get_template(): string

Compatibility

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

Return value

string

Template name.

Performance profile

How much work a call to get_template() 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

Reads stored settings via get_option(), cached per request but not free on a cold cache.

Scaling

Constant

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

Instructions

8

Executed per call on PHP 8.5. The body compiles to 8.

Plugin surface

1 hook

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

Called by

12

12 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
• optionoption read or writeget_option()called directly
• cacheobject cachewp_cache_get()one call below get_template()
• serializeserialisationmaybe_unserialize()one call below get_template()

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 · 1 distinct outcome

One number would be a lie: the work depends on which branch runs. These are every distinct cost get_template() can have, taken from its control-flow graph on PHP 8.5.

Hooks and filters fired · 1

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

1. 1
   apply_filters( template )filterline 325 (+8 into the body)

   Filters the name of the active theme.

Uses · 2

• apply_filters()Calls the callback functions that have been added to a filter hook.
• get_option()Retrieves an option value based on an option name.

Used by · 12

• Theme_Upgrader::bulk_upgrade()Upgrades several themes at once.
• WP_Debug_Data::get_wp_filesystem()Gets the file system section of the debug data.
• _get_block_template_file()Retrieves the template file from the theme for a given slug.
• _get_block_templates_files()Retrieves the template files from the theme.
• get_block_asset_url()Gets the URL to a block asset.
• get_body_class()Retrieves an array of the class names for the body element.
• get_template_directory()Retrieves template directory path for the active theme.
• get_template_directory_uri()Retrieves template directory URI for the active theme.
• is_theme_paused()Determines whether a theme is technically active but was paused while loading.
• resolve_block_template()Returns the correct 'wp_template' to render for the request template type.
• twentytwentyfour_block_stylesheets()Enqueue custom block stylesheets
• wp_edit_theme_plugin_file()Attempts to edit a file for a theme or plugin.

Source code

View on Trac ↗View on GitHub ↗

317function get_template() {318	/**319	 * Filters the name of the active theme.320	 *321	 * @since 1.5.0322	 *323	 * @param string $template active theme's directory name.324	 */325	return apply_filters( 'template', get_option( 'template' ) );326}

Changelog

Introduced in 1.5.0. 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 6.8.8 tag, from src/wp-includes/theme.php, and regenerated for each WordPress release so it tracks the code rather than a snapshot of it.

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