Title: Sorting admin columns with meta_value
Last modified: February 3, 2020

---

# Sorting admin columns with meta_value

 *  [webbuildermn](https://wordpress.org/support/users/webbuildermn/)
 * (@webbuildermn)
 * [6 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/sorting-admin-columns-with-meta_value/)
 * Hello! I have been working on a plugin to add custom columns to users table and
   then make them sortable by meta_value and meta_key. So far I got everything working
   except the last bit, to make them sort based on the meta_value of a chosen meta_key.
   I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. The code section I think that is at fault 
   is immediately below, and my entire code is at the bottom.
 * The name of my meta_key in the database is ‘last_name’ and the name of the column
   header is ‘LastName’ and I want it to sort alphabetically in ascending and descending
   order as you click it. It keeps sorting and always has sorted alphabetically 
   based on the username in Column 1, no matter which sort column I click. That 
   is the problem. I am apparently not able to change the query variables array.
   I’m sure my error is pretty simple. I have tried different variations of the 
   code below.
 * Thanks a ton!!!
 *     ```
       // SORT BLOCK
       // add columns to sortable columns array
       function sort_mishas_user_columns ($columns){
         $columns["FirstName"] = "FirstName";
         $columns["LastName"] = "LastName";
       	return $columns;
       }
       add_filter('manage_users_sortable_columns', 'sort_mishas_user_columns'); // the hook
   
       // modify/merge sort criteria array with new criteria --- I think there's an error here, something not working. It sorts by the username still
       function sort_az_users($vars) { 
         if(array_key_exists('orderby', $vars)) {  // Assuming this is correct and auto-created by the WP hook below
           if('LastName' == $vars['orderby']) {    // 'LastName' is the column header name that is clickable. Assuming it gets set to that on "click"
             $vars['orderby'] = 'meta_value';
             $vars['meta_key'] = 'last_name';      // 'last_name' is the name in the database under 'meta_key' 
           } 
         } 
         return $vars; 
       } 
       add_filter('request', 'sort_az_users'); // the hook
       // END SORT BLOCK
       ```
   
 * My entire code
 *     ```
       <?php
       /**
        * Plugin Name: j-w-m
        * Plugin URI: http://www.journeywithmisha.com/j-w-m
        * Description: The very first plugin that I have ever created.
        * Version: 1.0
        * Author: Gerald Ryan
        * Author URI: http://www.webbuildermn.com
        */
   
       function add_custom_misha_columns($columns){
       	$columns["Nova"] = "Nova";
       	$columns["Brilliant.org"] = "Brilliant.org";
        	$columns["FirstName"] = "FirstName";
       	$columns["LastName"] = "LastName";
       	return $columns;
       }
       add_filter('manage_users_columns', 'add_custom_misha_columns'); // the hook
   
       // SORT BLOCK
   
       // add columns to sortable columns array
       function sort_mishas_user_columns ($columns){
         $columns["FirstName"] = "FirstName";
         $columns["LastName"] = "LastName";
       	return $columns;
       }
       add_filter('manage_users_sortable_columns', 'sort_mishas_user_columns'); // the hook
   
       // modify/merge sort criteria array with new criteria --- I think there's an error here, something not working. It sorts by the username still
       function sort_az_users($vars) { 
         if(array_key_exists('orderby', $vars)) {  // Assuming this is correct and auto-created by the WP hook below
           if('LastName' == $vars['orderby']) {    // 'LastName' is the column header name that is clickable. Assuming it gets set to that on "click"
             $vars['orderby'] = 'meta_value';
             $vars['meta_key'] = 'last_name';      // 'last_name' is the name in the database under 'meta_key' 
           } 
         } 
         return $vars; 
       } 
       add_filter('request', 'sort_az_users'); // the hook
   
       // END SORT BLOCK
   
       // // Populate the column
       function add_content_to_mishas_column($value, $column_name, $user_id){
         global $wpdb;
         $fname = $wpdb->get_var("SELECT meta_value FROM $wpdb->usermeta WHERE user_ID = $user_id AND meta_key = 'first_name' "  );
         $lname = $wpdb->get_var("SELECT meta_value FROM $wpdb->usermeta WHERE user_ID = $user_id AND meta_key = 'last_name' "  );
       	if ($column_name == "FirstName"){
           return $fname;
           // return "Romeo";
       	}
       	if ($column_name == "LastName"){
           return $lname;
           // return "Montague";
         }
   
         if ($column_name == "Brilliant.org"){
           return $user_id;
         }
         if ($column_name == "Nova"){
           return $value;
         }
   
       }
       add_action('manage_users_custom_column', 'add_content_to_mishas_column', 10, 3);
       ```
   

Viewing 7 replies - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)

 *  [Joy](https://wordpress.org/support/users/joyously/)
 * (@joyously)
 * [6 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/sorting-admin-columns-with-meta_value/#post-12395132)
 * This plugin does it all: [https://wordpress.org/plugins/codepress-admin-columns/](https://wordpress.org/plugins/codepress-admin-columns/)
   
   You can use it or just look at the code to see how. But it seems that you are
   trying to do in PHP what is coded to happen in JS. You should be using the functions
   for [WP_List_Table](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/classes/wp_list_table/)
   to filter which columns exist and their contents and which are sortable. You 
   don’t have to sort them yourself, or modify the query to sort them. You fill 
   the column with data and the sort is for the already retrieved data (not all 
   of the database table).
 *  Thread Starter [webbuildermn](https://wordpress.org/support/users/webbuildermn/)
 * (@webbuildermn)
 * [6 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/sorting-admin-columns-with-meta_value/#post-12395312)
 * Thanks joy. Yeah I had that add-in for the site, but to get sort, we have to 
   pay $49. It’s not just me being cheap. It’s a site I built for free for a friend/
   professor and also it’s good training for my upcoming bootcamp and we only need
   it for this one use. I was looking into the source code of that add-in and it’s
   intense (compared to what I’m used to), whereas if I got mine to work, it would
   be lean.
 * Anyway, that’s a good reference you linked me but I don’t see any method that
   looks like it sorts the data. Is it something with views? How do I take the next
   step?
 * I’ve been following [this ](http://glennmessersmith.com/pages/custom_columns.html#hooks)
   article btw, but there’s also one other article that talks about sorting columns
   that I’ve found, though that one doesn’t’ cover admin tables.
 *  [Joy](https://wordpress.org/support/users/joyously/)
 * (@joyously)
 * [6 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/sorting-admin-columns-with-meta_value/#post-12398144)
 * OK, I think I misspoke before about the sort.
    The WP_List_Table is just like
   a theme, in that it doesn’t control what is shown. It just shows it. So your 
   code needs to manipulate the query args that form the request, so that the correct
   entries are shown. Each sort is a page request, as is each filtering dropdown
   at the top (like Categories). You can see some of this in the [WP_Posts_List_Table](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/classes/wp_posts_list_table/)
   class.
 *  Thread Starter [webbuildermn](https://wordpress.org/support/users/webbuildermn/)
 * (@webbuildermn)
 * [6 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/sorting-admin-columns-with-meta_value/#post-12403398)
 * Thanks again Joy. The way I was trying to manipulate the query was by altering
   the query array before sending it off, which is what I read about and makes sense.
   In my code below, the query array is called $vars. I am trusting that through
   WP hooks and the guidance I’ve read, it is passing what I need and I am modifying
   and passing back what it needs.
 * I was following the article referenced above because that’s the only one that
   mentions manipulating admin tables specifically. He uses $array[x] = “string”
   notation as opposed to “=>” notation other articles use, but again he’s the only
   one that describes how to sort or alter admin tables. Does his way still work?
 * I like using formal reference documentation when possible but I can’t make sense
   of it in this case. I already added the chosen columns to the manage_sortable_columns
   array, although that doesn’t look like a WP_Posts_list_Table method. Remember
   it is not a post or a custom post or page but a user’s admin table.
 * Anyway I added the two columns in. I don’t know if they need to be in order of
   priority as with adding columns to display. Anyway they are in there, now we 
   just have to change the query and make them sort based on it.
 * I’m not sure where my mistake is but I had an idea or thought. In my SQL query,
   I only return a single cell of the database table per WP iteration as it implements
   its hook, as opposed to an entire filtered column of last names from the database
   table. What I did works perfectly for displaying last names correctly where I
   want them, but maybe that’s why it doesn’t sort, as you can’t sort an array of
   1×1. It’s a timing thing but I’m not sure if this is the reason, it’s just an
   idea. When I asked SQL to pull my entire filtered column, then for each person’s
   last name it said “array”, so I’d need to learn how to index by user_name, and
   so I’d have to probably pull a 2 column multi row array to link the two. Maybe
   it’s this??
 * Also I’m used to other languages so I have no idea how to debug PHP or if you
   can look inside the value of variables in process as the code is running. I’m
   not sure as it’s not a compiled language… But I’m starting my course soon.
 * Any tips and help you can provide is appreciated. I view everything as a learning
   experience.
 *     ```
       // SORT BLOCK
       // add columns to sortable columns array
       function sort_mishas_user_columns ($columns){
         $columns["FirstName"] = "FirstName";
         $columns["LastName"] = "LastName";
       	return $columns;
       }
       add_filter('manage_users_sortable_columns', 'sort_mishas_user_columns'); // the hook
       ```
   
 *     ```
       // modify/merge sort criteria array with new criteria --- I think there's an error here, something not working. It sorts by the username still
       function sort_az_users($vars) { 
         if(array_key_exists('orderby', $vars)) {  // Assuming this is correct and auto-created by the WP hook below
           if('LastName' == $vars['orderby']) {    // 'LastName' is the column header name that is clickable. Assuming it gets set to that on "click"
             $vars['orderby'] = 'meta_value';
             $vars['meta_key'] = 'last_name';      // 'last_name' is the name in the database under 'meta_key' 
           } 
         } 
         return $vars; 
       } 
       add_filter('request', 'sort_az_users'); // the hook
       // END SORT BLOCK
       ```
   
 *  [Joy](https://wordpress.org/support/users/joyously/)
 * (@joyously)
 * [6 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/sorting-admin-columns-with-meta_value/#post-12403502)
 * It looks like you need to filter `users_list_table_query_args`. See [https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/classes/wp_users_list_table/prepare_items/](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/classes/wp_users_list_table/prepare_items/)
 * [https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/classes/wp_users_list_table/](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/classes/wp_users_list_table/)
   is the whole class. Sorry I posted the Posts one before.
 *  Thread Starter [webbuildermn](https://wordpress.org/support/users/webbuildermn/)
 * (@webbuildermn)
 * [6 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/sorting-admin-columns-with-meta_value/#post-12404449)
 * Hi thanks for your continued help. Not there yet. I tried a couple things. I 
   tried (learning) debugging with some results. I noticed in the URL when I clicked
   on LastName, it entered in parameters, so I did see that orderby had a value 
   and order did too. Reassuring. I think comes from the ‘manage_users_sortable_columns’.
   It was confirmatory:
 * `http://journey.local/wp-admin/users.php?orderby=LastName&order=asc`
 * I tried using methods you suggested as well as pre_get_posts and pre_get_user.
   I got a weird error there with
 * > Can’t use method return value in write context
 *  and squiggly lines even on VS Code when I try the pre_get_posts that others 
   have suggested by code like this:
    `$query->set( 'orderby', 'meta_value' );`
 * Last I tried the “users_list_table_query_args” you pointed to. Same results- 
   page loads, but doesn’t sort. I got an interesting error when I forgot to change
   the name of the variable from pasted code. It showed up in the debug mode and
   said Notice: Undefined variable: vars in /app/public/wp-content/plugins/j-w-m/
   j-w-m.php on line 108 Warning:
    -  array_key_exists() expects parameter 2 to be array, null given in
 * /app/public/wp-content/plugins/j-w-m/j-w-m.php on line 108
 * because here
 *     ```
       add_filter( 'users_list_table_query_args', 'filter_users_list_table_query_args', 10, 1 );
       function filter_users_list_table_query_args( $args ) { 
         // make filter magic happen here... 
         if(array_key_exists('orderby', $vars)) {  
       ```
   
 * …
    of course I forgot to change $args to $vars. When I did, that error went away,
   page loaded like normal but that does tell us 1. the function is being run 2.
   When run, $vars is an array, as one would expect
 * Just why doesn’t it modify and work as expected.
 *  [Joy](https://wordpress.org/support/users/joyously/)
 * (@joyously)
 * [6 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/sorting-admin-columns-with-meta_value/#post-12406609)
 * Because it’s a meta value that you want to sort by, it’s not as straight forward
   as a normal column that exists in the user table.
    I would 1) try to get a normal
   column sortable, just to prove to yourself that you can 2) read up on how to 
   specify meta queries in general, so you can apply that to this query. I think
   it involves an array to indicate the key and the other stuff (since it’s a different
   table), so you might have to do it in another filter.

Viewing 7 replies - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)

The topic ‘Sorting admin columns with meta_value’ is closed to new replies.

 * In: [Developing with WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/wp-advanced/)
 * 7 replies
 * 2 participants
 * Last reply from: [Joy](https://wordpress.org/support/users/joyously/)
 * Last activity: [6 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/sorting-admin-columns-with-meta_value/#post-12406609)
 * Status: not resolved

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