maybe_unserialize( string $data ): mixed
- Since
- 2.0.0
- Source
wp-includes/functions.php:653
Compatibility
- WordPress
- since 2.0.0
- 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
$datastring- Data that might be unserialized.
Return value
mixed- Unserialized data can be any type.
Performance profile
How much work a call to maybe_unserialize() 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
- Scaling
- Constant
- Instructions
- 6–12
- Plugin surface
- None
- Called by
- 12
Touches nothing outside its own arguments.
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 13.
Nothing here hands control to plugin code.
12 places in core call this, so the cost is paid more often than your own code shows.
What it touches
- serializeserialisation
maybe_unserialize()this function does it
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 maybe_unserialize() can have, taken from its control-flow graph on PHP 8.5.
| When | Instructions | Calls it makes |
|---|---|---|
!is_serialized() | 6 | is_serialized() |
is_serialized() | 12 | is_serialized(), unserialize() |
Across PHP versions
| PHP | Compiled | Executed | Branches | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8.6-dev | 13 | 6–12 | 1 | |
| 8.5 | 13 | 6–12 | 1 | |
| 8.4 | 13 | 6–12 | 1 | 2 fewer instructions than PHP 8.3 |
| 8.3 | 15 | 6–14 | 1 | |
| 8.2 | 15 | 6–14 | 1 | |
| 8.1 | 15 | 6–14 | 1 | |
| 7.4 | 15 | 6–14 | 1 |
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 · 1
- is_serialized()Checks value to find if it was serialized.
Used by · 12
- WP_Customize_Manager::import_theme_starter_content()Imports theme starter content into the customized state.
- __get_option()Utility version of get_option that is private to installation/upgrade.
- _list_meta_row()Outputs a single row of public meta data in the Custom Fields meta box.
- count_users()Counts number of users who have each of the user roles.
- get_metadata_by_mid()Retrieves metadata by meta ID.
- get_metadata_raw()Retrieves raw metadata value for the specified object.
- get_network_option()Retrieves a network's option value based on the option name.
- get_option()Retrieves an option value based on an option name.
- upgrade_280()Execute changes made in WordPress 2.8.
- wp_prime_network_option_caches()Primes specific network options into the cache with a single database query.
- wp_user_personal_data_exporter()Finds and exports personal data associated with an email address from the user and user_meta table.
- wpmu_activate_signup()Activates a signup.
Source code
function maybe_unserialize( $data ) { if ( is_serialized( $data ) ) { // Don't attempt to unserialize data that wasn't serialized going in. return @unserialize( trim( $data ) ); } return $data;}Changelog
Introduced in 2.0.0. 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 7.0.4 tag, from
src/wp-includes/functions.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.