Tables

Define custom database table schemas with columns, indexes, and foreign keys.

A Table defines the schema for a custom MySQL table. ACPT creates and manages the actual database table for you. Each table belongs to one Table Group and can hold any number of records.

The create/edit wizard

Creating or editing a table opens a four-step wizard.

Step 1 of the table creation wizard: General settings.

Step 1 — General

Field	Description
Name	Table name in the database (snake_case, no spaces). Required.
Label	Human-readable label.
Table Group	Which group this table belongs to.
ID strategy	How the primary key is generated (see below).
Expose via REST API	If enabled, records are accessible via the /wp-json/acpt/v1/{tableName} endpoint.
Menu icon	Dashicon displayed in the admin sidebar.
Menu position	Numeric position in the admin menu.
Capability	Minimum WordPress capability required to access the table admin.
Charset	Database character set (default: utf8mb4).
Collation	Database collation (default: utf8mb4_unicode_ci).
Timestamps	Automatically add created_at and updated_at columns.
Soft delete	Adds a deleted_at column for non-destructive record deletion.

ID strategies

Strategy	Description
AUTO_INCREMENT	Standard auto-incrementing integer primary key. Best for most use cases.
UUID	A UUID v4 string is generated for each new record. Useful for distributed systems or when IDs must not be guessable.
ULID	A Universally Unique Lexicographically Sortable Identifier — sortable by creation time, URL-safe.

Step 2 — Columns

Define the table's columns using the Canvas UI. Drag columns to reorder them. See Columns for all column types and settings.

The Canvas UI for managing table columns.

Step 3 — Indexes

Add database indexes to improve query performance. See Indexes.

Step 4 — Foreign Keys

Define relationships between tables. See Foreign Keys.

Managing Tables

Navigate to ACPT → Custom Content Types to see all tables.

The Custom Content Types table list.

The list shows:

• Name and Label

• Schema status — whether the MySQL table has been created

• Stats — record count

• Group — the table group the table belongs to

Schema status

When you first save a table, ACPT attempts to create the database table automatically. If the schema is out of sync (e.g. after a column change), the list shows a Create/Sync schema button to regenerate the table structure.

Schema changes to an existing table are applied non-destructively: new columns are added and type changes are applied. Removing a column from the schema does not automatically drop it from the database — use the Health Check tool to review schema drift.

Viewing a Table

Click the table name or View to open a read-only summary with four tabs: General, Columns, Indexes, and Foreign Keys.

Actions available from the view:

• Edit — reopen the wizard

• Permissions — configure access control

Deleting a Table

Click Delete in the actions dropdown.

Deleting a table removes the table definition from ACPT and drops the MySQL table, permanently deleting all records. This action cannot be undone.