How to update custom fields using the wp_insert_post() function?

5 comments

1. If you read the documentation for wp_insert_post, it returns the post ID of the post you just created.

   If you combine that with the following function __update_post_meta (a custom function I acquired from this site and adapted a bit)

   /**
     * Updates post meta for a post. It also automatically deletes or adds the value to field_name if specified
     *
     * @access     protected
     * @param      integer     The post ID for the post we're updating
     * @param      string      The field we're updating/adding/deleting
     * @param      string      [Optional] The value to update/add for field_name. If left blank, data will be deleted.
     * @return     void
     */
   public function __update_post_meta( $post_id, $field_name, $value = '' )
   {
       if ( empty( $value ) OR ! $value )
       {
           delete_post_meta( $post_id, $field_name );
       }
       elseif ( ! get_post_meta( $post_id, $field_name ) )
       {
           add_post_meta( $post_id, $field_name, $value );
       }
       else
       {
           update_post_meta( $post_id, $field_name, $value );
       }
   }
   

   You’ll get the following:

   $my_post = array(
       'post_title' => $_SESSION['booking-form-title'],
       'post_date' => $_SESSION['cal_startdate'],
       'post_content' => 'This is my post.',
       'post_status' => 'publish',
       'post_type' => 'booking',
   );
   $the_post_id = wp_insert_post( $my_post );
   
   
   __update_post_meta( $the_post_id, 'my-custom-field', 'my_custom_field_value' );
   

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2. You can simple add the ‘add_post_meta’ after the ‘wp_insert_post’

   <?php 
   $my_post = array(
        'post_title' => $_SESSION['booking-form-title'],
        'post_date' => $_SESSION['cal_startdate'],
        'post_content' => 'This is my post.',
        'post_status' => 'publish',
        'post_type' => 'booking',
     );
   
   $post_id = wp_insert_post($my_post);
   
   add_post_meta($post_id, 'META-KEY-1', 'META_VALUE-1', true);
   add_post_meta($post_id, 'META-KEY-2', 'META_VALUE-2', true);
   ?>
   

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3. You can add ‘meta_input’ element on the post parameters as an array of post meta values keyed by their post meta key

   <?php 
   
   $my_post = array(
        'post_title' => $_SESSION['booking-form-title'],
        'post_date' => $_SESSION['cal_startdate'],
        'post_content' => 'This is my post.',
        'post_status' => 'publish',
        'post_type' => 'booking',
   
       'meta_input' => array(
         'your_custom_meta_field_name' => $_SESSION['your_custom_meta_field_value']
       )
     );
     wp_insert_post( $my_post );
     ?>
   

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4. I don’t think you can use it with wp_insert_post();.

   The reason is because of how WP stores the two data types. Posts are stored in one big monolithic table with a dozen different columns (wp_posts); custom fields are stored in a simpler, 4-column table (wp_postmeta) comprised mainly of a meta key and value, associated with a post.

   Consequently, you can’t really store custom fields until you have the post ID.

   Try this:

   function myplugin_insert_customs($pid){
   
       $customs = array(
       'post_id' => $pid,
       'meta_key' => 'Your meta key',
       'meta_value' => 'Your meta value',
       );
   
       add_post_meta($customs);
   
   }
   
   add_action('save_post', 'myplugin_insert_customs', 99);
   

   This codex post helped — it’s kinda the opposite of what you’re doing (i.e., deleting a DB row upon post deletion): http://codex.wordpress.org/Plugin_API/Action_Reference/delete_post

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5. Use save_post filter, then call add_post_meta in your filter function.

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