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How to Fix Custom Post Type Archive Display and Ordering Issues

26 threads Sep 16, 2025 Plugin → Custom post type ui

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Custom Post Type UI is a powerful tool for creating custom content types, but many users encounter issues with how those posts are displayed on archive pages. These problems often stem from the fact that while CPTUI registers the post types, the actual display and query logic is handled by your theme, other plugins, or WordPress core itself.

Common Archive Page Issues

Based on community reports, the most frequent problems include:

  • Posts appearing in the wrong order (by date instead of title or custom field)
  • Archive page titles showing generic text like "Archive" instead of your custom post type name
  • Posts repeating across pagination pages
  • Custom post types not appearing in category or tag archives
  • Difficulty removing author names or dates from archive displays

Why These Issues Occur

Custom Post Type UI focuses solely on registering post types and taxonomies with WordPress. It doesn't control:

  • How archive pages are displayed (this is your theme's responsibility)
  • How posts are ordered in queries (this is typically handled by WordPress or page builders)
  • What metadata appears on archive pages (this is usually theme-controlled)
  • Whether custom posts appear in standard taxonomy archives (this requires code modification)

Solutions for Common Archive Problems

1. Changing Post Order in Archives

To order posts by title instead of date, add this code to your theme's functions.php file:

function custom_post_type_archive_order($query) {
    if ($query->is_main_query() && !is_admin() && is_post_type_archive('your_post_type_slug')) {
        $query->set('orderby', 'title');
        $query->set('order', 'ASC');
    }
}
add_action('pre_get_posts', 'custom_post_type_archive_order');

Replace 'your_post_type_slug' with your actual custom post type slug.

2. Customizing Archive Page Titles

To modify archive titles, you'll need to edit your theme's archive.php template or create a custom archive template for your post type (e.g., archive-your_post_type.php). Look for functions like the_archive_title() that generate the title output.

3. Adding Custom Post Types to Category Archives

By default, custom post types don't appear in standard category archives. The Custom Post Type UI team provides documentation and code samples to help with this integration.

4. Removing Author/Date Metadata

This is typically controlled by your theme. Many modern themes (like Astra) offer customization options in the WordPress Customizer under specific post type settings. Alternatively, you may need to create a child theme and modify the template files.

5. Fixing Repeating Posts in Pagination

This unusual behavior often indicates a plugin conflict or custom query modification. Test by deactivating all other plugins temporarily and switching to a default theme. If the issue resolves, reactivate components one by one to identify the conflict.

When to Look Beyond CPTUI

Remember that some archive display issues may be caused by:

  • Your theme's template files and customization options
  • Page builders like Elementor that control archive layouts
  • Other plugins that modify WordPress queries
  • WordPress core functionality that governs archive behavior

For complex archive layouts or sorting requirements, you might need to explore dedicated archive plugins or more advanced theme customization. The Custom Post Type UI plugin excels at content type registration, but display and query management often requires additional solutions tailored to your specific setup.

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