add_meta( int $post_id ): int|bool
- Since
- 1.2.0
- Source
wp-admin/includes/post.php:1008
$_POST superglobal for a post with given ID.Compatibility
- WordPress
- since 1.2.0
- 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.
Parameters
$post_idint
Return value
int|bool
Performance profile
How much work a call to add_meta() does, and what it touches: the algorithmic scaling, the Zend instruction count per call across PHP versions, the hooks it hands control to, and the core code that calls it. Measured from the compiled opcodes, not a stopwatch, so every number is identical on any machine running the same PHP version, and every function in core is ranked by cost.
- Cost class
- Trivial
- Scaling
- Constant
- Instructions
- 24–68
- Plugin surface
- None
- Called by
- 3
Touches nothing outside its own arguments.
No loop in the body: the same number of instructions runs whatever you pass in.
Executed per call on PHP 8.5, depending on the branch taken. The body compiles to 72.
Nothing here hands control to plugin code.
3 places in core call this, so the cost is paid more often than your own code shows.
What it touches
- hookthird-party callbacks
apply_filters()one call below add_meta()
Further down the call graph this can also reach serialize, cache, query, option and transient. Those are the worst case, several calls deep and usually down an error path, not what a normal call pays.
What one call costs · 12 distinct outcomes
One number would be a lie: the work depends on which branch runs. These are every distinct cost add_meta() can have, taken from its control-flow graph on PHP 8.5.
| When | Instructions | Calls it makes |
|---|---|---|
!isset($value) && empty($metakeyinput) | 24–29 | none |
empty($metakeyinput) | 31–36 | wp_unslash() |
!isset($value) && is_protected_meta() | 32–39 | is_protected_meta() |
!isset($value) && !is_protected_meta() && !current_user_can() | 38–45 | is_protected_meta(), current_user_can() |
isset($value) && empty($metakeyinput) | 38–43 | wp_unslash(), wp_unslash() |
is_protected_meta() | 39–46 | wp_unslash(), is_protected_meta() |
!is_protected_meta() && !current_user_can() | 45–52 | wp_unslash(), is_protected_meta(), current_user_can() |
isset($value) && is_protected_meta() | 46–53 | wp_unslash(), wp_unslash(), is_protected_meta() |
!isset($value) && !is_protected_meta() && current_user_can() | 47–54 | is_protected_meta(), current_user_can(), wp_slash(), add_post_meta() |
isset($value) && !is_protected_meta() && !current_user_can() | 52–59 | wp_unslash(), wp_unslash(), is_protected_meta(), current_user_can() |
!is_protected_meta() && current_user_can() | 54–61 | wp_unslash(), is_protected_meta(), current_user_can(), wp_slash(), add_post_meta() |
isset($value) && !is_protected_meta() && current_user_can() | 61–68 | wp_unslash(), wp_unslash(), is_protected_meta(), current_user_can(), wp_slash(), add_post_meta() |
Across PHP versions
| PHP | Compiled | Executed | Branches | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8.6-dev | 70 | 24–66 | 11 | 2 fewer instructions than PHP 8.5 |
| 8.5 | 72 | 24–68 | 11 | |
| 8.4 | 72 | 24–68 | 11 | 6 fewer instructions than PHP 8.3 |
| 8.3 | 78 | 24–74 | 11 | |
| 8.2 | 78 | 24–74 | 11 | |
| 8.1 | 78 | 24–74 | 11 | |
| 7.4 | 78 | 24–74 | 11 |
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 · 5
- wp_unslash()Removes slashes from a string or recursively removes slashes from strings within an array.
- is_protected_meta()Determines whether a meta key is considered protected.
- current_user_can()Returns whether the current user has the specified capability.
- wp_slash()Adds slashes to a string or recursively adds slashes to strings within an array.
- add_post_meta()Adds a meta field to the given post.
Used by · 3
- edit_post()Updates an existing post with values provided in `$_POST`.
- wp_ajax_add_meta()Handles adding meta via AJAX.
- wp_write_post()Creates a new post from the "Write Post" form using `$_POST` information.
Source code
function add_meta( $post_id ) { $post_id = (int) $post_id; $metakeyselect = isset( $_POST['metakeyselect'] ) ? wp_unslash( trim( $_POST['metakeyselect'] ) ) : ''; $metakeyinput = isset( $_POST['metakeyinput'] ) ? wp_unslash( trim( $_POST['metakeyinput'] ) ) : ''; $metavalue = $_POST['metavalue'] ?? ''; if ( is_string( $metavalue ) ) { $metavalue = trim( $metavalue ); } if ( ( ( '#NONE#' !== $metakeyselect ) && ! empty( $metakeyselect ) ) || ! empty( $metakeyinput ) ) { /* * We have a key/value pair. If both the select and the input * for the key have data, the input takes precedence. */ if ( '#NONE#' !== $metakeyselect ) { $metakey = $metakeyselect; } if ( $metakeyinput ) { $metakey = $metakeyinput; // Default. } if ( is_protected_meta( $metakey, 'post' ) || ! current_user_can( 'add_post_meta', $post_id, $metakey ) ) { return false; } $metakey = wp_slash( $metakey ); return add_post_meta( $post_id, $metakey, $metavalue ); } return false;}Changelog
Introduced in 1.2.0. Unchanged from 6.7.7 through 7.1.0.
Signature, return type and hooks compared across 5 parsed releases.
About this page
- Parsed data
- Generated from the wordpress-develop 7.1.0 tag, from
src/wp-admin/includes/post.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.