CPT posts listed by category with custom rewrite URL, please help!

Here is what I’m trying to do:

I have 10 total dessert recipes (in shared dessert category) that are divided by 2 custom post types. I want to create 3 different views of these posts with the custom URL structure described below:

1. Recipes 1-3 (CPT “a”) with URL: “home/%posttype%/%category%/”
2. Recipes 4-10 (CPT “b”) with URL: “home/%posttype%/%category%/”
3. Recipes 1-10 (all CPTs) with URL: “home/%category%/”

I have searched far and wide for an answer that completes both the URL and content aspects of my goal, but everything I’ve tried only addresses one or the other.

For example: For the content, I’ve used get_posts() parameters to view specific category and post type, but since the template is assigned to a “page” the wordpress generated URL does not include the custom post type and the result is:

home/%pagename%/

For the URL, I’ve tried to use the init action to modify rewrite rules as suggested in this forum here and although this creates a URL structure exactly as I want it, the content output for the URL does not match what would be expected. The result is that all three URLs have all 10 recipes (essentially the general category archive page):

“home/%posttype%/%category%/” is the same as “home/%category%/” and I can’t figure out why.

I’ve also added a filter to pre_get_posts to include my CPTs in the main query so that they show up at all. Not sure if there is a better way to do this in case it is interfering with the URL rewrite, although considering I took the code from the WP codex here under “Custom Post Types in the Main Query” I think the problem/solution is somewhere I don’t seem to be looking.

I can’t imagine that what I want is supposed to be that complicated. Can anyone see what I’m missing?

Thanks!!

I did look at your code and saw you changed the original code.

To make it more clear what you can achieve with this snippet. You would end up with the following permalinks:

/recetas-argentinas/category/desserts

Shows all post with the post_type recetas-argentinas and with the
category desserts.

/recetas-argentinas/my-single-recept-post

Shows a single post of the post_type recetas-argentinas.

I did just use the code snippet from the original link and it was working for me.

Here is a screenshot of the rewrite analyzer to show how it works. Basically you enter a URL in the input field on the top and the plugin will show you which rewrite-rules will be matched by this URL:

Also please be aware that the Category base in your permalink settings also has a influence to this. To have a permalink structure like above you would have to leave it empty.

Hope this is helping you to reach your target.

Old answer

Not sure I totally get your question, but from the following two sentences:

I’ve managed to use WP_query to create a page template […]
However, I can’t figure out the URL structures or slugs for this filtered category archive

A page template doesn’t have a permalink-structure. It’s nothing more then a template assigned to a single page – even if you use it to display a “archive like” list of posts.

Two other suggestions:

• For any rewrite problems (especially if it’s about conflicting rewrite structs) it’s a good idea to debug your permalinks with the Monkeyman Rewrite Analyzer.
• register_post_type() has extensive support for creating custom permalink options which can help you avoid permalink conflicts.

Even if this is no direct answer to your question, I hope this is helping you somewhat further.