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cpt-meta

The cpt-meta library simplifies the creation, management, and rendering of custom post types, meta boxes, and fields in WordPress. Its modular design makes it easier to build structured content management solutions by providing intuitive APIs for defining and sanitizing metadata, registering post types, generating custom fields, and interacting with WordPress hooks and REST endpoints.

Installation

Install via Composer:

Once installed, ensure that your plugin or theme autoloads dependencies:

Simplified Example

Below is a snippet of how a baisc plugin might set everything up:

When you visit Vehicles > Add New in the admin area, you’ll see a “Vehicle Details” meta box. Any data entered into these fields will automatically save to the post’s metadata. check out the full sample plugin code here: https://github.com/devuri/wp-vehicle-management

Key Features

• Custom Post Types
  Easily register and configure custom post types using the PostType class.

• Meta Boxes and Fields
  Define and manage meta boxes via the MetaBox class, and create custom field definitions with the Settings class.

• Form Rendering
  Leverage the Form class to generate input fields, textareas, selects, color pickers, and more—complete with zebra striping, table-based layouts, and built-in sanitization hooks.

• Metadata Handling
  Retrieve and manage metadata with the Data class, which provides easy methods to fetch post meta, create lists of posts, and fetch additional information (like featured image IDs).

• REST API Integration
  The PostType class can register custom REST endpoints for retrieving or manipulating data. Extend WordPress’s REST API easily.

• Admin Columns
  Manage custom columns in the WordPress admin, making them sortable or adding additional information in list tables.

• Modular & Extensible
  Built around interfaces, traits, and abstract classes to ensure maximum flexibility. You can override default behaviors or hook into key extension points.

Example: Vehicle Management

Below is a basic walkthrough on how you might use this library to manage a “Vehicle” custom post type and its metadata.

1. Register a Custom Post Type

First, create a PostType instance and register it:

This will make a new post type called “Vehicle” in the WordPress admin menu with a car dashicon and support for title and thumbnail.

2. Define Metadata Fields in a Settings Class

Next, create a subclass of Settings to define the custom fields (e.g., name, description, type, speed):

Within these methods (input, textarea, select), the library handles rendering, sanitization, and labeling. You can further tailor data sanitization by overriding methods like data() or hooking into form submission processes.

3. Attach the Settings to a Meta Box

Create a MetaBox instance, passing in your VehicleSettings object and any config options, then register it:

When editing a “Vehicle” post, you’ll now see a “Vehicle Details” meta box containing all defined fields.

4. Retrieving Metadata

With the Data class, you can retrieve post data in one place:

Additionally, you can fetch a list of vehicles, generate edit links, or retrieve featured image IDs.

Advanced Usage

1. Custom REST Endpoints

If you’d like to expose a custom endpoint, the PostType class offers a helper method:

Your custom endpoint will be available at /{post_type}/v1/custom-details.

2. Admin Columns

Add or modify admin columns for your post type:

3. Bulk Registration & Autosave

If you maintain multiple custom post types, you can bulk-register them. Or you can rely on the built-in autosave mechanism (by default, MetaBox hooks into save_post_{$post_type}).

4. Extensible Form Rendering

All fields are generated by the Form class, which you can override or extend for specialized needs (e.g., custom JavaScript fields, advanced validation, etc.).
Common methods include input, textarea, select, editor, and more.

Below are two examples demonstrating how to use the urisoft/postmeta package in a plugin context. Both examples register a custom post type called “Vehicle” and create a meta box for managing vehicle data in the WordPress admin.

Example 1: Step-by-Step Setup with PostType and MetaBox

When you visit Vehicles > Add New in the admin area, you’ll see a “Vehicle Details” meta box. Any data entered into these fields will automatically save to the post’s metadata.

Example 2: Helper Function (createMeta)

Note: The createMeta function will skip registering the “vehicle” post type if it already exists. If that’s the case, you only get the meta box for the existing post type.

Both approaches result in a “Vehicle Details” meta box when editing the “Vehicle” custom post type in your WordPress admin. Choose whichever method best suits your workflow.

Additional Tips

• Naming Conventions:
  By default, meta data may be stored in meta keys like "{post_type}_cpm" or a hashed field. Check your code or the Settings subclass to see how it’s configured.

• Sanitization & Validation:
  Each field can be sanitized in the data() method of your Settings subclass. For advanced or non-textual fields (e.g., HTML fields, numeric ranges), override or extend the library’s defaults.

• Compatibility:
  The library requires at least PHP 7.4+ and a WordPress environment (version 4.0 or higher is recommended).

• Documentation:
  Inline PHPDoc comments are provided throughout the source code. You can also refer to WordPress’s official developer references for functions like get_posts(), register_post_type(), wp_editor(), etc.

The cpt-meta library offers a streamlined, powerful set of tools for building and maintaining custom post types in WordPress. By combining classes like PostType, MetaBox, Settings, Form, and Data, developers can organize complex metadata workflows with minimal boilerplate. Whether you’re setting up a single custom post type or crafting a fully-fledged content management system, cpt-meta aims to simplify the entire process—so you can focus on building great features.

For more advanced details on WordPress custom post types and metadata, refer to:

• WordPress Custom Post Type
• WordPress Custom Meta Boxes
• WordPress REST API