WP Post Content Template

Create post content templates and save time

• created: 01/04/2017
• latest update: 01/31/2017
• by: Paul Stelzer
• email: ps@innomobile.de

Create a post template from scratch or an exisiting post and save time by using the same structure

The WP Post Content Template is perfect for authors in WordPress. You can save an existing post as template or create a new one from scratch. So you do not need to open an old post, copy the content and paste this into a new one. Furthermore, you can define placeholders which will be replaced an choosing a template.

You create a Content template like a normal WordPress post. You can predefine every element of WordPress like:

• Title
• Text
• Tags
• Categories
• Featured Image
• Custom Taxonomies
• Custom Fields
• And the best of all: Create and use placeholders! Every placeholder will be replaced with the word you set on choosing the template

Just a few examples how WP Post Content Template can help you:

• If you have a football website, then you can set title, category and text with the predefined parameter. Instead of the teams, you use placeholders like "%TEAM_A%" and "%TEAM_B%". Then choose your template and put in the correct name of %TEAM_A%" and "%TEAM_B%" and your article is ready with title, category, text with the correct team names.
• You have a food blog. Instead of creating everytime a table or start with empty custom fields, you can predefine all of the post contents like custom fields, category and so on

The WP Post Content Template Plugin is compatible with other plugins like:

• ACF | Advanced Custom Fields: Choose your Meta Box and add this to our Template Custom Post Type. Then you can fill in all custom fields and if you create a post from this template, the custom fields of Advanced Custom Fields are already filled in
• Custom Post Type (CPT) UI: Every template you create can be used in every custom post type you create, e.g. you create the custom post type "FAQ" with CPT UI, then you can create and use a template for this custom post type!
• Visual Composer: Works with Visual Composer, too!

With the WP Post Content Template Plugin, you can save a lot of time! Instead of starting from zero, your post can already have the parameter you often use.

You can install the WP Post Content Template Plugin as every other WordPress Plugin.

Upload via FTP

Upload the content of the zip-file via FTP to /wp-content/plugins

Use of WordPress Plugin Installer

1. Open Plugins in your WordPress Menu and click on "Upload Plugin"

2. Select the zip-File

3. Wait until the plugin is uploaded and then on "Activate Plugin"

Now you can see a new menu option named "Templates"

1) Create a new template

If you activated WP Post Content Template Plugin for the first time, you have to create a new template. You have two options to create a new template:

1.1) Choose an existing post

Click on "Post" / "Page" or your custom post type and hover about the post. Now you will see two new links: "Duplicate" and "Templatize".

• Duplicate: If you only want to duplicate a post and edit the duplicate directly (see 4. More Features)
• Templatize: This post will be used as template. You will redirected to the template and can now change the template (see 2. Change your template and fill the template fields)

1.2) Start from Zero

If you want to start from zero, then click on "Templates" -> "Add Template" in the WordPress Admin Menu on the left. Like a normal WordPress Post, you can fill out everything.

2) Change your template and fill the template fields

If you used "Templatize", you will automatically redirected to your template. Later you can click on "Templates" and then select your template. Here you can change everything and fill the template fields.

2.0) Change your Template

At first you should change your template, if you used "Templatize" or fill out title, description, category, tags and so on. Think before you begin what you need and what you want to predefine.

In the following example, I have put in a title, description and set the category to "Football". If you now choose this template, a post with this parameters will automatically created. But you should optimize your template and therefor you can use the template fields on the right top side!

2.1) Template Name

First of all, set a template name. Your title will be used in your post, too. So you should name your template so that you can find it fast.

2.2) Template Category

Second, categorize your templates. Choose a name for your template category and templates with the same category name will be grouped in the Dashboard Widget (see 3.1. Use the Dashboard Widget)

2.3) Set Placeholders

The best of all, set placeholders. In the example above, I still choose direct names for the football clubs. But what, when other teams play against each other or on a different date? So we created placeholders for something like this. And so it works:

1. Click on "Add New Placeholder"
2. In the text field named "Placeholder" put in the word, you want to replace when the template is used (e.g. %TEAM_A%)
3. Now put in the placeholder name (e.g. %TEAM_A%) in your title / content / excerpt
4. If you need more placeholder, start from the beginning of this list

If you want to delete a placeholder, just click on the red minus icon! The template will now look like this:

PS: We recommend to use placeholders like %PLACEHOLDER_NAME% because the exact term will be replaced. If you choose a term like "and", every "and" will be replaced, but not every "and" should be replaced. So a unique name is better.

2.4) Publish the template

If you are happy with your template, just click on "Publish". Don't worry: A normal user never will see this template. Publish only means that you can choose this template.

3) Create a new post from template

Now you can choose your template to create a new post. You have two options: Use the Dashboard Widget (so you can change the placeholders) or only choose "Use Template" (here the placeholder will not be replaced)

3.1) Use the Dashboard Widget

On your WordPress Dashboard (example.com/wp-admin/)  or simply click on "Dashboard", you will see a new widget named "Templates". You can drag and drop this widget.

1. Choose your template: You can search after the template name or look into the list
2. Fill out the Placeholders (if you used placeholders in this template)
3. Choose the custom post type, the post will appear

After that, just click on "Create". You will redirected to the new post (will be created as draft). Now you see the post without the placeholders and with the terms you set in on the Dashboard Widget:

3.2) Choose "Create post using this template" (without setting the placeholders)

If you don't need placeholders, you can click on "Templates" an the left side. Now hover about the template you want to use and click on "Create post using this template".

4) More features

Duplicate a post and edit directly

If you want, you can only duplicate a post and edit the new post directly. Only hover about a post and click on "Duplicate". The new post will be created as draft in the same post type and with all parameters of the original post (Title, tags, featured image, etc)

Add ACF | Advanced Custom Fields to your template

If you use the ACF | Advanced Custom Fields plugin, you can use the meta boxes in the templates, too. If you put in content her, this will be used in the new post, too (Placeholder will not be changed in custom fields).

To add the ACF Meta Box, go to "Custom Fields" and select the field group you want to use in the templates, too.

On "Show this field group if" click on "Add rule group" and select "If Post Type is equal to wppct".

Tell me what functions do you miss and a think about to integrate them!

If you found a bug or have a problem with WP Post Content Template, just let me know. If you missing a feature in this plugin, contact me!

Email: ps@innomobile.de (Write me in English or German)

PS: If you want custom work in form of additional functions for this plugin, contact me, too!