get_posts_by_author_sql( string|string[] $post_type, bool $full = true, int $post_author = null, bool $public_only = false ): string

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_typestring|string[]

Single post type or an array of post types.

$fullbooloptional

Returns a full WHERE statement instead of just an 'andalso' term. Default true.Default: true

$post_authorintoptional

Query posts having a single author ID. Default null.Default: null

$public_onlybooloptional

Only return public posts. Skips cap checks for $current_user. Default false.Default: false

Return value

string

SQL WHERE code that can be added to a query.

Performance profile

How much work a call to get_posts_by_author_sql() 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

Touches nothing outside its own arguments.

Scaling

Scales with input

The body loops, so the work grows with what you pass in.

Instructions

15–29

Executed per call on PHP 8.5, depending on the branch taken. The body compiles to 82.

Plugin surface

1 hook

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

Called by

4

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

What it touches

• hookthird-party callbacksapply_filters_deprecated()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_posts_by_author_sql() can have, taken from its control-flow graph on PHP 8.5.

Hooks and filters fired · 1

One hook fires while get_posts_by_author_sql() runs, in this order:

1. 1
   do_action( pub_priv_sql_capability )filter_deprecatedline 7481 (+26 into the body)

   Filters the capability to read private posts for a custom post type when generating SQL for getting posts by author.

Uses · 5

• get_post_type_object()Retrieves a post type object by name.
• apply_filters_deprecated()Fires functions attached to a deprecated filter hook.
• current_user_can()Returns whether the current user has the specified capability.
• is_user_logged_in()Determines whether the current visitor is a logged in user.
• get_current_user_id()Gets the current user's ID.

Used by · 4

• WP_User_Query::parse_orderby()Parses and sanitizes 'orderby' keys passed to the user query.
• count_many_users_posts()Gets the number of posts written by a list of users.
• count_user_posts()Gets the number of posts a user has written.
• get_private_posts_cap_sql()Retrieves the private post SQL based on capability.

Source code

View on Trac ↗View on GitHub ↗

7455function get_posts_by_author_sql( $post_type, $full = true, $post_author = null, $public_only = false ) {7456	global $wpdb;7457 7458	if ( is_array( $post_type ) ) {7459		$post_types = $post_type;7460	} else {7461		$post_types = array( $post_type );7462	}7463 7464	$post_type_clauses = array();7465	foreach ( $post_types as $post_type ) {7466		$post_type_obj = get_post_type_object( $post_type );7467 7468		if ( ! $post_type_obj ) {7469			continue;7470		}7471 7472		/**7473		 * Filters the capability to read private posts for a custom post type7474		 * when generating SQL for getting posts by author.7475		 *7476		 * @since 2.2.07477		 * @deprecated 3.2.0 The hook transitioned from "somewhat useless" to "totally useless".7478		 *7479		 * @param string $cap Capability.7480		 */7481		$cap = apply_filters_deprecated( 'pub_priv_sql_capability', array( '' ), '3.2.0' );7482 7483		if ( ! $cap ) {7484			$cap = current_user_can( $post_type_obj->cap->read_private_posts );7485		}7486 7487		// Only need to check the cap if $public_only is false.7488		$post_status_sql = "post_status = 'publish'";7489 7490		if ( false === $public_only ) {7491			if ( $cap ) {7492				// Does the user have the capability to view private posts? Guess so.7493				$post_status_sql .= " OR post_status = 'private'";7494			} elseif ( is_user_logged_in() ) {7495				// Users can view their own private posts.7496				$id = get_current_user_id();7497				if ( null === $post_author || ! $full ) {7498					$post_status_sql .= " OR post_status = 'private' AND post_author = $id";7499				} elseif ( $id === (int) $post_author ) {7500					$post_status_sql .= " OR post_status = 'private'";7501				} // Else none.7502			} // Else none.7503		}7504 7505		$post_type_clauses[] = "( post_type = '" . $post_type . "' AND ( $post_status_sql ) )";7506	}7507 7508	if ( empty( $post_type_clauses ) ) {7509		return $full ? 'WHERE 1 = 0' : '1 = 0';7510	}7511 7512	$sql = '( ' . implode( ' OR ', $post_type_clauses ) . ' )';7513 7514	if ( null !== $post_author ) {7515		$sql .= $wpdb->prepare( ' AND post_author = %d', $post_author );7516	}7517 7518	if ( $full ) {7519		$sql = 'WHERE ' . $sql;7520	}7521 7522	return $sql;7523}

Changelog

Introduced in 4.3.0. 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 6.9.7 tag, from src/wp-includes/post.php, and regenerated for each WordPress release so it tracks the code rather than a snapshot of it.

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