Reusable Custom WordPress Meta Boxes

Version: 0.4

Contributors: tammyhart awshout

Original Tutorial Series: (http://wp.tutsplus.com/author/tammy/)

Description

I spent quite a bit of time working with this awesome code and tutorial written by Tammy Hart. The idea was to include options for a page template in the meta. When a template is selected for a page, the corresponding meta box would be displayed with JavaScript.

I was working with 5 page templates, each with their own meta box, and it was adding a bunch of clutter to the database. The solution was to save each box as an array. This cut the clutter down a bunch, but it still saved each meta box for every page in database.

I ended up scrapping this because I couldn't access the meta or "page template options" outside the page id. I still wanted to put it out there for anyone looking to save custom meta boxes as an array or hide them based on page template. -Anthony Wilhelm

This project was originally a tutorial for WPTuts+, but as I continued to use the code in my own projects, I kept improving it and making the resusable part even better. Rather than update the tutorial, I decided to make it an open source project here where developers can keep up with improvements as well as contribute their own.

This project creates a class which makes it easy to create a custom meta box for any post type using a master switch case for the meta box and fields HTML and an array containing the data for the fields you want to use.

Fields Included

• Text Input (types: text,tel, email, url, number)
• Textarea
• WYSIWYG Editor
• Single checkbox
• Select
• Radio group
• Checkbox group
• Taxonomy Select box and Checkboxes
• Post select with support for "multiple"
• Post Checkboxes
• jQuery UI Date input
• jQuery UI Slider
• Color chooser
• Post Drag and Drop Sort
• Image upload/select
• File upload/select
• Sortable Repeatable area with ability to use any of the above mentioned fields (with caution and reason)

Notes

Not all fields are covered in the included example, but they are in the Wiki

Usage

These files are written from the perspecitve of being used in a theme.

1. Add the metaboxes directory in your theme or plugin.
2. Include metaboxes/meta_box.php in your functions.php.
3. Use the class to create and add meta boxes to any post type (see Examples section below or the Wiki )

Examples

Create an array that contains the field data (full examples of each filed type found in inc/sample.php)

$prefix = 'sample_';

$fields = array(
	array( // Text Input
		'label'	=> 'Text Input', // <label>
		'desc'	=> 'A description for the field.', // description
		'id'	=> $prefix.'text', // field id and name
		'type'	=> 'text' // type of field
	),
	array( // Textarea
		'label'	=> 'Textarea', // <label>
		'desc'	=> 'A description for the field.', // description
		'id'	=> $prefix.'textarea', // field id and name
		'type'	=> 'textarea' // type of field
	)
);

Instantiate the class with all required variables

/**
 * Instantiate the class with all variables to create a meta box
 * var $id string meta box id
 * var $title string title
 * var $fields array fields
 * var $page string|array post type to add meta box to
 * var $js bool including javascript or not
 */
$sample_box = new custom_add_meta_box( 'sample_box', 'Sample Box', $fields, 'post', true );

Changelog

0.4 (January 8, 2013)

• Cleaned up docs
• Cleaned up js
• Cleaned up the field output and nested repeatables
• Fixed several bugs

0.3 (November 10, 2012)

• Added file field
• Added function to simplify the add file and add image thickbox
• added more fields to the Repeatable
• Added "chosen" and "multiple" options to select fields

0.2 (September 11, 2012)

• Functions combined into a class
• Major code cleanup and some docing added

0.1 (March 31, 2012)

• First release