Title: Multisite: Settings API vs Options API
Last modified: March 3, 2020

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# Multisite: Settings API vs Options API

 *  Resolved [Steve](https://wordpress.org/support/users/srg-1/)
 * (@srg-1)
 * [6 years, 1 month ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/multisite-settings-api-vs-options-api/)
 * Hello!
 * I have a plugin that uses the Settings API and adds a menu for its configuration
   under “Settings” on the left dashboard menu. It adds the page with `add_options_page()`
   hooked on `admin_menu`. Sections are added to the page with `add_settings_section()`,
   registered with `register_setting()`, and fields added with `add_settings_field()`.
   Everything is working perfectly on single-site instances.
 * What’s the best way to support multisite as well? All configuration for this 
   plugin is _global_ (the configuration must apply to every site and can only be
   set by network admins on the network-admin dashboard).
 * [This StackExchange post](https://wordpress.stackexchange.com/a/18792), although
   several years old, says that the Settings API does not support global network-
   level configurations. This means I must use the Options API instead. Is that 
   correct?
 * Should I give up the Settings API (even for single-site) and switch to Options
   API?
 * Thank you!
    -  This topic was modified 6 years, 1 month ago by [Steve](https://wordpress.org/support/users/srg-1/).
      Reason: Improved formatting

Viewing 2 replies - 1 through 2 (of 2 total)

 *  Moderator [bcworkz](https://wordpress.org/support/users/bcworkz/)
 * (@bcworkz)
 * [6 years, 1 month ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/multisite-settings-api-vs-options-api/#post-12509674)
 * Yes use the Options API. Note there are multisite specific functions that correspond
   to single site functions. Like `update_site_option()` vs. `update_option()`. 
   So you always end up with a lot of `is_multisite()` conditionals to use one or
   the other.
 * The two APIs are not either/or. Settings API allows you to easily build settings
   forms. Settings which get stored in the global options table. This is a handy
   feature if it does what you want. If it doesn’t, it’s not that useful. You’re
   left with building your own options forms, which in some respects is a lot easier
   than using the Settings API.
 * Personally, I like the Settings API for adding settings fields to existing forms.
   For full pages of input fields I think it’s easier to build my own forms anyway
   and use the Options API to save anything destined for options tables. Building
   our own forms lets us save data where ever it makes sense, it does not have to
   be an options table.
 *  Thread Starter [Steve](https://wordpress.org/support/users/srg-1/)
 * (@srg-1)
 * [6 years, 1 month ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/multisite-settings-api-vs-options-api/#post-12517331)
 * Awesome! Thank you for taking the time to reply. This makes sense to me. I’ll
   re-implement my plugin using the Options API and creating the forms manually.

Viewing 2 replies - 1 through 2 (of 2 total)

The topic ‘Multisite: Settings API vs Options API’ is closed to new replies.

## Tags

 * [configuration](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/configuration/)
 * [development](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/development/)
 * [multisite](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/multisite/)
 * [settings](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/settings/)

 * In: [Networking WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/multisite/)
 * 2 replies
 * 2 participants
 * Last reply from: [Steve](https://wordpress.org/support/users/srg-1/)
 * Last activity: [6 years, 1 month ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/multisite-settings-api-vs-options-api/#post-12517331)
 * Status: resolved

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