---
title: "How to Show Custom Posts Based on Custom Taxonomy in Custom Post Grid Layout?"
url: https://theplusaddons.com/docs/show-custom-posts-based-on-custom-taxonomy-in-custom-post-grid-layout/
date: 2023-07-07
modified: 2026-09-14
lang: en
author: "Aditya Sharma"
description: "A custom post type usually holds more than one group of things — books by author, properties by city, recipes by course. Most of the time you want a listing..."
image: https://theplusaddons.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/How-to-Show-Custom-Posts-Based-on-Custom-Taxonomy-in-Custom-Post-Grid-Layout_-1024x536.jpg
word_count: 650
---

# How to Show Custom Posts Based on Custom Taxonomy in Custom Post Grid Layout?

## 

- Dynamic Smart Showcase en The Plus Addons for Elementor Pro filtra un tipo de contenido personalizado por taxonomías y muestra solo las entradas que coinciden con los términos indicados.
- Slug de término usa el valor de la columna Slug, no el nombre, y un ejemplo como Paul Adler se guarda normalmente como paul-adler.
- Taxonomies Slug acepta varios slugs separados por comas, combina los resultados con OR y tolera un espacio después de la coma.
- Dynamic Smart Showcase muestra Posts not found si ningún contenido tiene el slug escrito, y solo permite una taxonomía a la vez.

A custom post type usually holds more than one group of things — books by author, properties by city, recipes by course. Most of the time you want a listing for one group, not the whole lot.

**Taxonomies** and **Taxonomies Slug** in the **Dynamic Smart Showcase** widget from The Plus Addons for Elementor narrow the listing to the terms you name.

*To check the complete feature overview documentation of The Plus Addons for Elementor Dynamic Smart Showcase widget, [click here](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/dynamic-smart-showcase-widget-settings-overview/).*

***Requirement - This widget is a part of The Plus Addons for Elementor Pro, make sure it's installed & activated to enjoy all its powers.***

[LIVE WIDGET LINK](https://theplusaddons.com/elementor-listing/?utm_source=tpae&utm_medium=docs&utm_campaign=text#dynamic-listing-wgts)

## Before You Start

- **Edition:** **Pro** — Dynamic Smart Showcase is only in The Plus Addons for Elementor Pro. With the Pro plugin switched off the widget is not in the editor at all, and a page that already uses it shows nothing where the widget was.- **Widget to enable:** Dynamic Smart Showcase, switched on under **The Plus Addons > Widgets**.- **You need a custom post type:** registered as public with *show_ui* on, or it will not appear in the **Post Type** dropdown.- **You need a custom taxonomy:** registered as public, attached to that post type, with terms assigned to the entries you want to show.- **Raise the post count:** **Maximum Posts Display** in **Content Source** defaults to **1**, so a freshly dropped widget shows a single post. Set it to the number you want, or to **-1** for every matching post.

## How to Find the Term Slug

- In the WordPress dashboard, open your custom post type and then its taxonomy screen. In the example below that is **Books > Book Authors**.- Find the term you want in the list.- Copy the value in the **Slug** column — not the name. “Paul Adler” is usually stored as `paul-adler`.

![WordPress Book Authors taxonomy screen with the Slug column of each term](https://theplusaddons.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/find-taxonomy-slug.png)

## How to Use It

- Select the **Dynamic Smart Showcase** widget on your page.- In **Layout**, set **Post Type** to your custom post type.- Open **Content Source**. **Select Category** is replaced by **Taxonomies** as soon as the post type is not Posts.- Pick your taxonomy in **Taxonomies**. The dropdown lists registered taxonomy names, so “Book Authors” appears as `book_author`.- Type the term slug into **Taxonomies Slug**. For several terms, separate them with commas.

![Taxonomies set to book_author and Taxonomies Slug set to paul-adler in the Content Source section](https://theplusaddons.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/smartshowcase-taxonomy-slug.webp)

## The Result

Only the entries in that term are listed:

![Front-end grid showing only the three books in the Paul Adler term: The Second Draft, Notes on Slow Software and The Quiet Archive](https://theplusaddons.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/smartshowcase-result-taxonomy.webp)

## How It Behaves

- Several slugs are combined with OR: `paul-adler,lena-fischer` returns the entries of either term.- A space after the comma is tolerated — `paul-adler, lena-fischer` returns the same entries.- Leaving **Taxonomies Slug** empty lists the whole post type.- **Include Post(s)**, **Exclude Post(s)**, **Offset Posts**, **Order By** and **Order** still apply on top of the taxonomy filter.- If no entry carries the slug you typed, the widget prints *Posts not found*.

## Limitations

- The field takes slugs, not term names or IDs. A name with a capital letter or a space will not match.- **Taxonomies** and **Taxonomies Slug** are hidden while **Post Type** is **Posts**. Use **Select Category** and **Select Tags** for blog posts.- Only one taxonomy can be used at a time. You cannot combine two different taxonomies in the same listing.- The dropdown shows the registered taxonomy name rather than its display label, so you need to recognise your taxonomy by its slug.

## Troubleshooting

### The listing is empty

Check the slug against the **Slug** column on the taxonomy screen, and make sure the taxonomy selected in **Taxonomies** is the one those terms belong to.

### I only see Select Attributes in the dropdown

That is the placeholder entry. If nothing else is listed, the post type has no public taxonomy attached to it.

### There is no Taxonomies field

**Post Type** is still set to **Posts**. Change it to your custom post type and the field appears.

## Related Docs

- [Dynamic Smart Showcase Widget Settings Overview](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/dynamic-smart-showcase-widget-settings-overview/)- [How to Create a Custom Post Grid Layout with Dynamic CPTs in Elementor?](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/create-a-custom-post-grid-layout-with-dynamic-cpts-in-elementor/)- [How to Add a Category Wise Filter in Custom Post Grid Layout in Elementor?](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/add-category-wise-filter-in-custom-post-grid-layout-in-elementor/)- [How to Exclude Post by Post ID From Custom Post Grid Layout?](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/exclude-post-by-post-id-from-custom-post-grid-layout/)

## Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: Why is my custom post grid showing only one post after I add a taxonomy filter?**
A: The default post count is the usual culprit here. In The Plus Addons for Elementor Dynamic Smart Showcase widget, Maximum Posts Display starts at 1, so a fresh widget only shows a single matching post even when more entries share the same term. Raising that number, or setting it to -1 for every match, changes the result without touching the taxonomy filter itself. That matters because the filter can be correct while the output still looks incomplete.

**Q: What do I need before filtering custom posts by taxonomy in Elementor?**
A: Three things have to line up: the Dynamic Smart Showcase widget must be active in The Plus Addons for Elementor Pro, the custom post type must be public with show_ui on, and the custom taxonomy must be public, attached to that post type, and already have terms assigned to the entries you want listed. If any of those pieces is missing, the taxonomy filter has nothing usable to work with.

**Q: How do I find the right term slug for a custom taxonomy?**
A: The slug is what drives the filter, not the visible term name. In WordPress, open your custom post type and then its taxonomy screen, like Books > Book Authors in the example on the page, and copy the value from the Slug column. A display name such as Paul Adler is often stored as paul-adler, so using the name instead of the slug usually breaks matching.

**Q: Can I filter a custom post grid by more than one taxonomy term at once?**
A: Multiple terms work inside one taxonomy field, but only as a single-taxonomy filter. The page says several slugs are combined with OR, so paul-adler,lena-fischer returns entries from either term. That makes it useful for broadening a listing without creating separate grids. The catch is that you cannot combine two different taxonomies in the same listing.

**Q: Why does the Taxonomies field disappear when I switch to Posts?**
A: That field is tied to custom post types, not standard blog posts. When Post Type is set to Posts, Taxonomies and Taxonomies Slug are hidden and you use Select Category and Select Tags instead. Once Post Type changes to your custom post type, Category is replaced by Taxonomies and the widget shows registered taxonomy names like book_author.

**Q: What should I do if my filtered listing shows Posts not found?**
A: That message usually means the slug does not match any assigned term on that content set. The fastest fix is to compare your entry against the Slug column on the taxonomy screen and confirm that the selected taxonomy in Taxonomies is actually attached to those posts. Include Post(s), Exclude Post(s), Offset Posts, Order By, and Order still apply on top of this filter, so those settings can also affect what appears.