4 Ways to Display Pods Fields

The Pods plugin is recognized as one of the top meta field plugins in the market. Its diverse array of field types and comprehensive settings make it an appealing choice for developers. Let's explore four methods for showcasing the values of Pods fields on the front end.

While flexible, this approach is also labor-intensive and requires manual creation of markup. It entails consulting the field documentation to grasp the return format of each field type.

To obtain the field value, first, we need to retrieve the associated Pod, and then request the field value from that object:

<?php

// 1. 'page' - your post type here
// 2. '10' - your post id here
// 3. 'image' - your field name here
$value = pods( 'page', 10 )->field( 'image' );

In addition to the 'field' method, we can also utilize the 'display' method. This approach allows us to uniformly obtain field values regardless of the field type, although the output varies depending on the specific field type.

For instance, with an Image field, the output will be an image ID. Conversely, with a User Select field, it will be an array containing a user ID along with other information.

The Advanced Views Framework provides smart templates for content presentation, incorporating built-in post queries and automatic template creation. It's a complimentary plugin that effortlessly merges with various meta field plugins, such as Pods.

As per the framework's documentation, it is a versatile and flexible tool that can be utilized independently or in combination with your preferred framework or builder.

Framework usage is straightforward. To showcase our Pods fields on the website's front end, we establish a new View, choose the desired fields from the dropdown menu, and then save the settings.

Advanced Views Lite generates a Twig template automatically for showcasing fields, offering customization options like incorporating CSS and JS code to suit our preferences.

Afterward, we simply copy the shortcode associated with the View we made and paste it where desired. That's all there is to it! Visitors can then view the fields presented in the chosen spot.

Additionally, you can put your mind at ease regarding field formats and data conversions. The plugin dynamically manages everything, from Twig rendering to data conversions, by fetching field values and essential details from WordPress on demand.

Pro tip: With Advanced Views Lite, you can opt for File system storage, storing all View data within our theme. This enables direct editing of Twig templates, CSS, and JS in our preferred IDE, and facilitates version control using GIT.

Pods comes with a set of pre-built Gutenberg blocks that enable you to display any Pod meta field from the current page within the page content. This feature is particularly useful if you utilize Gutenberg and require pasting a single field value in a specific location.

However, if you require creating a more intricate view, it's advisable to consider using the Advanced Views framework or the built-in templates (see the next chapter).

Pods also includes the built-in templates feature, which enables you to display single or multiple fields and control the markup. It offers greater flexibility than the Gutenberg blocks but is also more complex. Unlike the Advanced Views framework, it doesn't provide an auto-generated basic template, so you'll need to create it from scratch.

So, when it comes to showcasing Pods field values on the front end, developers have several methods at their disposal.

One approach involves using raw PHP code to manually craft markup and retrieve field values directly. While flexible, this method can be labor-intensive and requires a thorough understanding of field documentation.

Alternatively, developers can utilize the Advanced Views Lite plugin, which provides intelligent templates for content presentation. This plugin seamlessly integrates with various meta field plugins like Pods, offering pre-configured post queries and automated template creation.

Another option is to leverage Pods' pre-built Gutenberg blocks, designed for displaying Pod meta fields within page content. This approach is ideal for simple field value insertion, especially for users already familiar with the Gutenberg editor.

For more complex views, developers may opt to use Pods' built-in templates feature. While offering greater flexibility in markup control, this method requires manual template creation from scratch.