Shadow Terms

A better way to connect content

Connecting related content in WordPress typically requires custom fields, complex meta queries, or even custom database tables. Shadow Terms offers an elegant alternative: it automatically creates taxonomies that mirror your post types, letting you create relationships using WordPress’s built-in term assignment interface.

When you create a post (like an Organization), Shadow Terms automatically generates a matching term in a shadow taxonomy (like organization_connect). You can then assign this term to related content using standard WordPress taxonomy controls—no custom UI to build, no complex queries to maintain.

How it works

1. Add shadow term support when registering your post type, specifying which other post types should support the shadow taxonomy
2. Create posts normally—Shadow Terms automatically generates matching terms with synchronized names and slugs
3. Assign terms to related content using familiar WordPress taxonomy checkboxes or select dropdowns
4. Query relationships using standard tax_query parameters—well-understood by any WordPress developer

Perfect for content relationships

Shadow Terms is ideal for one-to-many and many-to-many relationships across any content types:

• News & media sites: Link journalists to their articles, organizations to press releases—assign the journalist’s shadow term to each article they write
• Business directories: Connect companies to their employees, locations, and announcements—one company term assigned to multiple employee profiles
• Educational platforms: Associate instructors with courses, departments with faculty members—track all courses taught by each instructor
• Event management: Link venues to events, sponsors to activities—see all events at a specific venue
• Portfolio sites: Connect clients to projects, agencies to case studies
• Any custom solution: Build relationships between any post types based on your unique requirements

Why developers choose Shadow Terms

• Leverages WordPress core
• Uses native taxonomy system—no custom database tables
• Terms are automatically cached by WordPress for optimal performance
• Works seamlessly with existing taxonomy tools and plugins

Familiar development patterns

• Standard tax_query for retrieving related content
• Native WordPress admin UI—no custom meta boxes to build
• Integrates with post type registration using add_post_type_support()

Maintenance-free synchronization

• Automatically creates terms when posts are created
• Keeps term names and slugs synchronized with post updates
• Handles term cleanup when posts are deleted

Clean, simple implementation

// Register your post type normally
register_post_type( 'organization', $args );

// Add shadow term support
add_post_type_support( 
    'organization', 
    'shadow-terms', 
    array( 'person', 'press-release' ) 
);Code language: PHP (php)

That’s it. Now when you create an Organization post, a matching term appears in the Person and Press Release editors under the “Organizations” taxonomy.

What you need to know

Requires custom code: Shadow Terms is a developer tool that requires code in your theme or plugin. It’s not a point-and-click solution—you’ll need to add shadow term support during post type registration.

Configuration at registration: Shadow taxonomies must be configured when registering post types, not through the WordPress admin interface.

Best for specific relationships: Ideal for one-to-many and many-to-many relationships. For simple one-to-one relationships, traditional post meta or relationship fields might be more appropriate.

Standards-based approach: If you’re comfortable with WordPress taxonomies and tax_query, you’ll feel right at home with Shadow Terms.