Jetpack 3.1: What You Should Know About The Portfolio Custom Post Type

With the Jetpack 3.1 update, the plugin created by Automattic got a much needed facelift. Besides the new logo, the plugin also received a nice feature: the Portfolio Custom Post Type.

Since this custom post type is the most recent addition to the plugin, we thought it would be a good idea to take a closer look at what it has to offer, how to use it, and when you shouldn’t.

A Closer Look at The Portfolio Custom Post Type

The custom post type that is now available in the 3.1 update will allow you to create stunning Portfolio pages and posts with various column layouts.

Even though the Portfolio Custom Post Type is new to Jetpack, it’s nothing new to the WordPress community. Many themes already exist that allow you to add this post type to your WordPress site. However, there are many WordPress themes that don’t yet have this added support – that’s where the Jetpack update can come in handy.

The new custom post type in Jetpack will work with all WordPress themes and will add the portfolio post type to themes that lack the function. Hooray for that!

Reasons Not To Use The Portfolio Post Type in Jetpack

Before you jump into using the new post type, there are other things to consider before activating it.

One reason you may want to opt out of using the plugin would be if you are already using one to create a portfolio on your site. Another reason to avoid using it would be if your theme already has that post type option and is being used.

Using the Custom Post Type in Jetpack while you’re already using one of the options above can create a whole mess of trouble. The code from your other plugin or theme can create some messy code that will either break the look of your portfolio, or simply weigh down your site due to the redundancy of having two things attempting to do the same job.

The last reason to skip the new feature probably goes with out saying, but I’ll say it anyway – if you don’t need a portfolio on your site, don’t use the new feature.

How To Use The New Post Type

Turning on the Custom Post type is a little different than with most other features that come with Jetpack.

In order to turn it on, you need to go the Settings area in your WordPress Dashboard, and then click on Writing. Scroll to the bottom of the page and tick the box under Custom Post Types that says Portfolio Projects. Next, you should save the new option, and you’ll now have it activated.

After you activate things, you will notice that you now have a new option pop up in your sidebar menu that will be marked Portfolio. You can add your desired portfolio content there.

To create a portfolio page, create a new page and can use the shortcode [portfolio] to turn a page into a portfolio style page. That’s it! Pretty simple, right?

It’s clear that Jetpack is trying to become a plugin for every WordPress lover to use on their site. This new post is just one of more to come, I’m pretty sure of that.

Any post types that you’d like to see added to the plugin? Share your thoughts below.