Any Wordpress Directory Plugin Recommendations?

optiweb · Apr 3, 2013

Can anyone recommend a good WordPress directory plugin that they have personally used please?

I am looking to create a directory page within my wordpress site - I don't want the whole site to be a directory.

Besides it looking well formatted, I need it to have a good navigation structure. I'll be using it for a wordwide directory - so need to be able to drill down from country through to state/county then into town/city.

I don't mind paying a little for the right plugin.

Thanks in advance for any recommendations, if you do have examples that would be great also.

Opti

JamesTuplin · Apr 3, 2013

I know a few guys have used this to great affect in the past.
http://directorypress.net/

Sussexite · Apr 3, 2013

I bought a Directory Press license and after 2 weeks abandoned it. Didn't like it at all. if you do use it, make sure you have your caching sorted, otherwise things will get slooooooooow

tifosi · Apr 3, 2013

If you're looking for essentially a single page directory then using custom post-types and taxonomies is probably the best way to go. Integrated into WP3.3+ there's quite a few ways of listing them through the template hierarchy, and the taxonomies - essentially custom categories can be heirarchical as well.

stellar73 · Apr 4, 2013

tifosi said:
If you're looking for essentially a single page directory then using custom post-types and taxonomies is probably the best way to go. Integrated into WP3.3+ there's quite a few ways of listing them through the template hierarchy, and the taxonomies - essentially custom categories can be heirarchical as well.

+ 1 on this, you probably want to check out podsframework.org which is a free, very advanced custom post type creator plug in for Wordpress

There are a couple of videos the developers have made on you tube which give a good overview of what is possible with it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkBDNOAQJxg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxG4gqY0A-w

Adem · Apr 4, 2013

JamesTuplin said:
I know a few guys have used this to great affect in the past.
http://directorypress.net/

Directory Press is a whole site theme so doesn't work if you just want it for a single page.

tifosi · Apr 4, 2013

Never heard of pods before but looks interesting, and from the video he has some inside track with the WP core developers. Another one is http://www.advancedcustomfields.com/.

The custom post-types and taxonomies are what have turned WP into a real CMS. The only limitation atm is the lack of meta data for taxonomies, they got rid of it when they refactored the db for 2.8 (pre v3). There's a Trac for it as mentioned in the vid, so it should be added 3.6+. Posts & users have it. For taxonomies you have to make an identical table to the post_meta table which they do in pods in the background.

I've been using post_types & taxonomies for a while now e.g. distros.co.uk for the distros search & meta display. I'll be using them for a number of plugins as well with the framework I've developed. Another quick framework which doesn't have the overkill of a plugin structure or UI is: https://github.com/Gizburdt/Wordpress-Cuztom-Helper which I've contributed to.

All in all whether a simple directory page or a more complex site it's a ready-built solution which can be slipped into any theme or as a plugin. WP has it's issues - its a bulky mess of spaghetti code, and caching e.g. wp total cache is essential, but can be whipped into shape pretty easily.

optiweb · Apr 4, 2013

Thanks for the responses so far everyone

Adem is correct Directory Press is for a complete directory site - but thanks anyway for the suggestion - appreciated.

tifosi, thanks but you lost me at 'custom post types' lol, but thanks stellar73 for the pods framework links. I now get the general idea and I think the pods plugin will come in very handy for other areas of my site.

I don't think my limited capabilities would stretch to creating a directory - but it's something to consider if a suitable off the shelf solution isn't available.