[Plugin: WP Customer Reviews] Use custom post types

We don’t plan to use custom post type at this time due to the strict requirements of the microformats. Making even the slightest change could invalidate the entire microformat.

I’ll look into it, but it would involve a complete rewrite of the plugin which doesn’t sound like too much fun to me ??

Thanks for the kind works and the suggestions.. Will definitely check on it.

I try to explain why are Custom post types, and i could to say, best way ??

Microformats or microdata haven’t any limitation in using custom post types. Formats or data are based on analysys of generated html output.

When you use ability of custom post types, you get some of these great possibilities (orded from general user to developer):

– Common user interface
– Easy extensible for other fields (meta) with UI plugin (like More fields plugin)
– Standardized type of content with all advantages (reviews is only variation of non hierarchial post)
– Multilingual for whole (eg. with WPML)
– Allow to use comments
– Whole scale others plugins (like SEO Ultimate, which have support for Microformats and Microdata Review module, Role scoper for restrictions, etc.)
– Automatic generated feed syndication
– Unify WordPress enviroment (wordpress 3.1 brings more support for Custom post types)
– You can use other wordpress features like taxonomies or media (for video review for example)
– Use standardized WordPress post template helpers, you can easy separate/add support for template file in theme.
– Buil-in Archivation, Pagination or others extension joined with post type.
– Create/Read/Update/Delete buil-in within wordpress

Migrate content with backward compatibility is simple. Just copy them ?? With ID attribute, which will be meta value.

This is only “few” things, which found without deeper analysis using ??

I see your code, you have written much code to generate user interface. WordPress has enviroment to generate this interface for you. See more here: https://shibashake.com/wordpress-theme/add-custom-post-type-columns

Your plugin have big potential. We can create customer reviews/testimonials with standard WP features in 2 hours (by using custom post types). You can bring value added and your plugin will be more popular and easily maintanance and supported in time.

Regards ??

I will definitely look into it. My only concern is that a user would have to be logged into wordpress and have permissions to post.. If not, then the whole custom post types would need a wrapper to allow posting without a user being present, which wouldn’t work too well for this purpose. Thanks for the suggestion!

No, user no need to be logged. Only must have created account. UserID/name will be stored in configuration.

Do it very simple.
Give two choises:

1. user choose user under which to save post, or
2. just create dummy (contributor role). For example cr_reviewer.

Hi Adorei,

2.0.0 has been released and can use multiple pages. It does not use custom post types, but is a huge improvement. Let me know what you think.

Hi Bompus,

Thumbs up! realy. Custom attributes, review format, multiple use reviews. You have made large progress. This plugin will have big potential. But you are begins to duplicate functionality within WordPress.

See why:

for example custom attributes. there is built in wordpress functionality for this, much flexible. 3 custom attributes vs. unlimited.

And there are more and more examples why use custom post types. I found anothers:

– Taxonomies: try to imagine, that you are an organization with some hierarchy: Sellers, Custom Service and Affiliate program. You can create 3 separate forms, which every one just select taxonomy term (like hidden input).
With url rewrite there would be nice URL like /reviews/sales/, */service/, */affiliate/. And so on, every taonomy and post type may have any.
There isn’t any limitation to create some pages and put there script. It was way before custom post types are appeared.
I don’t talking about SEO plugins, every taxonomy category, post type may have custom TITLE tag value ??

– Custom theme files for archive of reviews or single of them. With WordPress theme hierarchy there is possibility to create own designs. For example: taxonomy-wpreview.php, single-wpreview.php. It would be great! And imagine that with post formats (WordPress 3.1). So much variables for designs. No hacking, using only built in functionality.
For me, it is so complicated to hack every minor update when i want to edit some little things which are only presentation, no functionality. Rather then i do not update plugin.

– Multilinguage: this provides WPML for post types in core.

There are some feature request not joined with custom post types:
– Plugin localization. There are hard coded english strings. Use built in localization support.
– Date format: you can use get_option(‘date_format’), (‘time_format’) taken from user wordpress configation.

May be my last words a bit hard, but it is unnecessary to reinvent a square wheel. There is nice rounded, so create a car ??

Regards.