CodeWithGagan | Programming Language and IT Lectures: Phase 1 — Module 1.7: Posts, Pages, Categories & Tags

Overview

In this module we go hands-on. We will create actual content in StreamVault — posts, pages, categories, and tags. This is not just clicking around — understanding how WordPress structures content is critical because everything in theme development and plugin development is built around this content model.

Posts — The Content Backbone

What Exactly is a Post?

In WordPress, a "post" is the base content object. Everything stored in the wp_posts table is technically a "post" — blog posts, pages, navigation menus, custom post types, even revisions. They all share the same database table with a post_type column differentiating them.

wp_posts table
├── post_type = 'post'       → Blog posts
├── post_type = 'page'       → Pages
├── post_type = 'movie'      → Custom post type (we create later)
├── post_type = 'nav_menu_item' → Menu items
├── post_type = 'revision'   → Auto-saved revisions
└── post_type = 'attachment' → Media library items

This is why understanding posts is foundational — when you later work with movies, series, episodes — they are all posts under the hood with a custom post_type.

Creating Your First Post

Go to Posts → Add New

You will see the Block Editor. Let us create a sample blog post for StreamVault:

Title:   Top 10 Movies to Watch This Weekend

Content blocks:
[Paragraph] StreamVault brings you the best selection...
[Heading]   Action Movies
[Paragraph] Here are our top picks for action lovers...
[Heading]   Drama Movies
[Paragraph] If you prefer something more emotional...

Post Settings — Right Sidebar

On the right sidebar under the Post tab:

Status & Visibility

Visibility:    Public / Private / Password Protected
Publish:       Immediately / Schedule for later
Stick to top:  [ ] Stick this post to the front page
Pending review:[ ] Flag this post for review

Visibility options:

Public — everyone can see it
Private — only admins and editors can see it
Password Protected — visitors need a password

Stick to front page — pins this post to always appear first in your blog feed regardless of date.

Permalink

URL Slug:  top-10-movies-to-watch-this-weekend
View Post: https://streamvault.local/top-10-movies-to-watch-this-weekend/

The slug is auto-generated from the title. You can edit it manually. Keep slugs:

All lowercase
Hyphens instead of spaces
Short and descriptive
No special characters

Featured Image

[ Set featured image ]

Click this, upload an image or select from media library. This becomes the post thumbnail — shown in blog listings, social sharing previews, and wherever the_post_thumbnail() is called in your theme.

Excerpt

[ Write an excerpt (optional) ]

A short manual summary of the post. If you leave it empty, WordPress auto-generates one from the first 55 words of your content. Used in blog listings with the_excerpt().

Post Statuses

A post can have these statuses:

Status	Meaning
Draft	Saved but not visible to public
Pending	Written by author, waiting for editor approval
Published	Live and visible to public
Scheduled	Will publish automatically at a future date/time
Private	Published but visible to admins/editors only
Trash	Deleted, kept for 30 days before permanent deletion

Hands On — Create These Posts

Create the following posts for StreamVault:

Post 1:
  Title:    Top 10 Action Movies of 2024
  Category: Movie Reviews
  Tags:     action, 2024, top-10
  Status:   Published

Post 2:
  Title:    New Releases This Month on StreamVault
  Category: News
  Tags:     new-releases, streaming
  Status:   Published

Post 3:
  Title:    Best Thriller Series to Binge Watch
  Category: Recommendations
  Tags:     thriller, series, binge-watch
  Status:   Draft

Categories — Hierarchical Organization

What Are Categories?

Categories are the primary way to organize posts. They are hierarchical — meaning you can have parent categories and child categories.

Entertainment          ← Parent category
├── Movie Reviews      ← Child category
├── Series Reviews     ← Child category
└── News               ← Child category
    ├── Platform News  ← Grandchild category
    └── Industry News  ← Grandchild category

Every post must have at least one category. A post can have multiple categories.

Managing Categories

Go to Posts → Categories

+--------------------------------------------------+
|  Add New Category                                |
|--------------------------------------------------|
|  Name:         Movie Reviews                     |
|  Slug:         movie-reviews                     |
|  Parent:       Entertainment  ▼                  |
|  Description:  Reviews of latest movies          |
|                                                  |
|  [ Add New Category ]                            |
+--------------------------------------------------+

Existing Categories:
Name                Slug              Posts
Uncategorized       uncategorized     0
Entertainment       entertainment     0
Movie Reviews       movie-reviews     2
News                news              1
Recommendations     recommendations   1

Fields explained:

Field	Purpose
Name	Display name shown on frontend
Slug	URL-friendly version — /category/movie-reviews/
Parent	Makes this a child of another category
Description	Optional, some themes display this on archive pages

Hands On — Create These Categories

Category 1:
  Name:   Entertainment
  Slug:   entertainment
  Parent: None

Category 2:
  Name:   Movie Reviews
  Slug:   movie-reviews
  Parent: Entertainment

Category 3:
  Name:   Series Reviews
  Slug:   series-reviews
  Parent: Entertainment

Category 4:
  Name:   News
  Slug:   news
  Parent: None

Category 5:
  Name:   Recommendations
  Slug:   recommendations
  Parent: None

Category Archive URLs

Once categories exist, WordPress automatically creates archive pages for them:

https://streamvault.local/category/entertainment/
https://streamvault.local/category/movie-reviews/
https://streamvault.local/category/news/

These pages list all posts belonging to that category. The template that renders these pages is archive.php (or category.php — we cover this in Theme Development).

Tags — Flat Keywords

What Are Tags?

Tags are flat keywords — no hierarchy, no required assignment. They describe specific details about a post that categories do not cover.

A post about "Inception" might have:
  Category: Movie Reviews
  Tags:     christopher-nolan, sci-fi, mind-bending, 2010, leonardo-dicaprio

Think of categories as broad topics and tags as specific descriptors.

Categories vs Tags — The Key Difference

	Categories	Tags
Hierarchy	Yes (parent/child)	No (all flat)
Required	Yes (at least one)	No (optional)
Purpose	Broad topics	Specific keywords
Example	"Movie Reviews"	"christopher-nolan"
URL	/category/movie-reviews/	/tag/christopher-nolan/

Managing Tags

Go to Posts → Tags

+------------------------------------------+
|  Add New Tag                             |
|------------------------------------------|
|  Name:         christopher-nolan         |
|  Slug:         christopher-nolan         |
|  Description:  Films directed by...      |
|                                          |
|  [ Add New Tag ]                         |
+------------------------------------------+

Tags can also be created inline while writing a post — just type in the tag field and press Enter.

Tag Archive URLs

Just like categories, tags get automatic archive pages:

https://streamvault.local/tag/christopher-nolan/
https://streamvault.local/tag/sci-fi/
https://streamvault.local/tag/2024/

Pages — Static Content

What Are Pages?

Pages are for static, timeless content that does not belong in the blog feed.

StreamVault pages we will need:
├── Home           ← Homepage (static)
├── Movies         ← Browse all movies
├── Series         ← Browse all series
├── About          ← About StreamVault
├── Contact        ← Contact form
├── Privacy Policy ← Legal page
└── Terms of Use   ← Legal page

Creating a Page

Go to Pages → Add New

The editor looks identical to the post editor. The difference is in the right sidebar — Pages do not have Categories or Tags. Instead they have:

Page Attributes
├── Parent Page:  [ No parent ▼ ]   ← For hierarchy
└── Order:        [ 0 ]             ← Manual sort order

Page Hierarchy

Pages can be nested — a child page's URL includes the parent:

Parent:  /about/
Child:   /about/team/
Child:   /about/careers/

Hands On — Create These Pages

Page 1:
  Title:  Home
  Slug:   home
  Leave content empty for now

Page 2:
  Title:  Movies
  Slug:   movies
  Content: Browse our complete movie collection.

Page 3:
  Title:  Series
  Slug:   series
  Content: Explore all web series available on StreamVault.

Page 4:
  Title:  About
  Slug:   about
  Content: StreamVault is your ultimate streaming destination.

Page 5:
  Title:  Contact
  Slug:   contact
  Content: Get in touch with us.

Set a Static Homepage

Now that we have a Home page:

Go to Settings → Reading

Your homepage displays:
  ○ Your latest posts
  ● A static page

Homepage:   [ Home    ▼ ]
Posts page: [ -- ▼ ]

Select "A static page" and choose "Home" as the homepage. Save changes.

Now https://streamvault.local/ shows your Home page instead of the blog feed.

The Difference in Database

Understanding how posts and pages differ in the database helps you later when writing WP_Query:

-- Blog posts
SELECT * FROM sv_posts WHERE post_type = 'post' AND post_status = 'publish';

-- Pages
SELECT * FROM sv_posts WHERE post_type = 'page' AND post_status = 'publish';

-- All content
SELECT ID, post_title, post_type, post_status FROM sv_posts;

Both live in the same wp_posts table — the post_type column is the only difference.

Quick Edit

In the Posts or Pages list screen, hovering over any item reveals a Quick Edit option. This lets you change title, slug, date, categories, tags, and status without opening the full editor.

Title     │ Quick Edit │ Trash │ View

Very useful for bulk changes.

Bulk Actions

On the Posts list screen, you can select multiple posts and apply bulk actions:

Bulk Actions ▼  [ Apply ]

Options:
- Edit
- Move to Trash

Bulk Edit lets you change category, tags, author, status, and comment settings for multiple posts at once.

Summary

Posts are time-based content — they have categories, tags, dates, and appear in the blog feed.
Pages are static content — hierarchical, no categories/tags, do not appear in blog feed.
Both posts and pages live in the wp_posts table — differentiated by the post_type column.
Categories are hierarchical and required on posts. Tags are flat and optional.
Set Settings → Reading → Static Page to show a custom homepage instead of the blog feed.
Post statuses — Draft, Pending, Published, Scheduled, Private, Trash.
Featured image, excerpt, and permalink are set per post in the right sidebar.

CodeWithGagan | Programming Language and IT Lectures

Phase 1 — Module 1.7: Posts, Pages, Categories & Tags