Do custom fields work inside a WP_Query loop inside a page?

Resolved

(@tyssen)

I’ve got a page which uses this to insert a series of items into the body of the content (using exec-php plugin):

<ul>
<?php $my_query = new WP_Query('cat=XX');
  while ($my_query->have_posts()) : $my_query->the_post(); ?>
	<li><a href="<?php the_permalink(); ?>"><?php the_title(); ?></a></li>
<?php endwhile; ?>
</ul>

That works fine except that now I want to replace the_permalink with a URL entered into a custom field, and if I do this:

<ul>
<?php $my_query = new WP_Query('cat=XX');
  while ($my_query->have_posts()) : $my_query->the_post();
	$link = get_post_meta($post->ID, 'site-url', true); ?>
	<li><a href="http://<?php echo $link; ?>"><?php the_title(); ?></a></li>
<?php endwhile; ?>
</ul>

the link comes out blank.

So, is it not possible to use custom fields in this manner, ie, inside a custom loop inside a normal WP loop?

Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 21 total)

1 2 →

bcatdc
(@bcatdc)

14 years, 10 months ago

Arg. I’m having EXACTLY the same problem.
Anyone out there have an answer?
totalbigbrother
(@totalbigbrother)

14 years, 10 months ago
This might work..
```
<ul>
<?php $my_query = new WP_Query('cat=XX');
  while ($my_query->have_posts()) : $my_query->the_post(); ?>
	<li><a href="<?php $link = get_post_meta($post->ID, "site-url", $single = true); if ( $site-url ) { echo $site-url; } else { the_permalink(); } ?>"><?php the_title(); ?></a></li>
<?php endwhile; ?>
</ul>
```
Is that helpful? – That’s how i would of done it.
Mark / t31os
(@t31os_)

14 years, 10 months ago
Dump or print the value of $link.. this part..
$link = get_post_meta($post->ID, 'site-url', true);

Onto the screen, while testing this will help determine the problem.

So after that line, add…something like…
```
if($link) {
print '<pre>';
print_r($link);
print '</pre>';
} else {
// If link isn't filled print the $post ID to see if it's grabbing the correct one and print a message...
print $post->ID.'<br />';
print 'No value for custom field found..';
}
```
It would be my guess that the issue relates to this area in any case…
$link = get_post_meta($post->ID, 'site-url', true);

I can help further if need be… this should be fairly straight-forward.
Thread Starter Tyssen
(@tyssen)

14 years, 10 months ago

I tried your suggestion t31os_ and I get No value for custom field found.. printed to the screen but not the value of $link or $post->ID.
Mark / t31os
(@t31os_)

14 years, 10 months ago
Well if link is not printed then that tells us it’s not finding a match for the custom field…

Secondly if no $post ID is showing then that may be why…

Update the code to this now..
```
if($link) {
  print '<pre>';print_r($link);print '</pre>';
} else {
  if($post) { print '<pre>';print_r($post);print'</pre>'; }
  else { print '$post is empty'; }
}
```
If you get $post is empty… then that suggests the reason the code does not function is because $post does not contain the data it would in a normal loop…
MichaelH
(@michaelh)

14 years, 10 months ago

Maybe obvious, but also check your custom field key

site-url is not the same as site_url

Thread Starter Tyssen
(@tyssen)

14 years, 10 months ago

It’s not the name of the custom field that’s wrong, it’s that $post doesn’t contain any data because testing with t31os_’s updated code, I get $post is empty which I’m confused about because it’ll print out

<?php the_permalink(); ?><?php the_title(); ?>

OK. 😕
Mark / t31os
(@t31os_)

14 years, 10 months ago
I wanted to be sure so i tested this locally…

I placed the following in my theme index.php before the normal loop… Created a custom field called testy and opened up my page…
```
<?php
$test = new WP_Query('showposts=3');

if($test->have_posts()) :
while($test->have_posts()) : $test->the_post();

$testy = get_post_meta($post->ID,'testy',true);

the_title();
print '<br />';
if($testy) print $testy.'<br />';

endwhile;
endif;
wp_reset_query();
?>
```
Result: It works expected… i get the value of the custom field shown when it exists for the given post…

Note: Per code above, this line $testy = get_post_meta($post->ID,'testy',true); must be inside the while loop of the custom query…

Further Note: $post does contain data, but i think this depends where and when in the code (me/you/we) dump/print it…
MichaelH
(@michaelh)

14 years, 10 months ago

Try $my_query->post->ID for retrieving the custom fields

get_post_meta($my_query->post->ID, "site-url", $single = true);

Mark / t31os
(@t31os_)

14 years, 10 months ago

$single = true

Just true is sufficient, is it not? 🙂

Confirmed though $test->post->ID also works…

MichaelH
(@michaelh)

14 years, 10 months ago

You betcha 😉 Good catch. See Function_Reference/get_post_meta

get_post_meta($my_query->post->ID, "site-url", true);

Thread Starter Tyssen
(@tyssen)

14 years, 10 months ago

Michael, your suggestion doesn’t produce anything either so I’m assuming it’s a problem with calling a custom query from within a normal query.

Mark / t31os
(@t31os_)

14 years, 10 months ago

Perhaps if you could post the full code for the file you’re coding?
http://wordpress.pastebin.com/

Thread Starter Tyssen
(@tyssen)

14 years, 10 months ago

Would that be just the PHP I’m pasting into the page or the full code for the template that controls the page’s output?
Thread Starter Tyssen
(@tyssen)

14 years, 10 months ago
Well actually, in either case, I don’t really need to use pastebin, because it’s fairly simple.

The page template:
```
<?php
/*
Template Name: Pages
*/
?>
<?php get_header(); ?>
<div id="content">
	<h1><?php the_title(); ?></h1>
	<?php if (have_posts()) : while (have_posts()) : the_post();
	the_content();
	endwhile; endif; ?>
</div>
<?php get_footer(); ?>
```
And the code being called from within the page:
```
<p>Content:</p>
<ul>
<?php $my_query = new WP_Query('cat=XX');
  while ($my_query->have_posts()) : $my_query->the_post();
$link = get_post_meta($my_query->ID, site-url, true); ?>
	<li><a href="<?php the_permalink() ?>"><?php the_title(); ?></a></li>
<?php endwhile; ?>
</ul>
<p>More content.</p>
```