Shortcode Displaying Custom Post Types

Question

I have a problem with a shortcode that I'm creating.

I have 5-10 different custom post types, and rather than creating a template for every individual post type, Id rather use a normal page and import the posts via a shortcode.

So to explain further, I have a page called Attractions and a post type called 'Attraction'. On the page I insert the shortcode -> [feed type="attraction" limit="5"]

This outputs all the posts under the custom post type "attraction".

The problem I'm having, is getting it to paginate correctly. Ive read a thousand ways to paginate custom post types, and the code I'm currently using tends to work according to so many people, however I cannot get this to work inside the shortcode. Is there a reason for this?

Currently the page displays fine, with five posts, but doesn't echo the next, previous posts links. If I type in the url + /page/2 the second page correctly displays with the next 5 posts in the section. So it seems pagination is working, however I cant access them because no Next/Previous Link appears.

The benefit to doing it this way, is that I can use a normal page, import the posts, and I can include content above and below the shortcode called in.

Hope this all makes sense.

Heres my shortcode code -->

    function section_feed_shortcode( $atts ) {
    extract( shortcode_atts( array( 'limit' => -1, 'type' => 'post'), $atts ) );

    global $paged;
    $q = new WP_Query(  array ( 
        'posts_per_page' => $limit, 
        'post_type' => $type, 
        order => 'ASC', 
        orderby =>'menu_order', 
        'paged' => $paged ) );

    $list = ' ';

    while ( $q->have_posts() ) { $q->the_post();

        $list .= '<article class="listing-view clearfix">' 
        . '<div class="listing-content">' 
        . '<h3><a href="' . get_permalink() . '">' . get_the_title() . '</a></h3>' 
        .'<p>' . get_the_excerpt() . '</p>'
        . '<a href="' . get_permalink() . '">' . 'View &raquo;' . '</a>'
        . '</div>'
        . '<a class="listing-thumb" href="' . get_permalink() . '">' . get_the_post_thumbnail($page->ID, 'listing-thumb')  . '<span></span></a>'
        . '</article>';
    }

    return 
    '<div class="listings clearfix">' 
    . $list 
    . '<div class="nav-previous">' . next_posts_link( __( '<span class="meta-nav">&larr;</span> Older posts' ) ) . '</div>'
    . '<div class="nav-next">' . previous_posts_link( __( 'Newer posts <span class="meta-nav">&rarr;</span>' ) ) . '</div>'
    . '</div>' .
    wp_reset_query();

}
add_shortcode( 'feed', 'section_feed_shortcode' );

Answer 1

ok, i still don't love the idea of a second query, but you're right it is hard to add content to the archives pages.

there were 3 problems that i found:

1. next_posts_link and previous_posts_link both echo, you need their get_ equivalents.

2. when you look up get_next_posts_link, you find that it relies on the global $wp_query... which in your case was always for the actual "page" and not for the shortcode's query. you need to actually query_posts then and squash the original query. i hope the reset query works, but i'm not 100% sure. you'll have to test that.

3. not sure this was a problem, but i usually see the $paged variable defined this way so i went with it.

   function section_feed_shortcode( $atts ) {
   extract( shortcode_atts( array( 'limit' => -1, 'type' => 'post'), $atts ) );
   
   $paged = get_query_var('paged') ? get_query_var('paged') : 1;  
   
   query_posts(  array ( 
       'posts_per_page' => $limit, 
       'post_type' => $type, 
       'order' => 'ASC', 
       'orderby' =>'menu_order', 
       'paged' => $paged ) );
   
   $list = ' ';   
   
   while ( have_posts() ) { the_post();
   
       $list .= '<article class="listing-view clearfix">' 
       . '<div class="listing-content">' 
       . '<h3><a href="' . get_permalink() . '">' . get_the_title() . '</a></h3>' 
       .'<p>' . get_the_excerpt() . '</p>'
       . '<a href="' . get_permalink() . '">' . 'View &raquo;' . '</a>'
       . '</div>'
       . '<a class="listing-thumb" href="' . get_permalink() . '">' . get_the_post_thumbnail($page->ID, 'listing-thumb')  . '<span></span></a>'
       . '</article>';
   }
   
   return 
   '<div class="listings clearfix">' 
   . $list 
   . '<div class="nav-previous">' . get_next_posts_link( __( '<span class="meta-nav">&larr;</span> Older posts' ) ) . '</div>'
   . '<div class="nav-next">' . get_previous_posts_link( __( 'Newer posts <span class="meta-nav">&rarr;</span>' ) ) . '</div>'
   . '</div>' .
   wp_reset_query();
   
   }
   add_shortcode( 'feed', 'section_feed_shortcode' );