Are you a WordPress theme developer who wants to take your skills to the next level? If so, then learning how to create custom WordPress template tags is a great place to start.
Template tags are a great way to give yourself more control over your WordPress site. Creating your custom tags can make your site more flexible and dynamic. Plus, it can be a lot of fun to create your template tags and see how they work on your site!
In this blog post, you’ll learn how to create custom WordPress template tags. We’ll also provide examples of custom template tags you can use on your WordPress site if you’re ready to learn more about custom WordPress development!
What are Custom WordPress template tags?
In WordPress, these template tags are PHP functions that can display specific content anywhere within template tags files, including the post title and excerpt, meta data, etc.
As with default template tag description, custom tags are PHP functions designed to extend custom functionality for displaying content beyond what’s offered by the core; they let developers define their own unique custom tags in order to output specialized content, such as showing custom fields, integrating third-party APIs, or special formatting of specific post categories data.
These shortcodes work by inserting code snippets into the files of WordPress theme functions, like functions.php, or embedding them within plugins for wider usage.
Types of Custom Template Tags
Custom template tags are mainly of two types: function tags and class tags.
- The function template tag is the most common way to output content, doing its work by creating reusable PHP functions in your functions.php file.
- The class template tag is a little more complicated as it uses PHP classes to manage reusable content. It is typically suited for larger customizations whereby maintainability and scalability are enhanced by having structured code in an object-oriented format.
Why create custom template tags?
There are a few reasons you should create custom WordPress tags.
Firstly, if you want to create a unique function for your website that doesn’t already exist in WordPress, you’ll need to create a custom template tag. Secondly, a custom template tag can make your website more efficient by allowing you to reuse code instead of recreating it each time you need it. Finally, a custom template tag can make your website more organized and easier to maintain by keeping all of your code in one place.
How to create Custom WordPress tags?
You can create tags for your other WordPress files when creating a custom WordPress template. The template tag is a PHP function used to display post content in your file.
Step 1: Creating Function Template Tags
Function tags are created in your site’s functions.php file, or a custom plugin file. Here’s how to create a simple function template tag:
1. Open the functions.php file located in your theme directory.
2. In PHP, create a custom function. For this example, let’s create a tag to display the current year:
function custom_current_year() {
return date('Y');
}
3. Call the function in your template file (e.g., footer.php):
<p>© <?php echo custom_current_year(); ?> Your Website</p>This custom tag outputs the current year dynamically, updating each year without manual intervention.
Step 2: Creating Class Template Tags
Class template tags take a PHP class setup to allow structure and scalability for more complex functions.
1. Setup a PHP Class in functions.php or a plugin file:
class CustomTemplateTags {
public static function display_post_views($postID) {
$views = get_post_meta($postID, 'view_count', true);
return $views ? $views : '0';
}2. Call the Class Method in your other template files with the required arguments:
<p>Post Views: <?php echo CustomTemplateTags::display_post_views(get_the_ID()); ?></p>This class-based tag retrieves and outputs the view count of a post and can be reused or further extended to include other features.
Create Custom WordPress tags
If you want to create custom WordPress tags that you can use across multiple WordPress sites, then the best way to do it is to create a custom plugin. You can easily reuse the template tag on other WordPress sites.
To create a custom plugin, you first need to create a new directory in the /wp-content/plugins/ directory. Then, create a file in this directory called plugin.php. In this theme file, you will place your custom template tag code.
Best Practices Writing Custom Template Tags
- Observe coding standards to keep your tags clean, readable, and compatible with any future updates.
- Use descriptive functions and class names to not conflict with other plugins or theme functions.
- Prioritize security: always sanitize and validate Input/ Output to secure your site from vulnerabilities.
How Custom template tags can improve your workflow?
Custom WordPress tags can improve your workflow by allowing you to organize your code better. Creating custom tags allows you to add functions without editing the template itself. This can be very useful if you need to add a lot of code to your template or if you want to keep your template code clean and organized.
Centralized Version Control
With custom tags, you have the ability to take code that is complex or repetitive and place it in a single location, often functions.php or a plugin. Now, you only need to make changes to one location, since the code of the tag will update across your entire site – negating errors.
Cleaner, More Readable Template Tags Files
In developing a WordPress theme, template files can get bloated with repetitive code and embedded functions. Custom template tags can serve the purpose of cleaning up your file, making it all more readable and, hence maintainable.
What to consider when creating a Custom WordPress template tag?
When creating a custom WordPress template tag, there are a few things to remember. First, you need to decide what your tag will do. Will it display post content or page template? Or will it provide information about a specific aspect of your website? Once you know what your tag will do, you can start coding it.
You’ll need to use the correct syntax when coding your custom WordPress template tag. This includes using the correct PHP tags, as well as closing your tags correctly. Once your tag is coded, you can test it by adding it to a custom post or page on your WordPress site. If everything is working correctly, your tag should display the content you want it to.
How to troubleshoot custom template tags?
When creating custom WordPress tags, it is essential to remember to use the correct syntax. This includes using the correct opening and closing general tags, as well as using the correct attribute names. If you are having trouble with your custom tags, some troubleshooting tips can help.
First, make sure that you are using the correct syntax. This includes using the correct opening and closing tags, as well as using the correct attribute names. If you need help with the correct syntax, check the WordPress Codex or ask a question in the WordPress Support Forums.
Another helpful troubleshooting tip is to check the WordPress debug log. This log will show you any errors that are occurring on your website. To view the debug log, you will need to add the following line to your wp-config.php file:
define( ‘WP_DEBUG_LOG', true );
Once you have added this line to your wp-config. php file, you can view the debug log by going to your WordPress install folder and looking for the debug.log file.
If you still have trouble with your custom template tag, you can try deactivating all your plugins and switching to the default WordPress theme. If the problem persists, there is likely a problem with your WordPress installation. In this case, you will need to contact your host or ask a question in the WordPress Support Forums.
Implementing Tags on a Live Site
Once you’ve tested, you’re good to go live with your custom tags. Do make sure you back up your site in advance in case something goes wrong, so you’ll have a restore point. You’ll do an incremental release just on some templates or theme templates to see if there are any errors. If anything goes wrong, you can debug the tags real-time or revert the changes without having touched the whole site.
Conclusion
Creating custom WordPress template tags can help extend the functionality of your theme. The template tag is a PHP function that generates content within a WordPress theme. Web Help Agency can help you create custom WordPress tags at affordable prices.
FAQs
WordPress tags are, in simple language, PHP functions applied to design files with the main purpose of outputting specific content or data, like blog title, excerpts, and metadata. They play an important role in dynamic content management and enable developers to customize themes without manual coding of data.
To make tags of your own, just declare regular PHP functions and classes, and put them in the functions.php file of your theme or package them into a custom plugin if you want to use them across more than just that theme or across more than one site. Once the tag is added, you invoke it in any file, and it displays your custom content.
Yes, custom tags can be reused across themes. The recommended best practice is to create a custom plugin containing the tags and enable it on each site. This way, no matter which theme is running, the tags can be used.
