get_metadata_raw( string $meta_type, int $object_id, string $meta_key = '', bool $single = false ): mixed
- Since
- 5.5.0
- Source
wp-includes/meta.php:628
Compatibility
- WordPress
- since 5.5.0
- 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
$meta_typestring- Type of object metadata is for. Accepts 'blog', 'post', 'comment', 'term', 'user', or any other object type with an associated meta table.
$object_idint- ID of the object metadata is for.
$meta_keystringoptional- Metadata key. If not specified, retrieve all metadata for the specified object. Default empty string.Default:
'' $singlebooloptional- If true, return only the first value of the specified
$meta_key.
This parameter has no effect if$meta_keyis not specified. Default false.Default:false
Return value
mixed- An array of values if
$singleis false.
The value of the meta field if$singleis true.
False for an invalid$object_id(non-numeric, zero, or negative value), or if$meta_typeis not specified.
Null if the value does not exist.
Performance profile
How much work a call to get_metadata_raw() 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
- Light
- Scaling
- Constant
- Instructions
- 6–54
- Plugin surface
- 1 hook
- Called by
- 6
Only touches the object cache, via wp_cache_get().
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 70.
Third-party callbacks on 'get_{$meta_type}_metadata' run inside this call, and their cost is not bounded by anything here.
6 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()called directly - cacheobject cache
wp_cache_get()called directly - serializeserialisation
maybe_unserialize()called directly
What one call costs · 6 distinct outcomes
One number would be a lie: the work depends on which branch runs. These are every distinct cost get_metadata_raw() can have, taken from its control-flow graph on PHP 8.5.
| When | Instructions | Calls it makes |
|---|---|---|
| always | 6–8 | none |
$object_id | 13 | absint() |
$object_id && $check !== null | 28–31 | absint(), apply_filters() |
$object_id && $check === null | 35–47 | absint(), apply_filters(), wp_cache_get() |
$object_id && $check === null && isset($meta_cache[$meta_key]) | 43–53 | absint(), apply_filters(), wp_cache_get(), array_map() |
$object_id && $check === null && isset($meta_cache[$meta_key]) | 44–54 | absint(), apply_filters(), wp_cache_get(), maybe_unserialize() |
Across PHP versions
| PHP | Compiled | Executed | Branches | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8.6-dev | 70 | 6–54 | 11 | |
| 8.5 | 70 | 6–54 | 11 | |
| 8.4 | 70 | 6–54 | 11 | 2 fewer instructions than PHP 8.3 |
| 8.3 | 72 | 6–56 | 11 | |
| 8.2 | 72 | 6–56 | 11 | |
| 8.1 | 72 | 6–56 | 11 | |
| 7.4 | 72 | 6–56 | 11 |
An instruction is not a fixed amount of time, so a matching count is not necessarily the same speed; what it rules out is a difference in the work itself.
Hooks and filters fired · 1
One hook fires while get_metadata_raw() runs, in this order:
- apply_filters( get_{$meta_type}_metadata )filterline 664 (+36 into the body)
Short-circuits the return value of a meta field.
Uses · 5
- absint()Converts a value to non-negative integer.
- apply_filters()Calls the callback functions that have been added to a filter hook.
- wp_cache_get()Retrieves the cache contents from the cache by key and group.
- update_meta_cache()Updates the metadata cache for the specified objects.
- maybe_unserialize()Unserializes data only if it was serialized.
Used by · 6
- WP_REST_Autosaves_Controller::create_post_autosave()Creates autosave for the specified post.
- WP_REST_Meta_Fields::delete_meta_value()Deletes a meta value for an object.
- WP_REST_Meta_Fields::update_meta_value()Updates a meta value for an object.
- WP_REST_Meta_Fields::update_multi_meta_value()Updates multiple meta values for an object.
- get_metadata()Retrieves the value of a metadata field for the specified object type and ID.
- update_metadata()Updates metadata for the specified object. If no value already exists for the specified object ID and metadata key, the metadata will be added.
Source code
function get_metadata_raw( $meta_type, $object_id, $meta_key = '', $single = false ) { if ( ! $meta_type || ! is_numeric( $object_id ) ) { return false; } $object_id = absint( $object_id ); if ( ! $object_id ) { return false; } /** * Short-circuits the return value of a meta field. * * The dynamic portion of the hook name, `$meta_type`, refers to the meta object type * (blog, post, comment, term, user, or any other type with an associated meta table). * Returning a non-null value will effectively short-circuit the function. * * Possible filter names include: * * - `get_blog_metadata` * - `get_post_metadata` * - `get_comment_metadata` * - `get_term_metadata` * - `get_user_metadata` * * @since 3.1.0 * @since 5.5.0 Added the `$meta_type` parameter. * * @param mixed $value The value to return, either a single metadata value or an array * of values depending on the value of `$single`. Default null. * @param int $object_id ID of the object metadata is for. * @param string $meta_key Metadata key. * @param bool $single Whether to return only the first value of the specified `$meta_key`. * @param string $meta_type Type of object metadata is for. Accepts 'blog', 'post', 'comment', 'term', * 'user', or any other object type with an associated meta table. */ $check = apply_filters( "get_{$meta_type}_metadata", null, $object_id, $meta_key, $single, $meta_type ); if ( null !== $check ) { if ( $single && is_array( $check ) ) { return $check[0]; } else { return $check; } } $meta_cache = wp_cache_get( $object_id, $meta_type . '_meta' ); if ( ! $meta_cache ) { $meta_cache = update_meta_cache( $meta_type, array( $object_id ) ); $meta_cache = $meta_cache[ $object_id ] ?? null; } if ( ! $meta_key ) { return $meta_cache; } if ( isset( $meta_cache[ $meta_key ] ) ) { if ( $single ) { return maybe_unserialize( $meta_cache[ $meta_key ][0] ); } else { return array_map( 'maybe_unserialize', $meta_cache[ $meta_key ] ); } } return null;}Changelog
Introduced in 5.5.0. 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-includes/meta.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.