Little Background Info

Around 5 months ago #13818 was opened requesting an Index/Archive option for Custom Post Types because the way WordPress works meant that /post-type/ would just 404 on you although /post-type/wordpress-rocks/ worked just fine.

Similar could be said about Custom Taxonomies and how they function which I brought up back in February on the WP-Hackers Mailing List – I don’t think I was popular in the community that month for sure? While it’d be a nice addition I know many would like (and shut me up) I have been informed more than once it’ll not happen!

Now For Some Code

If you’re new to Custom Post Types and the register_post_type(); function then make sure to check out an in-depth article Justin Tadlock wrote on the subject, I recommend you read it anyway! :)

In our functions.php file lets setup a basic Projects Post Type with the Archive active.

add_action( 'init', 'mcw_projects_post_type' );

function mcw_projects_post_type() {

	register_post_type( 'projects', array(
		'labels' => array(
			'name' => __('Projects'),
			'singular_name' => __('Project')
			),
		'public' => true,
		'show_ui' => true,
		'rewrite' => array(
			'slug' => 'project',
			'with_front' => false
			),
		'has_archive' => true
	) );

}

We’re looking at the has_archive argument which has been set to true which will turn on the Archive for this particular Custom Post Type, normally it would default to false though! — But we can take that a step further because when it’s set to true it’ll fallback to the value in the slug argument. So here that would make it site.com/project/ which just wouldn’t look quite right!

'has_archive' => 'projects'

All we did was substitute true with projects which therefore shows site.com/projects/ as being home instead. Now we know we can do that, we can do all sorts of things (get creative), we don’t need to keep it in line with our Projects Post Type.

'has_archive' => 'work'

Thinking outside-the-box gives you site.com/work/ which is different, the option is yours!

What Else Might I Need To Know

A new archive-{$post_type}.php template was introduced although it will fallback to archive.php if it can’t find the appropriate template for the job. So for our Projects Post Type, as projects happens to be the value we used for the Custom Post Type, we’d call our template archive-projects.php — Similar to if we used the portfolio value for a Portfolio Post Type we’d end up calling our template archive-portfolio.php and so on.

If you get a 404 error when trying to view the Custom Post Type Archive then simply visit Settings > Permalink which will flush your rewrite rules for you, it’s as simple as that, and there we have it!

While I personally disagree that they’ve done most of what I had written about, I can’t argue the fact that things have already happened, the biggest change in my opinion being the new colour scheme you can now find. It matches in with 3.o now!

Already it makes WordPress.org more appealing and easy on the eyes. Plus we can’t forget the drop-down menu you now see when you hover over Extend, you know what they say about small and simple changes sometimes being the best! ;)

What More (Minor Changes) Would I Like To See?

For starters the development teams going to work on the redesign have been announced, and while I probably couldn’t help fully, I’m sitting on the sidelines here writing my thoughts and publishing them for all to read and use if they require?

Official WordPress News (http://wordpress.org/news/) – What was known as /development/ before it was changed, but a smart move which now makes it sound a lot more professional and more official looking!

The old slug didn’t quite describe what the WordPress Blog was all about in my eyes, and in the eyes of Matt Mullenweg and other developers too by the looks of it, as around July 8th 2010 Ryan Boren made a couple of changes to WP.org with this being one of them!

Extend WordPress (http://extend.wordpress.org/) – You’ll see it’s not a huge change, and wouldn’t really alter the setup currently being used, more or less just a little bit of a URL layout change, plus making sure it was the *real* hub for Extending WordPress through Themes and Plugins!

With over 100 Million Plugin Downloads I think it’s safe to say Extend plays a major part of WordPress, and at the end of the day, that’s going to continue long and hard into the future (both for Themes and Plugins!)

I’d like to think it would encourage other people to get involved in WordPress?

Make WordPress [...] (http://make.wordpress.org/) – Whoever thought that structure up should make themselves known, I’m due you a drink! :)

If you didn’t already know that we have Make WordPress UI (you do now) which deals with the User Interface of WordPress, where you’ll most likely find John O’Nolan hanging around as Deputy Head of the UI Team, with Jane Wells still in charge of it all. We’ll soon also have Make WordPress Code up and running for WP Code Developments!

Which got me thinking about the (redundant) Ideas Forum and how it really has no purpose under Extend! Please do call me crazy, but ideas are all about making things better right? – In which case why don’t we setup Make WordPress Better?

In Closing

We’re all different and we all think differently about things! :D Any thoughts?

Using WordPress Itself

You might have heard me saying this all before, I have been thinking about it for a while, and I also remember Jeff Chandler asking his WPTavern.com readers/followers if they knew what powered the main WP.org site? With not many people knowing, I think the majority were surprised to find out it was just HTML behind it.

With the release of WordPress 3.0 just happening today, and the huge success of the WP/WPMU merge that took place, wouldn’t it be the right time to harness all the new features and functionality that went into development of 3.0? :D

Not forgetting how it could act as another (major) site to help spot bugs similar to WP.com?

Switch The Codex Over To WordPress

At the moment they use MediaWiki for the WordPress Codex but just imagine how it would look if they ported it over to use WordPress instead? I know it would take a lot of work, the opportunity could be taken though to give the Codex a spring-clean for more of a better word!

It would just be another way for people to see how WordPress can be used for virtually anything at the end of the day, along with what can be achieved. I’d like to think it would also enhance the way others use WordPress?

The Single Login

As they’d say in Trac for a feature or idea they like +1, but in this case I’m sure +1000 would sound way more appropriate! :) When you visit WP.org you shouldn’t have to login to all the separate areas all the time, it’s not user-friendly! - Which is probably why you’ll not find me kicking about there as much?

Clean Up And Organise Extend

With the large number of Plugins and Themes available, sometimes I feel when you’re looking for a certain something it could be made a lot easier, fair point yes? If you take the Category/Section/Tag that can be picked from, cleaning that up is already half-way there, and half the battle!

Taking that a little further, I’d like to see it located at http://extend.wordpress.org/ instead because at the end of the day you are actually ”Extending WordPress” which fits better than the current format?!

WordPress Profiles

I know we have something for this at the moment but it could do with a little work, making it the central location on WP.org for the users to go and edit their details would be a great start. Then with the main WordPress.org site running WordPress too, it could all be integrated using the MultiSite/Network Feature! (The possibilities are endless!)

And That’s It From Me

Sure I could have probably expanded upon my thoughts above but I was just getting them out in the open, although I see they have been talked about on the WPTavern Forum which also includes MANY more ideas from others around the community!

For those of you not in-the-know, Samuel Wood (AKA Otto) has been hired by Matt Mullenweg himself to head up the WordPress.org Redesign, which I’m looking forward to watching and helping out however I can?