Bits of .NET

📦 Store Extra Data with Posts

Posts need extra data. Custom fields (post meta) store additional information. Product price, event date, author bio.

📝 Using Custom Fields

// Add custom field
add_post_meta($post_id, 'product_price', 99.99, true);

// Update custom field
update_post_meta($post_id, 'product_price', 89.99);

// Get custom field
$price = get_post_meta($post_id, 'product_price', true);

// Get all custom fields
$all_meta = get_post_meta($post_id);

// Delete custom field
delete_post_meta($post_id, 'product_price');

// Check if meta exists
if (metadata_exists('post', $post_id, 'product_price')) {
    // Meta exists
}

// For arrays and objects (serialize)
update_post_meta($post_id, 'settings', array(
    'color' => 'blue',
    'size' => 'large'
));

🎯 Real-World Examples

// Product fields
add_post_meta($product_id, '_price', 49.99);
add_post_meta($product_id, '_sku', 'PROD-001');
add_post_meta($product_id, '_stock', 100);

// Event fields
add_post_meta($event_id, '_event_date', '2024-12-25');
add_post_meta($event_id, '_event_location', 'Convention Center');
add_post_meta($event_id, '_event_seats', 500);

// User fields (user meta)
add_user_meta($user_id, 'twitter', '@username');
add_user_meta($user_id, 'birthday', '1990-01-01');

// Display in template
$price = get_post_meta(get_the_ID(), '_price', true);
if ($price) {
    echo '<p>Price: $' . number_format($price, 2) . '</p>';
}

💡 Advanced Features

• ACF (Advanced Custom Fields) plugin for UI
• Custom meta boxes for admin
• Meta query for searching by custom fields
• Use with WP_Query for filtering