dynamic content in Wordpress using php, mysql

Question

I wish to create a Wordpress website that pulls data from a database. For example: a database of cities, landmarks, events, etc. I understand that Wordpress uses an underlying database, but how do I create a separate database to store dynamic data that can be pulled useing normal sql queries? thank you.

Answer 1

I understand that Wordpress uses an underlying database, but how do I create a separate database to store dynamic data

You can create a new database in mysql using the CREATE DATABASE command. For example:

CREATE DATABASE newdbname;

You can also utilize the Wordpress API for storing and retrieving custom data. This is a huge topic, but a good tutorial can be found here:

http://code.tutsplus.com/tutorials/how-to-create-custom-wordpress-writemeta-boxes--wp-20336

Basically, you need to register a callback to the add_meta_boxes hook, by using the following Wordpress function:

add_action('add_meta_boxes', 'addMyCustomField');

And then write your call back function like so:

function addMyCustomField(){

    add_meta_box('id', 'title', 'callback', 'post_type', 'context', 'priority', 'callback_args' );
}