Wordpress Directory
 

I want to add a business directory to my WP site, with drop down lists and maybe a keyword search. My goal is to include contact info, prices, a summary of what their business entails, and maybe a picture or two.

Any ideas on how I can implement this, without hiring a coder? (I'm considering that, but I just want to know what my options are.)

You'll probably need a plugin for that and if you can't code php your self you'll need to hire someone. Let me recommend... well me! :D I'm very affordable and good with php, send me an email to c.calcluth(at)btinternet.com Check out my portfolio here: Vermilion Site Web Design

Thanks

Thank you, Came. :) I will keep you in mind.

hey angelique is this for your quinceria site? i spent ages toying around with different wordpress directory plugins and most are bad but i got a good one, ill send it to you next time i see you on chat.

Yep, it is. Great, thank you so much! :)

What you want to do can easily be accomplished with a custom post type. A custom post type is the same as a normal post, however you can specify a name, what options are available (eg. editor, thumbnail, custom fields etc.) and provide custom templates to display them. Once defined, they appear as a new sectio within wp-admin. For things like what you want to do, I always prefer to use CPTs because they leverage the default built-in functionality of Wordpress without having to create my own. Typically, you need to be a bit of a "coder" to implement them as they're defined through the functions.php file within your theme.

There are a couple of plugins out there that allow you to define custom post types and related taxonomies via wp-admin. Check out this one (not free... $20) which allows you to define a CPT, create custom taxonomies and setup all the custom fields you require.

Easy Content Types Plugin for WordPress | Pippin's Plugins

Have a squiz at the second video on that page. I think that will do everything you need to do.

This makes a lot of sense to me. Actually, I was wondering if there was a solution like this.. or whether it'd be just fine to build a separate post/page for each listing.

Thank you, aussieNickuss! :)

No worries!

Custom post types are amazing. Prior to Wordpress 3.0 (or maybe it was 2.7... can't remember), if you wanted to use post-like functionality for anything other than blog posts, you would typically do it by creating a bunch of post categories and use the cumbersome custom fields feature to add extra meta data. You would then have to modify your themes to display the posts in a different fashion depending on what categories they had been assigned to.

I use them all the time with my client projects. Some examples have included a business directory like what you're seeking, events calendar, products database etc. It's CPTs that have basically turned Wordpress into a full-blown CMS rather than just a glorified blogging platform.

Read up on CPTs in more depth at the Wordpress Codex.... (bit techie over there... but worth a look anyway).

Post Types WordPress Codex

This is great, aussieNickuss. I'm so glad you shared this with me, as I hadn't even heard the term 'custom post types' yet. :)

How integral is this directory to your site? The latest theme from Elegant Themes (my affiliate link), called "eList," turns your site into a traditional directory listing. It could be a jobs board, a dating service...anything Craig's List-like, basically.

If a directory is supposed to just be a part of your site, as opposed to the heart of it, you can still implement a whole theme (as opposed to just a plugin) by hosting it as a subdomain.

Aminka Ozmun, this is the prettiest design I've seen for a directory, so far. I had no idea you could do that with a theme.

Thank you for the link and the tips! :)

I'm glad it's useful! I use some of those themes for almost all my own sites so if you need help, feel free to PM me. ;)

Oh, cool. Thank you! :)

I have sample for you, how wordpress can do? This my own Web site, with Wordpress. But in Indonesian :)


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