Resources: How-To Guide
A practical guide to creating and managing Resources in WordPress using the Resources plugin, Post Gating, and Full-Site Editing templates.
1. What Are Resources?
Resources is a custom WordPress post type for publishing downloadable files, external links, video embeds, and other content assets. It provides a clean, flexible foundation with one built-in custom field (Download URL) and relies on the Block Editor and Full-Site Editing for all layout and templating.
Additional functionality is handled by separate, optional plugins that you add only when you need them:
- Vital Post Gating — Adds the ability to gate resources behind a form.
- Vital External Links — Lets resource cards link directly to a third-party URL instead of a detail page.
2. Creating a Resource
Step 1: Add a New Resource Post
In the WordPress admin, go to Resources → Add New. Give your resource a title and populate the standard fields (Featured Image, Excerpt, Categories/Tags) as you would for any post.
Step 2: Set the Download URL
Every Resource post includes a Download URL field. This is a simple text input where you can enter any URL. You have two options:
- Paste any external URL (a link to another site, a hosted file, etc.).
- Click the media library button to select a file directly from your WordPress media library.
This field is flexible by design — it accepts any valid URL.
Step 3: Choose or Create a Template
Resources use Full-Site Editing templates, which means you have full control over the layout surrounding your post content (header, hero, sidebar, footer, etc.).
- Default template: Resource Detail — the standard single-resource layout.
- Custom templates: You can create additional templates in the Site Editor and assign them to individual Resource posts.
Step 4: Add Your Content Using Starter Patterns
Instead of selecting a “resource type” from a dropdown, you build your resource content directly in the Block Editor. Starter Patterns give you pre-built content layouts for common resource types:
| Resource Type | How to Set It Up |
|---|---|
| Video Embed | Insert a Video block (or any embed block) directly into your post content. You can use YouTube, Vimeo, or any supported oEmbed source — or paste a raw embed code in a Custom HTML block. |
| File Download | Use the Download URL field for the file link. Add any supporting context, descriptions, or calls-to-action in the post content. |
| External Link | Enter the destination URL in the Download URL field. Add context or a preview in the post content as needed. |
| Mixed / Custom | Combine any of the above. Add video embeds, download links, supporting text, images, or any other blocks in whatever order works for your content. |
💡 Key Concept: Because content lives in the Block Editor, you have complete flexibility. There is no rigid resource “type” — you can mix video, downloads, text, and any other blocks on a single resource.
3. Gating a Resource
Gating requires the Vital Post Gating plugin. When active, it lets you lock a resource behind a form so users must submit the form before accessing the content.
How It Works
- Check the “This Post is Gated” checkbox on the Resource post.
- When a visitor arrives at the resource URL, the plugin intercepts the page and displays the Gated Post template instead of the normal resource content.
- The visitor fills out the form on the gated template and submits it.
- The form redirects the visitor to the same URL with
/thank-you/appended. - The plugin recognizes the
/thank-you/URL and serves the original, ungated resource content.
What You See vs. What Visitors See
| Editor View | Visitor View | |
|---|---|---|
| Resource URL | Normal post editor | Gated Post template (form) |
| Resource URL + /thank-you/ | N/A (not editable) | Original resource content |
Editing the Gated Post Template
The Gated Post template is a Full-Site Editing template, which means you can customize it in the Site Editor just like any other template. It is shared across all gated posts by default.
When designing the Gated Post template, keep in mind that the only post data you should display is content that is safe to show before the visitor has filled out the form. Safe fields include the post title, excerpt, taxonomy terms, and featured image. Avoid placing the full Post Content block on this template, as that would expose the gated asset.
Customizing Gate Templates
Custom Gate Template
In addition to flagging your post as “Gated” a new dropdown menu also allows you to choose which template (including custom templates built in the site editor) to use for the gate.
Gate Block Visibility
New in 1.1.0, Blocks have a dropdown menu added to the Advanced Controls in the sidebar so that it can be “Always Visible”, “Only Visible On the Gate Template”, or “Only Visible Off the Gate Template”.
Unique Gate Form Per Resource
Using these new features, an Editor can make a custom “Gated Post With Full Content” template which is like our standard Gated Post, except instead of using “Post Excerpt” to only get a preview, we use the entire Post Content. Then in posts using this template we add the Asset AND the Gate Form, and then set the form to be only visible on the gate, and the asset to only visible off the gate.
Follow-Up Form in “Thank You” Content
Just more of the exact same technique. You can just use a template that shows all of the content instead of just the excerpt. Add TWO forms and have one set to show on the gate and the other off the gate.
Setting Up the Form Redirect
To make the form redirect visitors to the thank-you view after submission, configure your form’s confirmation settings to redirect to the following URL:
{embed_url}/thank-you/This works with Gravity Forms (using the {embed_url} merge tag). For other form systems, use whichever method they support for redirecting to a dynamic URL based on the current page.
💡 Tip: You do not need to write any custom redirect code. The /thank-you/ URL routing is handled automatically by the Vital Post Gating plugin.
4. Linking to External Resources
If you want a resource card to bypass the WordPress detail page entirely and link straight to a third-party URL, use the Vital External Links plugin.
How to Use It
- Activate the Vital External Links plugin.
- On the Resource post, enter a URL in the External URL field.
- Resource cards across the site will now link directly to that external URL instead of the WordPress detail page. Any direct traffic to the WordPress URL will also be redirected.
Use this for resources hosted entirely on a third-party platform where you don’t need a detail page on your own site.
5. Common Tasks
How do I use a unique form on a specific resource?
By default, the form lives in the shared Gated Post template. To use a different form on a specific resource, replace the Post Excerpt block in the Gated Post template with a Post Content block. Then add the form you want directly in each resource’s post content. You will need to hide the resource asset (download link, video, etc.) yourself using conditional logic (e.g., an If/So block checking the query variable).
Before going this route, consider whether you truly need a unique form per resource. In most cases, a single shared form with a hidden field to identify the resource is simpler and easier to maintain.
How do I put a secondary form on the thank-you page?
The thank-you view is simply the original resource post content. To add a form that appears after submission, just add it to the post content in the Block Editor like you would any other block.
How do I use a non-Gravity Forms form for gating?
The gating system is form-agnostic. Place any form (HubSpot, Mailchimp, custom HTML, etc.) in the Gated Post template. Configure that form to redirect to {current_page_url}/thank-you/ on submission using whatever redirect method the form system supports.
How do I use a thank-you message instead of a redirect?
If you prefer to show a confirmation message rather than redirecting to a new URL, you can configure your form to display a thank-you message and embed the resource asset (download link, video, etc.) directly in that message. In this case, the visitor never leaves the gated page.
6. Quick Reference
| Component | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Vital Resources | Custom post type with a Download URL field and Full-Site Editing template support. |
| Resource Detail Template | The default FSE template for a single resource. Fully customizable in the Site Editor. |
| Starter Patterns | Pre-built content layouts for common resource types (video, download, external link). Used within the Block Editor. |
| Vital Post Gating | Optional plugin. Adds a gating checkbox, a Gated Post template, and /thank-you/ URL routing. |
| Gated Post Template | FSE template shown to visitors before form submission. Shared across all gated posts. Fully editable. |
| Vital External Links | Optional plugin. Makes resource cards link to an external URL and redirects direct traffic. |
