As of USP Pro version 1.9, you can set up meta boxes for custom fields in submitted content. This tutorial explains how to do it.

The information in this post still is valid, but there is a better way to add meta boxes to your posts »

Custom meta boxes can make things a little nicer for your users. Instead of working directly with custom fields in the Post Edit screen, users will enjoy the more familiar meta-box UI. Here’s how to set it up.

Step 1: Activate custom prefix

Custom meta boxes work best with hidden custom fields. In order to do this, visit Advanced ▸ “Custom Field Prefix” and enter the following:

_usp_

Step 2: Define your custom fields

Next, add the name and (optionally) for parameters to your custom field definition(s). For example, to add three meta boxes, we define three custom fields, like so:

name#_usp_custom_field_1|for#_usp_custom_field_1
name#_usp_custom_field_2|for#_usp_custom_field_2
name#_usp_custom_field_3|for#_usp_custom_field_3

This is a simplified example, you may add further parameters based on your requirements, etc. Don’t forget to include the three custom field shortcodes in the form. View a screenshot of this step »

Notes

Note that, for the name/for value, you can use any alphanumeric string that begins with _usp_. For example, any of the following strings would be displayed in the USP Meta Box:

  • _usp_custom_field_1
  • _usp_custom_10
  • _usp_fieldName
  • _usp_anything
  • _usp_etc

The trick is setting the Custom Prefix setting as _usp_.

Step 3: Enjoy!

That’s all there is to it. If everything went according to plan, your submitted posts will include “USP Custom Fields” meta box, as seen in the screenshot below.

USP Pro Meta Box for Custom Fields

Note that this feature works with all Custom Post Types :)