a post type use a page template: choose a layout per entry