Debugging and Perfecting Our WordPress Snippets Page
After a frustrating yet illuminating journey, we successfully built a clean and organized snippets page for our WordPress site. Along the way, we encountered multiple roadblocks, debugging challenges, and moments of despair. This guide documents how to properly set up a snippet grid with custom taxonomies in WordPress for future reference.
Debugging and Perfecting Our WordPress Snippets Page
Initial Setup: Creating the Custom Post Type and Taxonomy
Registering the Custom Post Type
// functions.php (or a custom plugin file)
function register_snippet_post_type() {
$args = array(
'labels' => array(
'name' => 'Snippets',
'singular_name' => 'Snippet',
),
'public' => true,
'has_archive' => true,
'show_in_rest' => true,
'supports' => array('title', 'editor'),
);
register_post_type('snippet', $args);
}
add_action('init', 'register_snippet_post_type');
Registering the Custom Taxonomy
// functions.php (or a custom plugin file)
function register_snippet_taxonomy() {
$args = array(
'labels' => array(
'name' => 'Snippet Categories',
'singular_name' => 'Snippet Category',
),
'public' => true,
'hierarchical' => false,
'show_in_rest' => true,
);
register_taxonomy('snippet_category', 'snippet', $args);
}
add_action('init', 'register_snippet_taxonomy');
After adding these, we flushed the permalinks with:
wp rewrite flush
This ensured WordPress recognized our new custom post type and taxonomy.
Debugging WP_Query Issues
We added debug outputs to check what was happening:
echo "<pre>QUERY ARGS: " . print_r($args, true) . "</pre>";
echo "<pre>QUERY RESULTS: " . print_r($query->posts, true) . "</pre>";
This helped us see that:
- The
tax_query
structure was valid. - Posts did exist in the database.
- WordPress wasn’t returning posts in the expected format.
Checking Assigned Taxonomies
To confirm that our snippets were properly assigned to categories:
wp post term list 186 snippet_category --format=table
The results revealed that our categories were assigned correctly, so the problem was how we were querying them.
The Fixes & Lessons Learned
Fixing the Query & Display Logic
We adjusted our WP_Query
to properly retrieve and display snippets:
$args = array(
'post_type' => 'snippet',
'posts_per_page' => -1,
'tax_query' => array(
array(
'taxonomy' => 'snippet_category',
'field' => 'slug',
'terms' => $category->slug,
),
),
);
$query = new WP_Query($args);
Additionally, we ensured that posts always showed content:
$post_content = trim(get_post_field('post_content', get_the_ID()));
echo "<pre><code>" . esc_html($post_content ?: 'No content available.') . "</code></pre>";
Final Steps: Deploying to Production
Checklist Before Pushing Live
- ✅ Flush cache:
wp cache flush
- ✅ Confirm permalinks work:
wp rewrite flush
- ✅ Check taxonomy assignments:
wp term list snippet_category --format=table
- ✅ Verify snippets appear under their correct category
- ✅ Ensure empty snippets show “No content available.”
- ✅ Test on mobile & different browsers
Debugging Time Breakdown
Task | Time Spent |
---|---|
Setting up custom post type & taxonomy | 30 min |
Debugging missing snippets | 2 hours |
Checking taxonomy assignments | 45 min |
Fixing query structure | 1 hour |
Testing final setup | 1.5 hours |
Total time spent: 5 hours 15 minutes
Commands That Worked & Why
Command | Purpose |
---|---|
wp rewrite flush |
Cleared outdated permalinks |
wp post list --post_type=snippet |
Verified snippet posts existed |
wp post term list 186 snippet_category |
Checked if posts were categorized correctly |
wp cache flush |
Cleared cache to see updated changes |
wp term list snippet_category |
Listed all snippet categories |
Mistakes We Repeated & Lessons Learned
Mistake | Times Made | Solution |
---|---|---|
Forgetting to flush permalinks | 3 | Always run wp rewrite flush after adding taxonomies |
Not checking assigned categories | 2 | Use wp post term list to verify taxonomy assignment |
Incorrect WP_Query structure |
4 | Print query args and debug output |
Not clearing cache before testing | 2 | Run wp cache flush when debugging |
Key Takeaways for Next Time
- Debugging with
print_r()
andvar_dump()
is essential for diagnosing WordPress query issues. - Always flush permalinks after registering a new post type or taxonomy.
- Confirm that posts are assigned to taxonomies before assuming the query is broken.
WP_Query
can be tricky—check query structure before assuming posts don’t exist.- Use CLI (
wp post term list
,wp cache flush
) to debug efficiently.
Future Enhancements
- Add search & filtering to the Snippets Wall.
- Auto-highlight syntax in code blocks.
- Allow users to suggest & submit snippets.
5-Minute Walkthrough: Setting Up the Snippets Page
Step 1: Register the Snippets Custom Post Type
// functions.php
function register_snippet_post_type() {
$args = array(
'labels' => array(
'name' => 'Snippets',
'singular_name' => 'Snippet',
),
'public' => true,
'has_archive' => true,
'show_in_rest' => true,
'supports' => array('title', 'editor'),
);
register_post_type('snippet', $args);
}
add_action('init', 'register_snippet_post_type');
Step 2: Register the Snippet Category Taxonomy
// functions.php
function register_snippet_taxonomy() {
$args = array(
'labels' => array(
'name' => 'Snippet Categories',
'singular_name' => 'Snippet Category',
),
'public' => true,
'hierarchical' => false,
'show_in_rest' => true,
);
register_taxonomy('snippet_category', 'snippet', $args);
}
add_action('init', 'register_snippet_taxonomy');
Step 3: Flush Permalinks
wp rewrite flush
Step 4: Verify Everything Works
wp post list --post_type=snippet
wp term list snippet_category --format=table
Step 5: Create Your First Snippet
wp post create --post_type=snippet --post_title='Example Snippet' --post_status=publish
wp term add snippet_category 'Example Category'
wp post term add $(wp post list --post_type=snippet --format=ids) snippet_category 'Example Category'
Step 6: Check Your Snippet Wall
Visit /snippets/ on your site and confirm that your snippets are displayed correctly!
Part Two: Additional Debugging and Enhancements
Once our basic snippets page was working, we decided to improve it further. Below are the key improvements we made in our final code:
Ordering Categories by Post Count
We wanted the most active categories (the ones with the most snippets) to appear first. In our get_terms()
call, we set orderby
to count
and order
to DESC
. For example:
$categories = get_terms(array(
'taxonomy' => 'snippet_category',
'hide_empty' => false,
'orderby' => 'count',
'order' => 'DESC',
));
This ensured categories appeared in descending order of how many posts they contained.
Expandable Code Blocks
To prevent long code snippets from cluttering the page, we used a small JavaScript function to toggle an expandable
class on each snippet. This way, users only see an excerpt of the code, with the option to click and reveal more.
Edit Links for Administrators
Using current_user_can('edit_posts')
allowed us to show a pencil (✎) icon next to snippet titles only for users who have permission to edit them. Clicking the icon leads to the WordPress post editing screen.
Final Snippets Page Template Example
<main>
<div class="snippets-container">
<h1 class="page-title"><?php the_title(); ?></h1>
<?php
// Get all snippet categories, ordered by post count desc
$categories = get_terms(array(
'taxonomy' => 'snippet_category',
'hide_empty' => false,
'orderby' => 'count',
'order' => 'DESC',
));
if (!empty($categories)) {
foreach ($categories as $category) {
echo "<div class='snippet-category'>";
echo "<h2 class='snippet-category-title'>{$category->name}</h2>";
// Query posts in this category
$args = array(
'post_type' => 'snippet',
'posts_per_page' => -1,
'tax_query' => array(
array(
'taxonomy' => 'snippet_category',
'field' => 'slug',
'terms' => $category->slug,
),
),
);
$query = new WP_Query($args);
if ($query->have_posts()) {
echo "<div class='snippets-grid'>";
while ($query->have_posts()) {
$query->the_post();
$post_content = trim(get_post_field('post_content', get_the_ID()));
$needs_expand = strlen($post_content) > 300; // Adjust length threshold if needed
echo "<div class='snippet" . ($needs_expand ? " expandable" : "") . "' data-expanded='false' onclick='copySnippet(event, this)'>";
// Snippet title with edit button
echo "<div class='snippet-title'>" . get_the_title();
if (current_user_can('edit_posts')) {
$edit_link = get_edit_post_link(get_the_ID());
echo " <a href='{$edit_link}' class='edit-snippet' title='Edit Snippet'>✎</a>";
}
echo "</div>"; // Close snippet-title
// Snippet Content
echo "<pre class='snippet-content'><code onclick='copySnippet(event, this)'>"
. esc_html($post_content ?: 'No content available.') . "</code></pre>";
// Expand button if needed
if ($needs_expand) {
echo "<span class='expand-btn' onclick='toggleExpand(event, this)'>▾</span>";
}
echo "</div>"; // Close snippet
}
echo "</div>"; // Close snippets-grid
} else {
echo "<p class='no-snippets'>No snippets found in this category.</p>";
}
wp_reset_postdata();
echo "</div>"; // Close snippet-category
}
} else {
echo "<p class='no-categories'>No snippet categories found.</p>";
}
?>
</div>
</main>
With these refinements, we have a fully featured Snippets Page that is organized, easy to navigate, and a breeze to maintain.
Lessons Learned
- Always confirm taxonomy assignments when debugging
WP_Query
issues. - Ordering taxonomies by
count
can be especially helpful for content-heavy sites. - Modular, reusable code blocks help keep templates clean and easy to update.
- User role checks (
current_user_can()
) allow you to conditionally show edit links or other admin features. - Little UX touches (like expandable code blocks) can drastically improve user experience.
Essential Debugging Commands
wp rewrite flush
wp cache flush
wp post list --post_type=snippet
wp term list snippet_category --format=table
wp post term list [POST_ID] snippet_category
These commands help pinpoint issues with permalinks, caching, and taxonomy assignments.
5-Minute Guide to Recreate This Setup
- Register your Custom Post Type and Taxonomy: Place the
register_snippet_post_type()
andregister_snippet_taxonomy()
functions infunctions.php
. - Flush Permalinks: Run
wp rewrite flush
to ensure WordPress recognizes your new structures. - Create Snippets & Categories: Use the WP Admin or WP-CLI to add snippet posts and assign them to categories.
- Build a Snippet Template: Create a page template that queries
snippet
posts, grouped bysnippet_category
. - Debug If Needed: Check your assignments with
wp post term list
, and remember tovar_dump()
orprint_r()
your query args if the results aren’t as expected.