Custom Shortcodes vs Dynamic Fields Engine – Custom post types, Custom fields, Meta fields, Taxonomies, Listing builder, Query builder and Relations

Manage custom fields using the insert shortcodes [custom name=”field-name” value=”field-value“] or HTML conditional comments in text of post. It’s a hook for desktop blog clients, which don’t support customfields natively. Простой хак Вордпресса, позволяющий управлять произвольными полями из любого внешнего клиента или при отправке через почту с помощью шорткодов [custom name=”имя-произвольного-поля” value=”значение“] или условных комментариев прямо в тексте поста.

Dynamic Fields Engine (DFE) is a WordPress custom post type plugin for building custom post types, custom taxonomies, and meta fields without writing PHP. Built by the team behind Wpmet – serving over 3 million WordPress users. This WordPress metadata plugin lets you create custom post types, custom taxonomies, add metadata in WordPress, and manage options pages, and global settings from a clean one-stop hub. Where users can extend their content structure capabilities through saved queries, frontend listing templates, and post relationships. DFE is an AI-powered custom post type plugin. It’s AI Assistant drafts and reviews schemas from users before deploying them to ensure that each configuration is validated, exportable, and protects custom post types in WordPress. | Dynamic Field Engine Home Page | DFE Custom Post Type | Documentation | Need Support? | How to get started with DFE Plugin | Key Features – One admin. Full content model: Custom post types, taxonomies, field groups, and options pages from a single React interface. – 26 field types to add and edit metadata in WordPress: Add and edit metadata in WordPress with text, number, date, color, select, image, file, WYSIWYG, etc. – Import / export with rollback: JSON portability with diff preview and snapshot rollback. – PHP Registration API: Register post types, taxonomies, and field groups in PHP for theme bundling and version control. – REST-first config API: Every setting backed by REST endpoints for CI/CD, headless, and programmatic management. – Built-in Schema validation: Configurations validated before applying, with structured errors and automatic rollback. – AI Assistant: Describe your content model in plain language and get CPTs, taxonomies, fields, queries, listings, and relations in seconds. Custom Post Types Get a visual interface to create & manage custom post types without touching functions.php. Control labels, supports, REST visibility, archive behavior, permalink slugs, capability type, and menu placement. Then, attach multiple taxonomies and meta field groups directly from the post type editor. Plus, export any post type configuration to PHP with one click from Settings → Tools → PHP Generation and drop it into a theme or plugin for version-controlled deployments. – Basic settings: Plural/singular labels, slug, description, menu icon, menu position – Labels tab: Customize every WordPress admin string (Add New, Edit Item, Featured Image, Archives, and more) – Inline meta fields: Attach fields directly to a post type for fast setup without a separate metabox – Advanced settings: Public/queryable, hierarchical, REST API, rewrite slug, capability type, supports (title, editor, thumbnail, excerpt, author, comments, revisions, page attributes, custom fields, post formats), exclude from search, has archive WordPress Custom Taxonomies WordPress taxonomies let you organize and filter content across any custom post type. DFE allows to create custom taxonomies in WordPress. Both hierarchical (like categories) or flat (like tags), and attach them to one or more post types. Use a custom taxonomy template to display grouped content, or add term meta fields for richer filtering and display. You can configure slugs, rewrite rules, REST visibility, admin column display, and tag cloud support. Taxonomy term screens support custom meta fields to add a color swatch, image, or SEO label to any term. – Type: Hierarchical (like categories) or flat (like tags) – Attachment: Attach to one or multiple post types at once – Slugs and rewrite: Custom permalink base, with_front toggle, REST visibility – Term meta fields: Add custom fields to term add/edit screens (color, image, description override, etc.) – Admin column: Show taxonomy terms as a column in the CPT list table – Custom taxonomy template: Use WordPress template hierarchy (taxonomy-{slug}.php) or Pro listing templates to display taxonomy archives without touching theme filesCustom taxonomy template: Use WordPress template hierarchy (taxonomy-{slug}.php) or Pro listing templates to display taxonomy archives without touching theme files Meta Boxes, Custom Fields & WordPress Metadata With DFE Meta Boxes, you can add structured custom fields to any post type, taxonomy term, user profile, or options page. That’s where you need precise control over where fields appear, reusable groups, or presentation options beyond inline post-type fields. Field groups use location rules to target the exact screen where fields should appear. This WordPress metadata plugin has 26+ field types covering virtually every common data input. And, each field type stores predictable meta keys, which your templates and listings can read. 16+ FREE field types – Text: Single-line input for client name, SKU, or job title – Textarea: Multi-line plain text for short notes or addresses – Number: Numeric input with min/max for price, quantity, or rating – Email: Validated email for contact or support addresses – URL: Link field for project URLs or CTA buttons – Date: Date picker for event dates or deadlines – Time: Time picker for start times or office hours – Date & Time: Combined picker for meetings or webinar schedules – Color: Color picker for brand colors or term label colors – Select: Dropdown (single or multiple) for status or difficulty level – Checkbox: Multiple visible options for features, amenities, or services – Radio: Single choice from a list for priority, size, or gender – Toggle: Yes/no switch for featured items or homepage visibility – Image: Media picker (ID, URL, or array return) for photos or category images – File: File upload (ID, URL, or array return) for PDFs or resumes – WYSIWYG: rich text editor for detailed descriptions or styled blocks 10+ Advanced field types – Group: Nest related sub-fields together for address blocks or pricing tiers – Repeater: Repeat a set of sub-fields for feature lists, spec rows, or team members – Gallery: Select multiple images for property photos or portfolio galleries – Relationship: Search and attach other posts (articles to authors, products to brands) – Taxonomy Picker: Choose taxonomy terms for curated category picks on a post – User Picker: Select WordPress users to assign account managers or instructors – Tab: Tab headings inside large forms (General, Media, SEO sections) – Accordion: Collapsible field sections for cleaner long metaboxes – Endpoint: Close a tab or accordion section in structured layouts – HTML: Raw HTML block for custom notices or embedded markup Advanced field settings (Pro): From the easy-to-use dashboard, set labels, slugs, defaults, required, placeholder, width (25–100%), character limits, min/max, REST visibility – Conditional logic: Show or hide fields based on other field values – Pattern validation: Custom regex with custom error messages – Quick Edit: Surface fields on the CPT post-list Quick Edit panel – Revision tracking: Include field meta when comparing post revision values Location Rules Location rules decide where a field group (metabox) appears across your WordPress admin. Target any screen: post editor, term editor, user profile, or options page using one or more conditions that must all matches. – Post screens: post type, specific post, post status – Term screens: taxonomy, specific term – User screens: user form (Add New / Edit / Profile), user role of the user being edited – Options screens: options page menu slug Rule groups use AND logic. So, all conditions must match for the metabox to appear. For example, show “Project Details” only on published posts in the project post type. Pro adds more targeting parameters (page template, post parent, post author, post format, taxonomy term, current user role and capability), plus OR rule groups and metabox priority ordering. Options Pages Register global admin settings pages to store site-wide data, like header settings, social links, contact info, API keys, and global defaults in the WordPress options table. You can use the same 26-type field builder as post types & meta boxes. For a better site content structure, implement this setting within store header/footer content, contact details, social links, or any global configuration. Import, Export & Snapshots Move configurations between sites with JSON export/import. The import flow validates the incoming file, shows a diff preview of exactly what will change, and lets you resolve slug conflicts before applying. Snapshots let you roll back to a previous state at any time with no complex setup. The diff preview option is something that only DFE provides compared to other dynamic CPT plugins. – Export: CPTs, taxonomies, field groups, and options pages as a single JSON bundle – Import with diff preview: See exactly what changes before anything is applied – Conflict resolution: Handle slug clashes on import without data loss – Snapshot rollback: Revert any apply with one click; snapshots are automatic – Pro extras: Export includes queries, listings, and relations AI Assistant – Build Your Content Model in No Time The AI Assistant is the fastest way to go from a blank site to a structured content model. Describe what you are building in plain language, and DFE generates a complete schema: custom post types, taxonomies, meta fields, saved queries, listing templates, and post relations. Plus, AI-generated schemas are validated and ready to apply. – Create New mode: Start from a natural-language prompt. ‘Build a real estate site with Properties, Agents, and a commission rate on each property-agent connection’ produces the complete configuration in one step. – Modify Existing mode: Extend a post type you already built. ‘Add SEO fields to my Projects CPT’ appends meta title, description, and OG image without touching what exists. – Fix Schema mode: Paste broken or partial JSON and ask AI to repair it. Particularly useful when migrating from another plugin. – Quick Start templates: Five preset prompts cover Real Estate, Events, Courses, Team Members, and Job Boards. One click fills the prompt; you review before applying. – Snapshot before every apply: AI changes are always preceded by an automatic snapshot. Rollback to the pre-AI state with one click if the result is not what you expected. Saved Queries & Listing Templates Build reusable query configurations for posts, terms, and users visually. Then display results with a drag-and-drop listing engine. No PHP required for property grids, team directories, course catalogs, or designed archive pages. – Query Builder: visual builder for WP_Query, WP_Term_Query, and WP_User_Query; stored and reused across listings, shortcodes, and components – Filters: post type, status, author, date range, include/exclude IDs, user roles – Tax Query: taxonomy rules with IN, NOT IN, AND, EXISTS operators – Meta Query: meta key comparisons (=, !=, >, LIKE, BETWEEN, EXISTS) with type casting – Relations filter: filter by relation pairs (IN, NOT IN, EXISTS, INHERITED IN for hierarchical content) – Ordering: date, title, menu order, meta value, random; posts per page and offset – Macro tokens: runtime context via {{current_post_id}}, {{current_user_id}}, {{url_param:key}}, {{related::title}}, {{related_count:}} – Live Preview: run and validate the query inside the admin before publishing Listing Types – Card: reusable single-item layout used inside grids – Grid: multi-card output from a saved query, default loop, or relation children – Single Page: override single-post templates for one or more post types – Archive Page: override archive URLs for a post type Visual Canvas Builder – Drag-and-drop component palette with layers tree, live canvas preview, and component inspector – Preset gallery and Generate with AI for starter layouts – Undo/redo, duplicate, keyboard shortcuts 17+ Listing Components Dynamic Text, Dynamic Image, Dynamic Link, Dynamic Meta, Term Badges, Repeater Output, Post Content, Breadcrumbs, Post Navigation, Comments, Author Box, Share Buttons, Related Posts, Archive Title, Archive Description, Pagination, Posts Count – Source tokens – title, excerpt, permalink, field:, pair_meta:, related_posts:, featured image, author, dates Embed & Display Options – Shortcode: [rdcfe_listing id=”123″] – Gutenberg block: DFE Listing Grid – Elementor widget: DFE Listing Grid – Single and archive editors: DFE visual builder, linked Gutenberg page, or linked Elementor page – Placement: Full page override, replace content only, before/after content; canvas modes (full width, theme default, blank canvas) Dynamic Visibility Show or hide listings or individual components based on login state, user role, field value, relation existence, or taxonomy term, without writing conditional PHP. Pagination None, numeric, or load more – configurable per listing. Post Relations Connect any two WordPress objects, like posts, taxonomy terms, or users, with the exact relationship type your content needs: one-to-one, one-to-many, or many-to-many. Real-world examples like Properties ↔ Agents, Courses ↔ Instructors, or Products ↔ Brands work out of the box. Each connection can carry its own custom fields (commission rate, role, start date), and related items can be queried in saved queries and displayed using relation_children listing grids. – Object kinds: Posts, terms, or users on both source and target sides – Cardinality: One-to-one, one-to-many, many-to-many – Bidirectional meta boxes: Edit connections from either side – Pair custom fields: Store data on the connection itself (commission rate, role, start date) – Limits: Maximum items per side – Hierarchy: Inherit relations from parent posts, cascade to descendants – Dedicated Storage: wp_rdcfe_relations table for efficient queries Admin Columns & Filters Customize the WordPress post-list table for any CPT without writing code. Add sortable meta columns, taxonomy term columns, and dropdown filters driven by actual stored values. – Columns: Sortable meta columns with prefix/suffix, taxonomy term columns, post ID column – Filters: Dropdown filters above the list table driven by taxonomy terms or live meta values Dynamic blocks and widgets Standalone Gutenberg blocks and Elementor widgets for individual field output outside the listing builder. So, you can build single-page templates in Gutenberg or Elementor with per-field dynamic binding. Dynamic Field, Dynamic Image, Dynamic Link, Dynamic Meta, Dynamic Terms, Dynamic Repeater, Relation List, Template Render, Archive Title, Archive Description, Listing Grid block/widget. Developer Tools DFE plugins for custom post types is built on PHP 8.0+ with PSR-4 autoloading and a repository pattern. Register post types, taxonomies, and field groups in PHP via the registration API or drive everything over REST. Designed for theme bundling, plugin distribution, CI/CD pipelines, and test environments. – PHP Registration API: rdcfe_register_post_type(), rdcfe_add_local_field_group(), and related functions – REST config API: /rdcfe/v1/… endpoints with full CRUD and capability middleware – PHP Generation: Export any configuration as drop-in PHP code from Settings → Tools – Filters & actions: Hooks for registration, validation, and extension Who Is This Dynamic CPT Plugin For? Freelancers and agencies: Build content models once, export as JSON, deploy to client sites. PHP Generation ships the schema inside a theme so it survives plugin deactivation. Whether you need a wp custom post type for a client portfolio, a job board, or a real estate directory, build it once, export as JSON, and deploy to any site. WordPress developers: PSR-4 codebase, typed interfaces, REST config API, and PHP registration API support CI/CD, version control, and plugin distribution workflows. Content-heavy site owners: Create CPTs for team members, products, services, case studies, or testimonials and attach exactly the fields your editors need, no developer required day-to-day. Builders replacing page-builder dependency: Saved Queries + Listing templates give you content model and frontend output from one plugin, without requiring Elementor Pro or a separate display plugin. Privacy Policy Dynamic Fields Engine does not collect or transmit site data to external servers, and the plugin authors collect no personal data through the free plugin. The only exception is the Pro AI Assistant, which sends prompts and schema context to OpenAI — and only when you provide an API key and run generation. Review OpenAI’s terms and privacy policy before …