Movies & TV Shows Module

Overview

The Movies & Shows Module in Inspiro Premium allows you to create a complete TV shows or movies catalog website. This module introduces three custom post types: Shows, Seasons, and Episodes, with relationship fields that link them together hierarchically.

This is perfect for:

• TV show databases and fan sites
• Video streaming service catalogs
• Documentary series websites
• Educational course platforms (courses → modules → lessons)
• Podcast networks (shows → seasons → episodes)

Tip: The labels for Shows, Seasons, and Episodes can be customized in Theme Options, so you can rename them to Courses, Modules, and Lessons, or any terminology that fits your content.

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Requirements

The Movies & Shows Module requires the Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) plugin (free version) for the relationship functionality between Episodes, Seasons, and Shows.

Download ACF (Free)

Important: Without ACF installed and activated, you won’t be able to assign Episodes to Seasons or Seasons to Shows. The custom post types will still work, but without the hierarchical relationships.

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Enabling the Module

There are two ways to enable the Movies & Shows Module:

Option 1: Import the Movies Demo

The easiest way to get started is to import the Movies & TV Shows demo from the Demo Importer:

1. Go to Demo Importer
2. Select the Movies & TV Shows demo
3. Click Import Demo Content

The demo import will automatically:

• Enable the Movies Module
• Register the Shows, Seasons, and Episodes post types
• Import sample shows, seasons, and episodes with proper relationships
• Create the Shows page with the catalog shortcode
• Set up ACF relationship fields

Option 2: Manual Activation

To manually enable the module without importing the demo:

1. Go to Theme Options → Movies & Shows
2. Check the Enable Movies Module option
3. Click Save Changes

Once enabled, you’ll see three new menu items in your WordPress admin: Shows, Seasons, and Episodes.

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Creating the Shows Page

The Shows page displays a grid of all your shows. After enabling the module, you’ll see an admin notice prompting you to create this page.

Automatic Creation

Click the Create Shows Page button in the admin notice. This will create a new page with the [inspiro_shows] shortcode already inserted.

Manual Creation

1. Create a new Page in WordPress
2. Add the shortcode: [inspiro_shows]
3. Publish the page
4. Go to Theme Options → Movies & Shows → Shows Page
5. Select your newly created page from the dropdown
6. Save Changes

Note: The Shows page URL becomes the base slug for individual show URLs. For example, if your Shows page is at /series/, individual shows will be at /series/show-name/.

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Creating Content

Content should be created in a specific order to establish proper relationships:

Step 1: Create Shows

1. Go to Shows → Add New
2. Enter the show title (e.g., “Breaking Bad”)
3. Add a description in the content area
4. Set a Featured Image (show poster/cover)
5. Publish the show

Step 2: Create Seasons

1. Go to Seasons → Add New
2. Enter the season title (e.g., “Season 1”)
3. In the Parent Show field (ACF relationship field), search for and select the show this season belongs to
4. Add a description and featured image if desired
5. Publish the season

Step 3: Create Episodes

1. Go to Episodes → Add New
2. Enter the episode title (e.g., “Pilot”)
3. In the Parent Season field, select which season this episode belongs to
4. Optionally, also select the Parent Show for easier filtering
5. Add the episode description, featured image, and any other content
6. Publish the episode

Tip: Use the Order field in the Page Attributes meta box to control the display order of episodes within a season.

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Display Options

Single Show Page

When viewing a single show, the template automatically displays:

• Show title and featured image
• Show description/content
• List of all seasons belonging to that show
• Breadcrumb navigation back to the Shows page

Single Season Page

When viewing a single season, the template displays:

• Season title and featured image
• Season description
• Grid of all episodes in that season
• Breadcrumb navigation (Shows → Show Name → Season)

Single Episode Page

When viewing a single episode, the template displays:

• Episode title and featured image
• Episode content
• Episode number (if enabled in Theme Options)
• Full breadcrumb navigation (Shows → Show Name → Season → Episode)

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Using Query Loop Block

Inspiro Premium adds two custom filters to the WordPress Query Loop block, allowing you to display episodes filtered by Show or Season anywhere on your site.

Adding a Query Loop with Episode Filters

1. Add a Query Loop block to your page
2. In the block settings sidebar, set Post Type to Episodes
3. You’ll see two new dropdown filters:
   • Filter by Show – Select a specific show to display only its episodes
   • Filter by Season – Select a specific season to display only its episodes
4. Choose your desired template layout for the episodes

Example Use Cases

• Homepage Featured Episodes: Add a Query Loop showing the latest 3 episodes from a featured show
• Season Landing Pages: Create custom pages for each season with a Query Loop filtered by that season
• Sidebar Widget: Display recent episodes from the currently viewed show
• Category Pages: Show episodes by genre using a combination of categories and Query Loop

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Theme Options

Navigate to Theme Options → Movies & Shows to access all module settings:

Shows Page

Select which page serves as your main shows catalog. This page should contain the [inspiro_shows] shortcode.

Custom Labels

Rename the post types to match your content:

• Shows Label: Default is “Shows” – change to “Series”, “Movies”, “Courses”, etc.
• Seasons Label: Default is “Seasons” – change to “Parts”, “Modules”, “Volumes”, etc.
• Episodes Label: Default is “Episodes” – change to “Chapters”, “Lessons”, “Parts”, etc.

Permalinks

Customize the URL slugs for Seasons and Episodes:

• Seasons Slug: Default is seasons
• Episodes Slug: Default is episodes

Important: After changing permalink slugs, go to Settings → Permalinks and click Save Changes to flush the rewrite rules.

Display Options

• Show Episode Numbers: Enable to display episode numbers (E01, E02, etc.) on episode cards and single pages

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Shortcode Reference

[inspiro_shows]

Displays a grid of all published shows. This shortcode is typically used on the main Shows page.

Example:

[inspiro_shows]

The shortcode displays shows in a responsive grid with:

• Show thumbnail/poster
• Show title
• Link to the individual show page

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Troubleshooting

Custom Post Types Not Appearing

If Shows, Seasons, and Episodes menus don’t appear in your admin:

1. Verify the Movies Module is enabled in Theme Options
2. Go to Settings → Permalinks and click Save Changes to flush rewrite rules
3. Clear any caching plugins

Relationship Fields Not Showing

If you don’t see the Parent Show or Parent Season fields when editing:

1. Ensure the Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) plugin is installed and activated
2. Check that you’re editing the correct post type (Seasons need Parent Show, Episodes need Parent Season)

Episodes Not Linking to Correct Season

If imported episodes aren’t properly linked:

1. This can happen if the demo was imported before ACF was activated
2. Edit each episode and manually select the Parent Season in the ACF relationship field
3. Alternatively, re-import the demo with ACF already active

Shows Page Returns 404

1. Go to Settings → Permalinks
2. Click Save Changes (no need to change anything)
3. This flushes the rewrite rules and should resolve the 404 error