custom-field-registration

name	custom-field-registration
description	Register custom field types with Renderer instances. Use when creating specialized field types, adding custom behavior to fields, building reusable field components, or overriding built-in field types.
license	MIT
location	includes/core/class-renderer.php
metadata	{"author":"code-soup","version":"1.1","package":"codesoup/metabox-schema"}

Custom Field Type Registration

Purpose

Register custom field types with Renderer instances. Extend built-in field types with specialized implementations while avoiding conflicts in multi-plugin environments.

When to Use

• Creating specialized field types (color picker, date range, etc.)
• Adding custom behavior to existing field types
• Building reusable field components
• Need plugin-isolated field registrations

When NOT to Use

• Simple template customization (use template override instead)
• One-off field modifications (use field config instead)
• Non-field functionality

Examples

• examples/basic-custom-field.md - Basic custom field implementation
• examples/color-picker-field.md - Complete color picker example
• examples/override-builtin.md - Override built-in field type

How It Works

1. Create a class that extends Abstract_Field
2. Implement get_template_name() method
3. Add custom methods for field-specific configuration
4. Create Renderer instance and register field type
5. Use the custom type in your schema

Registration

use CodeSoup\MetaboxSchema\Renderer;

$renderer = new Renderer();
$renderer->register_field_type( 'color_picker', Color_Picker_Field::class );

$renderer->render_fields([
    'schema' => [
        'brand_color' => [ 'type' => 'color_picker', 'label' => 'Brand Color' ]
    ],
    'form_prefix' => 'settings'
]);

Benefits:

• ✅ No conflicts between plugins
• ✅ Each renderer has isolated registry
• ✅ Safe for multi-plugin environments

Validation

The registration method validates:

• Field type name is not empty
• Class exists
• Class extends Abstract_Field

Resolution Order

1. Instance custom types (highest priority)
2. Built-in field types
3. Exception if type not found

Requirements

• Class must extend CodeSoup\MetaboxSchema\Abstract_Field
• Must implement get_template_name(): string method
• Register before rendering

Template Structure

Create template in your custom location:

templates/
└── color-picker/
    └── template.md

Common Use Cases

Custom Field Type

Create new field type with custom behavior and template.

Override Built-in Type

Replace built-in field type with custom implementation.

Extend Existing Type

Extend existing field class to add functionality.

Related Skills

• schema-definition - Define field schemas
• template-creator - Create custom templates
• field-renderer - Render forms

Examples

See examples/ folder for complete working examples:

• basic-custom-field.md - Simple rating field
• color-picker-field.md - Advanced color picker with options
• override-builtin.md - Override built-in text field