#Wordpress create media meta how to

get_post_meta()”): Retrieves post metadata.delete_post_meta()”): Deletes post metadata.update_post_meta()”): Updates post metadata.You can use the following links to learn how the post meta functions work in WordPress if you’re unfamiliar with them. I could write a book on the various ways to use metadata, but that’s not the main purpose of this tutorial.

#Wordpress create media meta how to

However, to understand how custom meta boxes are useful, you must understand how to add, update, delete, and get post metadata. Working With Post Metadataīy now, you’re probably itching to build some custom meta boxes. This isn’t a common use, but it can be extremely powerful. Note: One thing to keep in mind is that a single meta key can have multiple meta values. It is especially useful when you’re developing custom post types. This allows you to add all sorts of custom data to your posts. When you get right down to it, metadata is just key/value pairs saved for a specific post. In the following screenshot, you can see how this looks in the database. meta_key: A key used to identify the data (you’ll work with this often).post_id: The post ID this metadata is attached to.meta_id: A unique ID for this specific metadata.Each entry is saved as four fields in this table: Post metadata is data that’s saved in the wp_postmeta table in the database. For the purposes of this tutorial, you’ll be learning how to develop meta boxes that handle custom post metadata. Of course, there are other possible uses, but those two are the most common. Generally, two types of data is entered into meta boxes: This information should be related to the post in some way. Its purpose is to allow the user to select or enter information in addition to the main post content. What Is A Post Meta Box?Ī post meta box is a draggable box shown on the post editing screen. Note: When I use the term “post” throughout this tutorial, I’m referring to a post of any post type, not just the default blog post type bundled with WordPress. Retrieving custom meta data on the front end.In this tutorial, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know about meta boxes: This article has been last updated on April 13, 2017.Ĭreating custom meta boxes is extremely simple, at least it is once you’ve created your first one using the tools baked into WordPress’ core code. Even meta box “frameworks” have been developed.

This complexity only grows as more and more tutorials are written on the process with weird loops and arrays. What seems like one of the most complicated bits of functionality in WordPress is adding meta boxes to the post editing screen.