meta_query returns false if field doesn\\\'t exist

• stueynet

• October 11, 2016 at 11:33 pm

The following query returns false if the key is not set. Given I am trying to add the feature and would prefer not to have to change every post, this seems odd. Is there a way to change this behaviour? It would seem logical that a query that looks for posts with a meta key not equal to something would include posts without that meta key altogether.

'meta_query' => array(
            array(
                    'key' => 'hidden',
                    'value' => '1',
                    'compare' => '!='
            )
        )
    );

• John Huebner

• October 12, 2016 at 1:46 am

https://codex.wordpress.org/Class_Reference/WP_Query#Custom_Field_Parameters, add a query for “NOT EXISTS”

'meta_query' => array(
  'relation' => 'OR',
    array(
      'key' => 'hidden',
      'value' => '1',
      'compare' => '!='
    ),
    array(
      'key' => 'hidden',
      'compare' => 'NOT EXISTS'
    )
  );

);