_get_cron_array(): array[]
- Since
- 2.1.0, 6.1.0
- Source
wp-includes/cron.php:1231
Compatibility
- WordPress
- since 6.1.0
- PHP
- 7.4–8.6-dev
- 6.7.7
- 6.8.8
- 6.9.7
- 7.0.4
- 7.1.0
Present in every tracked release (6.7.7 to 7.1.0), and compiles on PHP 7.4 through 8.6-dev.
Return value
array[]- Array of cron events.
Performance profile
How much work a call to _get_cron_array() does, and what it touches: the algorithmic scaling, the Zend instruction count per call across PHP versions, the hooks it hands control to, and the core code that calls it. Measured from the compiled opcodes, not a stopwatch, so every number is identical on any machine running the same PHP version, and every function in core is ranked by cost.
- Cost class
- Moderate
- Scaling
- Constant
- Instructions
- 7–14
- Plugin surface
- None
- Called by
- 11
Reads stored settings via get_option(), cached per request but not free on a cold cache.
No loop in the body: the same number of instructions runs whatever you pass in.
Executed per call on PHP 8.5, depending on the branch taken. The body compiles to 15.
Nothing here hands control to plugin code.
11 places in core call this, so the cost is paid more often than your own code shows.
What it touches
- optionoption read or write
get_option()called directly - hookthird-party callbacks
apply_filters()one call below _get_cron_array() - cacheobject cache
wp_cache_get()one call below _get_cron_array() - serializeserialisation
maybe_unserialize()one call below _get_cron_array()
Further down the call graph this can also reach query and transient. Those are the worst case, several calls deep and usually down an error path, not what a normal call pays.
What one call costs · 2 distinct outcomes
One number would be a lie: the work depends on which branch runs. These are every distinct cost _get_cron_array() can have, taken from its control-flow graph on PHP 8.5.
| When | Instructions | Calls it makes |
|---|---|---|
| always | 7–10 | get_option() |
is_array($cron) && !isset($cron) | 14 | get_option(), _upgrade_cron_array() |
Across PHP versions
Compiles the same on PHP 7.4, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4, 8.5 and 8.6-dev: 15 instructions, 7–14 executed per call, 2 branches. The work does not change between versions.
An instruction is not a fixed amount of time, so a matching count is not necessarily the same speed; what it rules out is a difference in the work itself.
Uses · 2
- get_option()Retrieves an option value based on an option name.
- _upgrade_cron_array()Upgrades a cron info array.
Used by · 11
- WP_Media_List_Table::prepare_items()
- WP_Site_Health::get_cron_tasks()Populates the list of cron events and store them to a class-wide variable.
- upgrade_431()Executes changes made in WordPress 4.3.1.
- upgrade_590()Executes changes made in WordPress 5.9.0.
- wp_clear_scheduled_hook()Unschedules all events attached to the hook with the specified arguments.
- wp_get_ready_cron_jobs()Retrieves cron jobs ready to be run.
- wp_get_scheduled_event()Retrieves a scheduled event.
- wp_schedule_event()Schedules a recurring event.
- wp_schedule_single_event()Schedules an event to run only once.
- wp_unschedule_event()Unschedules a previously scheduled event.
- wp_unschedule_hook()Unschedules all events attached to the hook.
Source code
function _get_cron_array() { $cron = get_option( 'cron' ); if ( ! is_array( $cron ) ) { return array(); } if ( ! isset( $cron['version'] ) ) { $cron = _upgrade_cron_array( $cron ); } unset( $cron['version'] ); return $cron;}Changelog
Introduced in 2.1.0. One change between 6.7.7 and 7.1.0.
Signature, return type and hooks compared across 5 parsed releases.
array[] to array<int,.verified against sourceAbout this page
- Parsed data
- Generated from the wordpress-develop 6.9.7 tag, from
src/wp-includes/cron.php, and regenerated for each WordPress release so it tracks the code rather than a snapshot of it. - Corrections
- Something wrong on this page? Report it and it gets fixed in the next regeneration.