How do I discover the custom post type slug when I'm on an archive page?

For instance if /products/ fires the archive-products.php template, how (pragmatically) do I get the post type slug?

Thanks

How do I discover the custom post type slug when I'm on an archive page?

For instance if /products/ fires the archive-products.php template, how (pragmatically) do I get the post type slug?

Thanks

• custom-post-types
• archives
• custom-post-type-archives

7 Answers 7

To get the current post type use get_post_type(). Then ask get_post_type_object() for all the data you need, for example the slug:

$post_type = get_post_type();
if ( $post_type )
{
    $post_type_data = get_post_type_object( $post_type );
    $post_type_slug = $post_type_data->rewrite['slug'];
    echo $post_type_slug;
}

I'm using this outside of the loop on the archive.php template to get which custom post archive I'm on.

It's a combo of the methods that both @toscho and @Rarst recommended:

$post_type = get_queried_object();
echo $post_type->rewrite['slug'];

Update: @majick pointed out that this only works if you've set the rewrite slug for your CPT. Rewrite slug is optional when registering a CPT and defaults to post_type if not set.

The answers get confusing. And maybe Im as well but the headline question is:

Get custom post type slug for an archive page

If you mean post type archive landing-page, and when is_post_type_archive() returns true, you want the slug that responing to current viewing archive:

/* returns /products/ */

$responding_name = str_replace(get_home_url(), '', get_post_type_archive_link(get_query_var('post_type')));

/* continue to get 'products' without slug slashes */
$responding_name = str_replace('/', '', $responding_name);

-- END OF ANSWERING THE QUESTION --

Explanation:

You cant rely on the registered slug. Wordpress is not either. For example, when calling get_post_type_archive_link() Wordpress is checking the current rewrite rules for your install .

Wherever you are, inside or outside loop, current archive or single post, reverse the get_post_type_archive_link() mechanism. (Permalinks enabled.)

Considerations:

As mentioned here, the post type(s) in current query can be an array. You can go futher with your intensions with filter out the post type you look for, example:

$post_type = get_query_var('post_type'); 
if(is_array($post_type)) $post_type = reset($post_type);

or

if(isset($post_types[0])) $post_type = $post_types[0];

Another point of view:

Woocommerce example, is registered with 'products' post type object but in reality uses rewritten rule name (shop):

/* returns shop */
$responding_name = str_replace('/', '', str_replace(get_home_url(), '', get_post_type_archive_link('product')));

Mark, Im using $responding_name, because the objectives might vary. A post archive does not exists, its just a url.

You can use this code and this code is working for me,

 $t_slug = get_query_var('term');

t should be noted that if has_archive is set to true while registering the Custom Post Type, the post type archive /cptslug/ will be internally rewritten to ?post_type=cptslug. So this would also mean is_post_type_archive() will return true.

Unfortunately, where the registered rewrite slug is different to the post type, you are not actually reliably getting the post_type. eg. if your post type was myplugin_cars and your rewrite slug was cars and you need to be getting myplugin_cars then even this (to prevent errors if the current queried object is not a custom post type) will still fail:

$queryobject = get_queried_object();
if (has_property('rewrite',$queryobject)) {
    if (isset($queryobject->rewrite['slug'])) {
         $posttype = $queryobject->rewrite['slug'];
     }
 }

But because is_post_type_archive is true this is more reliable:

if (is_post_type_archive()) {
    $posttype = get_query_var('post_type');
    // which is basically the same as:
    // global $wp_query;
    // $posttype = $wp_query->query_vars['post_type'];
} 
else ($posttype = 'post';}

But hang on, there's more... turns out with a little testing it really isn't that simple either... what if you are on a taxonomy archive page with multiple post types in the taxonomy..? Or assign post tags to a custom post type other than post? Or are on an author archive page? Date archive page? ...or even have a complex tax_query or meta_query for WP_Query?

The only reliable answer (without testing for every possible archive case) is to loop the actual posts in the query... Here is the full function I came up with to work on both singular and archive pages, and allowing you to optionally pass a custom query object (or post object/post ID for singular posts):

function get_current_post_types($object=null) {

    // if a numeric value passed, assume it is a post ID
    if ( ($object) && (is_numeric($object)) ) {$object = get_post($object);}
    // if an object is passed, assume to be a post object
    if ( ($object) && (is_object($object)) ) {return get_post_type($object);}

    // standard single post type checks
    if (is_404()) {return '';}
    // update: removed this check, handled by is_singular
    // if (is_single()) {return 'post';}
    if (is_page()) {return 'page';}
    if (is_attachment()) {return 'attachment';}
    if (is_singular()) {return get_post_type();}

    // if a custom query object was not passed, use $wp_query global
    if ( (!$object) || (!is_object($object)) ) {
        global $wp_query; $object = $wp_query;
    }
    if (!is_object($object)) {return '';} // should not fail

    // if the post_type query var has been explicitly set
    // (or implicitly set on the cpt via a has_archive redirect)
    // ie. this is true for is_post_type_archive at least
    // $vqueriedposttype = get_query_var('post_type'); // $wp_query only
    if (property_exists($object,'query_vars')) {
        $posttype = $object->query_vars['post_type'];
        if ($posttype) {return $posttype;}
    }

    // handle all other cases by looping posts in query object
    $posttypes = array();
    if (method_exists($object,'found_posts')) {
        if ($object->found_posts > 0) {
            $queriedposts = $object->posts;
            foreach ($queriedposts as $queriedpost) {
                $posttype = $queriedpost->post_type;
                if (!in_array($posttype,$posttypes)) {$posttypes[] = $posttype;}
            }
            if (count($posttypes == 1)) {return $posttypes[0];}
            else {return $posttypes;}
         }
     }
     return ''; // nothin to see here
}

This will reliably (did I say that?) return an array of post types if more than one is present, or a string with the single post type if there is only one type. All you need to do is:

$posttypes = get_current_post_types();
// or pass a post ID 
$posttypes = get_current_post_types($postid);
// or pass a post object
$posttypes = get_current_post_types($post);
// or pass a custom query - that has been run
$posttypes = get_current_post_types($query);

Example Usage (just for fun):

add_filter('the_posts','myplugin_fading_thumbnails',10,2);
function myplugin_fading_thumbnails($posts,$query) {
    if (!is_archive()) {return $posts;}
    $cptslug = 'myplugin_slug'; $dosomethingcool = false;
    $posttypes = get_current_post_types($query);
    if ( (is_array($posttypes)) && (in_array($cptslug,$posttypes)) ) {$dosomethingcool = true;}
    elseif ($cptslug == $posttypes) {$dosomethingcool = true;}

    if ($dosomethingcool) {
        global $fadingthumbnails; $fadingthumbnails = $cptslug;
        if (!has_action('wp_footer','myplugin_cpt_script')) {
            add_action('wp_footer','myplugin_cpt_script');
        }
    }

    function myplugin_cpt_script() {
        global $fadingthumbnails;
        echo "<script>var thumbnailclass = 'img.thumbtype-".$fadingthumbnails."';
        function fadeoutthumbnails() {jQuery(thumbnailclass).fadeOut(3000,fadeinthumbnails);}
        function fadeinthumbnails() {jQuery(thumbnailclass).fadeIn(3000,fadeoutthumbnails);}
        jQuery(document).ready(function() {fadeoutthumbnails();});
        </script>";
    }

    return $posts;
 }

To see the effect, change the custom post type in the code to post, and add a thumbtype-post class attribute to your post thumbnail images...

You can use this code:

$queried_object = get_queried_object();
$posttype_slug = $queried_object->query_var;
echo $posttype_slug;

use $posttype_slug var whatever you need

if( get_post_type( get_the_ID() ) == 'projects' )
{
  //enter code for this post type
}