A system for grouping content into terms. WordPress ships with Categories and Tags; a custom taxonomy works the same way but you create and attach it to your own post types.

When to Create a Custom Taxonomy #

• Editors need to assign a category/type to a post type
• Content should be filterable by Brand, Material, City, etc.
• You want a dedicated archive page per term (e.g. /project-category/design/)
• Terms themselves need extra data (image, color) via Term Meta Fields

💡 Tip: If you just need a simple dropdown/checkbox on a post, a Select or Checkbox meta field may be simpler than a full taxonomy. Use a taxonomy when terms need their own pages or browsing.

Add Taxonomy with Dynamic CPT #

Access your WordPress dashboard and navigate to Dynamic Engine.

In the dashboard, click the + Add Taxonomy.

• Taxonomy Name: Type the plural name of your taxonomy here (e.g., “Xpeed BD”). The singular name is auto-generated instantly.
• Slug: Auto-filled based on your taxonomy name (e.g., “xpeed_bd”). This is used in the URL and REST API path, shown as previews below the fields, yoursite.com/xpeed_bd/term-name/ and /wp-json/wp/v2/xpeed_bd. You can also set a custom slug; it should always be a unique one.
• Attach to Post Types: Select which post types this taxonomy should be attached to. You can check Posts, Pages, your created post type or all — even multiple post types can be selected at the same time.

For instance, I’ve set the taxonomy name as “Employee”, which auto-generated the slug as “employee”. I’ve also attached it to the custom post type “Roxnor BD” and clicked Update Taxonomy to save the changes.

Check the taxonomy you’ve created inside the post type you’ve attached.

You can also create categories under your taxonomy.

Here you go, check this by going inside the post.

Now, scroll down and explore the other settings inside Taxonomy.

Basic Settings #

Names & Descriptions –

• Singular Name: Auto-filled from your taxonomy plural name (e.g., “Xpeed BD”). Used when referring to a single item.
• Description: A brief explanation of this taxonomy. This field is optional.

Visibility & Access – #

• Hierarchical: Allows parent/child relationships (like categories). Enable for nested structure, disable for flat tags.
• Public: Makes the taxonomy visible to all visitors on your site.
• Show in Admin: Displays the taxonomy in the WordPress admin menu.
• REST API: Enables Gutenberg editor support and REST API access. Keep this on by default.

Labels #

Taxonomy Labels –

• Search Items: Label for the search box when searching taxonomy terms (e.g., “Search Xpeed BD”).
• All Items: Label for displaying all terms of this taxonomy (e.g., “All Xpeed BD”).
• Edit Item: Label for the edit button of a taxonomy term (e.g., “Edit Xpeed BD”).
• Add New Item: Label for the button to add a new term (e.g., “Add New Xpeed BD”).
• Not Found: Message shown when no terms are found (e.g., “No xpeed bd found”).
• Parent Item: Label for the parent term selector in hierarchical taxonomies (e.g., “Parent Xpeed BD”).

Meta Fields #

Meta Fields lets you add custom fields to your taxonomy terms to collect additional data. You can use the data to show extra details on your website. For example, displaying a brand’s logo and description on a product page.

By default, it shows “No Meta Fields Yet.” Click + Add First Field to start adding custom fields to your taxonomy terms.

Here, under Meta Fields, you can choose the Type of element you want to add:

• Field: an input field for collecting data (e.g., text, number, image)
• Tab: organizes fields into separate tabs for better layout
• Accordion: groups fields into collapsible sections
• Endpoint: exposes the field data via a custom API endpoint

Advanced #

URL Settings –

• Enable Rewrite: Creates pretty permalinks for this taxonomy. Enabled by default.
• Custom Slug: Override the default URL slug with a custom one (e.g., “xpeed_bd”). Leave empty to use the taxonomy slug.

Additional Options –

• Show Admin Column: Displays this taxonomy as a column in the post admin list table.
• Show Tag Cloud: Shows this taxonomy in the tag cloud widget.
• Show in Nav Menus: Makes this taxonomy available for selection in navigation menus.
• Show in Quick Edit: Allows assigning taxonomy terms directly from the Quick Edit panel.
• Enable Query Var: Allows front-end URL queries to filter content by this taxonomy.

Utilize AI Assistant to Generate Taxonomies #

However, Dynamic CPT is an AI-powered tool. If you want, you can utilize the AI feature to generate your desired taxonomy quickly.

You’ll see a popup window. Here’s what’s on this “Generate Taxonomy” popup:

• Describe your taxonomy: A text box where you type what you need (e.g., “A hierarchical department taxonomy attached to team members, with terms like Engineering, Marketing, Sales, HR, Operations”).
• Quick examples: Clickable preset prompts to quickly insert (Product Categories, Locations/Cities, Skill Levels, Departments).
• Open AI Assistant: Takes you to the full AI Assistant if you want more options.
• Generate: Click the button to generate.

Check the AI suggestions.

• AI Suggestions list: Shows what the AI has planned for your taxonomy (e.g., Hierarchical taxonomy for organizing team members, Supports REST API for integration, Custom labels for better user experience).
• View raw JSON: Expandable option to see the actual JSON schema behind these suggestions.
• Regenerate: Click this if you want AI to generate a new/different suggestion.
• Accept & Fill Form: Click this to auto-fill the taxonomy form with these AI-suggested settings.

We’ve applied the AI suggestions for taxonomy.

Managing Your Taxonomies #

• Toggle status: Switch between Published and Draft without deleting
• Edit: Update settings, behaviour, or term meta fields
• Duplicate: Copy as a starting point for a new taxonomy
• Delete: Remove the configuration (terms stay in the database)