get_block_categories( WP_Post|WP_Block_Editor_Context $post_or_block_editor_context ): array[]

Compatibility

Present in every tracked release (6.7.7 to 7.1.0), and compiles on PHP 7.4 through 8.6-dev.

Parameters

$post_or_block_editor_contextWP_Post|WP_Block_Editor_Context

The current post object or the block editor context.

Return value

array[]

Array of categories for block types.

Performance profile

How much work a call to get_block_categories() 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

Touches nothing outside its own arguments.

Scaling

Constant

No loop in the body: the same number of instructions runs whatever you pass in.

Instructions

17–32

Executed per call on PHP 8.5, depending on the branch taken. The body compiles to 33.

Plugin surface

2 hooks

Third-party callbacks on 'block_categories_all', 'block_categories' run inside this call, and their cost is not bounded by anything here.

Called by

2

2 places in core call this, so the cost is paid more often than your own code shows.

What it touches

• hookthird-party callbacksapply_filters()called directly

Further down the call graph this can also reach query, option, cache, serialize 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_block_categories() can have, taken from its control-flow graph on PHP 8.5.

Hooks and filters fired · 2

2 hooks fire while get_block_categories() runs, in this order:

1. 1
   apply_filters( block_categories_all )filterline 86 (+17 into the body)

   Filters the default array of categories for block types.

2. 2
   do_action( block_categories )filter_deprecatedline 100 (+31 into the body)

   Filters the default array of categories for block types.

Uses · 4

• get_default_block_categories()Returns the list of default categories for block types.
• apply_filters()Calls the callback functions that have been added to a filter hook.
• apply_filters_deprecated()Fires functions attached to a deprecated filter hook.
• WP_Block_Editor_Context::__construct()Constructor.

Used by · 2

• WP_Customize_Widgets::enqueue_scripts()Enqueues scripts and styles for Customizer panel and export data to JavaScript.
• get_block_editor_settings()Returns the contextualized block editor settings for a selected editor context.

Source code

View on Trac ↗View on GitHub ↗

69function get_block_categories( $post_or_block_editor_context ) {70	$block_categories     = get_default_block_categories();71	$block_editor_context = $post_or_block_editor_context instanceof WP_Post ?72		new WP_Block_Editor_Context(73			array(74				'post' => $post_or_block_editor_context,75			)76		) : $post_or_block_editor_context;77 78	/**79	 * Filters the default array of categories for block types.80	 *81	 * @since 5.8.082	 *83	 * @param array[]                 $block_categories     Array of categories for block types.84	 * @param WP_Block_Editor_Context $block_editor_context The current block editor context.85	 */86	$block_categories = apply_filters( 'block_categories_all', $block_categories, $block_editor_context );87 88	if ( ! empty( $block_editor_context->post ) ) {89		$post = $block_editor_context->post;90 91		/**92		 * Filters the default array of categories for block types.93		 *94		 * @since 5.0.095		 * @deprecated 5.8.0 Use the {@see 'block_categories_all'} filter instead.96		 *97		 * @param array[] $block_categories Array of categories for block types.98		 * @param WP_Post $post             Post being loaded.99		 */100		$block_categories = apply_filters_deprecated( 'block_categories', array( $block_categories, $post ), '5.8.0', 'block_categories_all' );101	}102 103	return $block_categories;104}

Changelog

Introduced in 5.0.0. Unchanged from 6.7.7 through 7.1.0.

1. 6.7.7
2. 6.8.8
3. 6.9.7
4. 7.0.4
5. 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-includes/block-editor.php, and regenerated for each WordPress release so it tracks the code rather than a snapshot of it.

Corrections

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