A step-by-step guide to creating a custom taxonomy using Secure Custom Fields (SCF).
What is a taxonomy?
A taxonomy in WordPress is a way to group content together. The most common examples are categories and tags. You can create your own custom taxonomies to organize your content in meaningful ways depending on your needs—for example, genres for movies, colors for products, or locations for rentals.
Prerequisites
- SCF installed and activated
- Administrator access to WordPress
- Basic understanding of WordPress concepts
You can learn more about WordPress basics here:
1. Access the Admin Panel
To begin creating your custom taxonomy:
- Go to Secure Custom Fields Taxonomies in your WordPress admin menu.
- Click the “Add New” button to open the creation form.
2. Basic Configuration
Plural Label *
Name shown in admin menus and listings, e.g., Genres.
Singular Label *
Used for individual terms. Example: Genre.
Taxonomy Key *
A unique identifier. Use lowercase letters, underscores, or dashes only. Max 32 characters. Example: genre.
Post Types
Select the post types that will use this taxonomy. For example, Posts, Pages, or custom types like product, vehicle, etc.
Public
Choose Yes to make the taxonomy visible on your website and in the admin dashboard.
Hierarchical
Enable to allow parent-child terms (like categories). Disable for flat lists (like tags).
Advanced Configuration
Enable this to unlock advanced settings for developers or experienced users.
3. Advanced Settings
Sort Terms
Controls whether the terms are stored in the order you assign them.
Default Term
Creates a default term that can’t be deleted, useful for fallback categorization.
Description
Brief summary of what the taxonomy represents.
Active
Make sure this is set to Yes so your taxonomy is usable.
Labels
Customize the texts shown in the WordPress admin:
- Menu Label, Add New Item, Edit Item, View Item
- Parent Item (for hierarchical), Popular Items (for non-hierarchical)
- Messages for empty lists, instructions, tooltips, etc.
Visibility Options
Control where the taxonomy appears in the admin and frontend:
- Show In UI, Show In Admin Menu
- Appearance Menu Support, Quick Edit, Admin Columns
Meta Box
Enable and configure how the taxonomy is displayed in the post editor.
You can define custom callbacks for display and sanitization if needed.
Permalinks and URLs
Customize how your taxonomy URLs will be structured:
- Custom Slug, Include front prefix, Enable hierarchical URLs
- Publicly queryable, custom query variable
Permissions
Control who can manage, edit, assign, or delete terms.
You can set custom capabilities (e.g., manage_categories, edit_posts).
4. Testing
Once everything is configured:
- Click Save to register your taxonomy.
- Go to one of the selected post types (e.g., Posts or Products).
- Try adding terms in the new taxonomy field.
- Make sure they appear correctly in the editor and on the frontend if public.
For Developers
If you’re a developer and prefer to register custom taxonomies using code instead of the admin interface, you can refer to the official WordPress documentation:
How to Create Custom Taxonomies with Code
This guide includes examples and explanations on using register_taxonomy() and other related functions.