How can I retain get_post_type() in between consecutive searches after a search returns no results?
You can use get_query_var() to access the post type that was used for the search, and then add that as a hidden field on the search page. Untested: printf( ‘<input type=”hidden” name=”post_type” value=”%s” />’, get_query_var( ‘post_type’, get_post_type() ) );