get_theme_updates(): array<string,
- Since
- 2.9.0
- Source
wp-admin/includes/update.php:627
Compatibility
- WordPress
- since 2.9.0
- 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.
Return value
array<string,- WP_Theme> Array of theme objects with available updates.
Performance profile
How much work a call to get_theme_updates() 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
- Heavy
- Scaling
- Scales with input
- Instructions
- 7–12
- Plugin surface
- None
- Called by
- 6
Reads stored settings via get_site_option(), cached per request but not free on a cold cache.
The body loops, so the work grows with how much data it finds.
Executed per call on PHP 8.5, depending on the branch taken. The body compiles to 23.
Nothing here hands control to plugin code.
6 places in core call this, so the cost is paid more often than your own code shows.
What it touches
- transienttransient
get_site_transient()called directly - hookthird-party callbacks
apply_filters()one call below get_theme_updates() - cacheobject cache
wp_cache_get()one call below get_theme_updates() - optionnetwork option
get_site_option()one call below get_theme_updates()
Further down the call graph this can also reach serialize and query. 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_theme_updates() can have, taken from its control-flow graph on PHP 8.5.
| When | Instructions | Calls it makes |
|---|---|---|
| always | 7–12 | get_site_transient() |
Across PHP versions
Compiles the same on PHP 7.4, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4, 8.5 and 8.6-dev: 23 instructions, 7–12 executed per call, 3 branches. The work does not change between versions.
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 · 2
- get_site_transient()Retrieves the value of a site transient.
- wp_get_theme()Gets a WP_Theme object for a theme.
Used by · 6
- WP_Automatic_Updater::send_email()Sends an email upon the completion or failure of a background core update.
- WP_Debug_Data::get_wp_active_theme()Gets the WordPress active theme section of the debug data.
- WP_Debug_Data::get_wp_parent_theme()Gets the WordPress parent theme section of the debug data.
- WP_Debug_Data::get_wp_themes_inactive()Gets the WordPress inactive themes section of the debug data.
- WP_Site_Health::get_test_theme_version()Tests if themes are outdated, or unnecessary.
- list_theme_updates()Display the upgrade themes form.
Source code
function get_theme_updates() { $current = get_site_transient( 'update_themes' ); if ( ! isset( $current->response ) ) { return array(); } $update_themes = array(); foreach ( $current->response as $stylesheet => $data ) { $update_themes[ $stylesheet ] = wp_get_theme( $stylesheet ); $update_themes[ $stylesheet ]->update = $data; } return $update_themes;}Changelog
Introduced in 2.9.0. 2 changes between 6.7.7 and 7.1.0.
Signature, return type and hooks compared across 5 parsed releases.
WP_Theme[] to array<string,.verified against sourcearray to WP_Theme[].verified against sourceAbout this page
- Parsed data
- Generated from the wordpress-develop 7.1.0 tag, from
src/wp-admin/includes/update.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.