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Custom Post Type Parents
Set a "parent page" for custom post types that is indicated in menus, lists of pages, and the Simple Section Navigation widget.
The facts
- Rating
- 4★ from 6
- Active installs
- 900+
- Price
- Free
- Last updated
- 10 Mar 2026
- Added
- Feb 2015
- Requires WP
- 3.5
- Tested up to
- WP 6.9.7
- Downloads
- 17,351
Our analysis
AI-assistedCustom Post Type Parents is a WordPress plugin designed to enhance navigation for custom post types by highlighting their parent pages in menus and lists. It works by integrating with WordPress functions that output page lists and menus, applying standard classes to indicate the current parent and ancestor pages. This is particularly useful for users managing sites with complex content structures involving custom post types.
The plugin allows you to select a parent page for each custom post type from the admin settings. Once configured, it automatically applies the appropriate CSS classes to the menus and lists, ensuring that users can easily identify the relationship between custom post types and their parent pages.
Best for: This plugin is suitable for WordPress users who manage custom post types and need improved navigation for their content.
What it does well
- ✓Highlights parent pages for custom post types in navigation
- ✓Integrates with standard WordPress menu and page list functions
- ✓Applies consistent CSS classes for easy styling
- ✓Compatible with PHP 8.2
Where it falls short
- •Limited information on additional features or customisation options
Verdict
Custom Post Type Parents provides a straightforward solution for enhancing menu navigation related to custom post types, making it a useful tool for specific WordPress site structures.
From the developer
Mickey Kay's own description of Custom Post Type Parents, lightly tidied.
Compatible with PHP 8.2
Like this plugin? Please consider leaving a 5-star review.
This plugin is meant to solve the problem of highlighting “parent” pages for Custom Post Types in the menu and lists of pages. It integrates with custom menu output as well as output for any functions like wp_list_pages() that utilize the page_css_class or nav_menu_css_class filters. When viewing a custom post type, the assigned “parent page” will be indicated with standard WordPress classes (e.g. current_page_item) in navigation menus and lists of pages.
Usage
- In the admin, navigate to Settings > Custom Post Type Parents
- For each custom post type, use the dropdown to select a “parent page”
Menus and lists of pages will now have the appropriate classes applied to the specified parent pages. Additionally, Custom Post Type Parents will apply these classes to Simple Section Navigation widgets, if the plugin is installed.
Classes
Custom Post Type Parents applies the following classes to parent and ancestor pages (all classes are consistent with default WordPress classes and are backwards compatible).
Parent
* current-menu-parent
* current_page_parent
* current-custom-post-type-parent
* current-{post type}-parent
Ancestor
* current-menu-ancestor
* current_page_ancestor
* current-custom-post-type-ancestor
* current-{post type}-ancestor
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