Display all post meta keys and meta values of the same post ID in wordpress

💻 Tech Tips: How to Display All Post Meta Keys and Meta Values of the Same Post ID in WordPress

Are you a WordPress developer struggling to display all post meta keys and meta values of the same post ID? Look no further! In this guide, we'll walk you through a simple and effective solution to this common challenge. 🚀

The Problem: Displaying Multiple Post Meta Keys and Values

A user recently came to us with the following code:

function wpt_calendar_display()
{
    global $post;
    
    $columns = array(
        'date_event' => 'Date',
        'name_event' => 'Event'
    );
    register_column_headers('list-header_events', $columns);
    
    $event_name = get_post_meta( $post->ID, '_event_name' );

    $return .= "<table class=\"widefat\">";
    $return .= "<tr>";
    $return .= print_column_headers('list-header_events');
    $return .= "</tr>";
    $return .= "<tr>";

    if (!empty($event_name))
    foreach($event_name as $e_name)
    {
        $return .= "<td>";
        $return .= $e_name;
        $return .="</td>";
    }

    $return .= "<td>";
    $return .= "</td>";
    $return .= "</tr>";
    $return .= "</table>";
    return $return;
}

While this code retrieves and displays a single post meta value, it fails to handle the scenario when multiple post meta values exist for the same post ID. The challenge lies in looping through and displaying all the meta keys and values correctly.

The Solution: Looping Through Post Meta Data

To display all post meta keys and values of the same post ID, we need to iterate through the array of meta values. Here's an updated version of the code that solves the problem:

function wpt_calendar_display()
{
    global $post;

    $columns = array(
        'date_event' => 'Date',
        'name_event' => 'Event'
    );
    register_column_headers('list-header_events', $columns);

    $event_names = get_post_meta($post->ID);
    
    $return .= "<table class=\"widefat\">";
    $return .= "<tr>";
    $return .= print_column_headers('list-header_events');
    $return .= "</tr>";
    $return .= "<tr>";

    foreach($event_names as $meta_key => $meta_values)
    {
        foreach($meta_values as $meta_value)
        {
            $return .= "<td>";
            $return .= $meta_value;
            $return .= "</td>";
        }
    }

    $return .= "<td>";
    $return .= "</td>";
    $return .= "</tr>";
    $return .= "</table>";
    
    return $return;
}

How It Works

We made two key changes to the code:

1. Instead of retrieving a specific meta value with get_post_meta(), we now leverage get_post_meta($post->ID) to get all meta keys and values associated with the post ID.

2. We added an additional loop to iterate through each meta key's values and display them individually.

Now, when you call the wpt_calendar_display() function, it will correctly loop through all post meta keys and values for the given post ID, displaying them in a table format.

Give It a Try

Simply replace your existing function with the updated code provided above and give it a test run. You should now see all the post meta keys and values displayed in the table.

If you have any other questions or need further assistance, feel free to leave a comment below. We'd love to hear your feedback and help you out!

Happy coding! 👩‍💻👨‍💻

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