wp_die( string|WP_Error|int $message = '', string|int $title = '', string|array|int $args = array() ): void

Description

Compatibility

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

Parameters

$messagestring|WP_Error|intoptional

Error message. If this is a WP_Error object, and not an Ajax or XML-RPC request, the error's messages are used.
An integer is echoed as the entire response body by legacy Ajax handlers, which use -1 for a failed nonce or capability check, 0 for failure, and 1 for success. Default empty string.Default: ''

$titlestring|intoptional

Error title. If $message is a WP_Error object, error data with the key 'title' may be used to specify the title.
If $title is an integer, then it is treated as the response code.
Default empty string.Default: ''

$argsstring|array|intoptional

Arguments to control behavior. If $args is an integer, then it is treated as the response code. Default empty array.Default: array()

• $responseintdefault: 200 for Ajax requests, 500 otherwise

  The HTTP response code.

• $link_urlstringdefault: empty string

  A URL to include a link to. Only works in combination with $link_text.

• $link_textstringdefault: empty string

  A label for the link to include. Only works in combination with $link_url.

• $back_linkbooldefault: false

  Whether to include a link to go back.

• $text_directionstringdefault: is the value of is_rtl()

  The text direction. This is only useful internally, when WordPress is still loading and the site's locale is not set up yet. Accepts 'rtl' and 'ltr'.

• $charsetstringdefault: 'utf-8'

  Character set of the HTML output.

• $codestringdefault: is 'wp_die', or the main error code if $message is a WP_Error

  Error code to use.

• $exitbooldefault: true

  Whether to exit the process after completion.

Return value

void

Never returns if $args['exit'] is true (the default), otherwise returns void.

Code examples

Every example is editable and runs in a real WordPress booted in your browser by WordPress Playground. Press Run, then edit the code: clicking away re-runs it. Nothing is sent anywhere until you do.

$post_id = 999999;
$post    = get_post( $post_id );

if ( ! $post ) {
	$error = new WP_Error(
		'invalid_post',
		sprintf( 'No post exists with ID %d.', $post_id ),
		array( 'title' => 'Post Not Found' )
	);

	wp_die( $error, '', array( 'response' => 404, 'back_link' => true ) );
}

echo esc_html( $post->post_title );

$can_manage = current_user_can( 'manage_options' );

if ( ! $can_manage ) {
	wp_die( 'You do not have permission to view this settings page.', 403 );
}

$price = get_post_meta( 2, 'price', true );

echo esc_html( 'Access granted. Stored price meta for post 2 is: ' . $price );

Common problems and fixes · 4

• Why does the rest of my code stop running after wp_die()?
• Why isn't my WP_Error message showing up when I pass it to wp_die()?
• Why did calling wp_die() output JSON instead of the styled HTML error page I expected?
• Why does the response code I passed get overridden with 200 or 500?

Alternatives and related functions

WP_Error

When you need to build a structured error with a code, message, and extra data (like a 'title') before deciding whether to hand it to wp_die() or handle it another way.

wp_send_json_error

When you are inside an Ajax callback and want a JSON error response without manually branching on wp_doing_ajax().

status_header

When you only need to send an HTTP status code and keep executing PHP afterward, without halting the request or rendering an error message.

WP_Ajax_Response

When building a legacy XML Ajax response, as used internally by admin-ajax handlers, instead of terminating with an HTML or JSON die screen.

Performance profile

How much work a call to wp_die() 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

Touches nothing outside its own arguments.

Scaling

Constant

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

Instructions

23–65

Executed per call on PHP 8.5, depending on the branch taken. The body compiles to 97.

Plugin surface

6 hooks

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

Called by

50

50 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

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 · 28 distinct outcomes

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

Hooks and filters fired · 6

6 hooks fire while wp_die() runs, in this order:

1. 1
   apply_filters( wp_die_ajax_handler )filterline 3838 (+18 into the body)

   Filters the callback for killing WordPress execution for Ajax requests.

2. 2
   apply_filters( wp_die_json_handler )filterline 3847 (+27 into the body)

   Filters the callback for killing WordPress execution for JSON requests.

3. 3
   apply_filters( wp_die_jsonp_handler )filterline 3856 (+36 into the body)

   Filters the callback for killing WordPress execution for JSONP REST requests.

4. 4
   apply_filters( wp_die_xmlrpc_handler )filterline 3865 (+45 into the body)

   Filters the callback for killing WordPress execution for XML-RPC requests.

5. 5
   apply_filters( wp_die_xml_handler )filterline 3878 (+58 into the body)

   Filters the callback for killing WordPress execution for XML requests.

6. 6
   apply_filters( wp_die_handler )filterline 3887 (+67 into the body)

   Filters the callback for killing WordPress execution for all non-Ajax, non-JSON, non-XML requests.

Uses · 9

• wp_doing_ajax()Determines whether the current request is a WordPress Ajax request.
• apply_filters()Calls the callback functions that have been added to a filter hook.
• wp_is_json_request()Checks whether current request is a JSON request, or is expecting a JSON response.
• wp_is_serving_rest_request()Determines whether WordPress is currently serving a REST API request.
• wp_is_jsonp_request()Checks whether current request is a JSONP request, or is expecting a JSONP response.
• wp_is_xml_request()Checks whether current request is an XML request, or is expecting an XML response.
• is_feed()Determines whether the query is for a feed.
• is_comment_feed()Is the query for a comments feed?
• is_trackback()Determines whether the query is for a trackback endpoint call.

Used by · 50

• Custom_Background::handle_upload()Handles an Image upload for the background image.
• Custom_Image_Header::admin_page()Displays the page based on the current step.
• Custom_Image_Header::step_2()Displays second step of custom header image page.
• Custom_Image_Header::step_2_manage_upload()Uploads the file to be cropped in the second step.
• Custom_Image_Header::step_3()Displays third step of custom header image page.
• File_Upload_Upgrader::__construct()Construct the upgrader for a form.
• WP::parse_request()Parses the request to find the correct WordPress query.
• WP_Ajax_Response::send()Display XML formatted responses.
• WP_Customize_Manager::handle_load_themes_request()Loads themes into the theme browsing/installation UI.
• WP_Customize_Manager::setup_theme()Starts preview and customize theme.
• WP_Customize_Manager::wp_die()Custom wp_die wrapper. Returns either the standard message for UI or the Ajax message.
• WP_Customize_Nav_Menus::ajax_load_available_items()Ajax handler for loading available menu items.

Source code

View on Trac ↗View on GitHub ↗

3820function wp_die( $message = '', $title = '', $args = array() ) {3821	global $wp_query;3822 3823	if ( is_int( $args ) ) {3824		$args = array( 'response' => $args );3825	} elseif ( is_int( $title ) ) {3826		$args  = array( 'response' => $title );3827		$title = '';3828	}3829 3830	if ( wp_doing_ajax() ) {3831		/**3832		 * Filters the callback for killing WordPress execution for Ajax requests.3833		 *3834		 * @since 3.4.03835		 *3836		 * @param callable $callback Callback function name.3837		 */3838		$callback = apply_filters( 'wp_die_ajax_handler', '_ajax_wp_die_handler' );3839	} elseif ( wp_is_json_request() ) {3840		/**3841		 * Filters the callback for killing WordPress execution for JSON requests.3842		 *3843		 * @since 5.1.03844		 *3845		 * @param callable $callback Callback function name.3846		 */3847		$callback = apply_filters( 'wp_die_json_handler', '_json_wp_die_handler' );3848	} elseif ( wp_is_serving_rest_request() && wp_is_jsonp_request() ) {3849		/**3850		 * Filters the callback for killing WordPress execution for JSONP REST requests.3851		 *3852		 * @since 5.2.03853		 *3854		 * @param callable $callback Callback function name.3855		 */3856		$callback = apply_filters( 'wp_die_jsonp_handler', '_jsonp_wp_die_handler' );3857	} elseif ( defined( 'XMLRPC_REQUEST' ) && XMLRPC_REQUEST ) {3858		/**3859		 * Filters the callback for killing WordPress execution for XML-RPC requests.3860		 *3861		 * @since 3.4.03862		 *3863		 * @param callable $callback Callback function name.3864		 */3865		$callback = apply_filters( 'wp_die_xmlrpc_handler', '_xmlrpc_wp_die_handler' );3866	} elseif ( wp_is_xml_request()3867		|| isset( $wp_query ) &&3868			( function_exists( 'is_feed' ) && is_feed()3869			|| function_exists( 'is_comment_feed' ) && is_comment_feed()3870			|| function_exists( 'is_trackback' ) && is_trackback() ) ) {3871		/**3872		 * Filters the callback for killing WordPress execution for XML requests.3873		 *3874		 * @since 5.2.03875		 *3876		 * @param callable $callback Callback function name.3877		 */3878		$callback = apply_filters( 'wp_die_xml_handler', '_xml_wp_die_handler' );3879	} else {3880		/**3881		 * Filters the callback for killing WordPress execution for all non-Ajax, non-JSON, non-XML requests.3882		 *3883		 * @since 3.0.03884		 *3885		 * @param callable $callback Callback function name.3886		 */3887		$callback = apply_filters( 'wp_die_handler', '_default_wp_die_handler' );3888	}3889 3890	call_user_func( $callback, $message, $title, $args );3891}

Changelog

Introduced in 2.0.4. 3 changes between 6.7.7 and 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 7.1.0 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

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