Trying to figure out what WordPress Post Types are can be a confusing task. First, we need to actually take a step back and get the definition of “post”. A post, in it’s rawest definition, is simply a way of displaying content. This means a page is a post, an article in a newspaper is a post, and even a newsletter is a post.
If you think about it, there are several different types of ‘posts’ on a blog. According to the WordPress Codex there are 5 core types of content:
- Post
- Page
- Attachment
- Revisions
- Nav Menus
Each one has a specific reason for existing. Custom Post Types is a phrase you may hear from time to time. It is simply the addition of customized ways of using different layouts to display your content.
Hopefully now the next time you hear “Post Types” you will not be so lost. It’s simply a way of defining a content layout option different than the core features.
Travis Smith has a great write up on WPSmith.net along with this helpful list of links.
Thanks for the ping! FYI, it’s wpsmith.net. Yea, “post types” is not the best nomenclature. It should have been “content types” but since WordPress was first a post and blogging platform, it became variations to the post type (or post post type). And since WordPress has a backwards compatibility philosophy this will not change.
Thanks for the heads up on that URL Travis. Got it fixed up.