Storage Options

DataView supports multiple storage backends to suit different use cases.

Custom Post Type (Default)

'storage' => 'cpt',

Uses WordPress Custom Post Types. Best for:

• Integration with existing WordPress workflows
• Content that benefits from post features (revisions, author, etc.)
• Compatibility with WordPress admin features

Limitations:

• CPT slugs must be 20 characters or less
• Uses post meta for field storage

Storage options:

'storage_options' => [
    'public'       => false,        // Hide from frontend
    'show_in_rest' => true,         // Enable REST API
    'supports'     => ['title'],    // Post type supports
],

Database

'storage' => 'database',

Uses custom database tables via the Database Module. Best for:

• High-volume data
• Complex queries
• Data that doesn't fit the post model
• Better performance for large datasets

Storage options:

'storage_options' => [
    'version' => 1,  // Increment when schema changes
],

The database schema is auto-generated from field definitions:

Field Type	Database Column
string	VARCHAR(255)
text	TEXT
email	VARCHAR(255)
url	VARCHAR(512)
integer	INT(11)
boolean	TINYINT(1)
date	DATE
datetime	DATETIME
repeater	LONGTEXT

Option

'storage' => 'option',

Uses WordPress options. Best for:

• Singular mode (settings pages)
• Single-instance data
• Simple key-value storage

Note: This storage type is typically used with 'mode' => 'singular'.

$view = new DataView([
    'slug'    => 'my_plugin_settings',
    'label'   => 'Settings',
    'storage' => 'option',
    'mode'    => 'singular',
    'fields'  => [
        'api_key'    => 'string',
        'debug_mode' => 'boolean',
    ],
]);

Choosing a Storage Backend

Use Case	Recommended Storage
Plugin settings	option + singular mode
Content-like data (posts, pages)	cpt
High-volume transactional data	database
Data needing WordPress features	cpt
Custom queries and joins	database
Simple CRUD with few records	cpt

Example: Settings Page

$view = new DataView([
    'slug'    => 'my_plugin_settings',
    'label'   => 'Settings',
    'storage' => 'option',
    'mode'    => 'singular',
    'fields'  => [
        'api_key'     => 'string',
        'api_url'     => 'url',
        'cache_ttl'   => 'integer',
        'debug_mode'  => 'boolean',
    ],
    'ui' => [
        'menu_label' => 'My Plugin',
        'parent'     => 'options-general.php',
    ],
]);

Example: High-Volume Data

$view = new DataView([
    'slug'    => 'analytics_event',
    'label'   => 'Event',
    'storage' => 'database',
    'storage_options' => [
        'version' => 1,
    ],
    'fields'  => [
        'event_type' => 'string',
        'user_id'    => 'integer',
        'data'       => 'text',
        'created_at' => 'datetime',
    ],
]);