Filtering Using Filtering Portfolio Options on Salient (with ACF maybe?)

a custom text field, which is pulled from each person’s portfolio

So these people are WP users and this field is saved as part of their user profile? Or are they not WP users and exist only as arbitrary page content containing their profile? Pages can have custom fields added without resorting to ACF. There is a built-in meta box for custom fields. Not so for user profiles, you’d need some custom code or a plugin such as ACF for user custom fields.

So adding custom fields in the back end is fairly straight forward, especially with ACF. Getting such fields to appear on the front end where you want is dependent on your theme. If your theme is a classic theme, its template could be modified to use functions like get_post_meta() or ACF’s get_field(). Similarly, there’s a get_user_meta() function if appropriate. Exactly how these would be incorporated into your theme depends entirely on what theme you use. Since you are using Salient, a commercial theme, there’s little we can offer for advice here. I suggest asking for specific guidance through your theme’s dedicated support channel.

@bcworkz Thanks so much for the response. So yeah, they are just arbitrary profiles set up, not users of the site. After I posted this, I watched some vids on ACF and was able to add in a field for job titles (in this case), and you’re right, that was fairly straight forward.

I think I now need to figure out how to pull that info and display it using Salient’s post loop builder. I’ll reach out to their team again. I’m guessing I’ll need to add in some custom code? My php knowledge is non-existent, so I’ll need to learn it.

The goal here is to have a filtering option for the different job categories (management, directors, etc), but also show specific meta fields. Are there any specific filtering plugins that you would recommend to accomplish this? I’m aware of Search & Filter, which I’ll dive into, but open to other recommendations.

Cheers!

Sorry, I’ve no specific recommendations for filtering plugins. All I can suggest is doing a search and trying out a few that sound promising.

My php knowledge is non-existent, so I’ll need to learn it.

I applaud your willingness to learn, even though it seems like you’re sort of forced into it. Don’t be too concerned, you only really need to learn enough to accomplish the task at hand. There are examples you can use to help you on your way.

One challenge will be determining where to place your field code in your theme’s templates. Fortunately PHP is easier to read than it is to write. Still, finding the right place can be a challenge. Hopefully your theme’s support staff will be able to help you with that.

@bcworkz No worries. I’ve since done some research on it, and found a few I’m going to test out. Oddly enough, I also found that the Salient dev team added a custom fields category in the post loop builder in their new beta version – I’m guessing that may have had something to do with my recent inquiries on the topic. It’s not perfect, but it does do the job (however inelegantly).

I’m always willing to learn. And being forced to do it is sometimes the best time (otherwise, I find myself being distracted by other things to focus my time on).

Thank you for your offer to help and your guidance as well. I truly do appreciate it!