update_field() doesn’t store value in repeater field

• Baardbaard

• May 23, 2023 at 7:59 am

I have a repeater that has a read-only field that has a shortcode with an unique id. I need this ID, so I can have shortcodes that can output the other values in the repeater row.

This is the (summarized) way I add fields:

acf_add_local_field_group(
    'key' => 'pricing_group',
    'title' => 'Pricing',
    'fields' => [
        'key' => 'pricing_user_monthly_fees',
        'label' => 'User Monthly Fees',
        'name' => 'user_monthly_fees',
        'type' => 'repeater',
        'instructions' => 'Please create different fee ranges depending on the amount of users the customer wants to sign-up for.',
        'layout' => 'table',
        'button_label' => 'Add Range',
        'sub_fields' => [
            [
                'key' => 'pricing_user_monthly_fees_minimum',
                'label' => 'Minimum',
                'name' => 'minimum',
                'type' => 'number',
                'instructions' => 'Please enter a minimum value for this range.',
                'wrapper' => [ 'width' => '20' ],
                'min' => 0,
                'parent_repeater' => 'pricing_user_monthly_fees',
            ],
            [
                'key' => 'pricing_user_monthly_fees_maximum',
                'label' => 'Maximum',
                'name' => 'maximum',
                'type' => 'number',
                'instructions' => 'Please enter a maximum value for this range.',
                'wrapper' => [ 'width' => '20' ],
                'min' => 0,
                'parent_repeater' => 'pricing_user_monthly_fees',
            ],
            [
                'key' => 'pricing_user_monthly_fees_fee',
                'label' => 'Fee',
                'name' => 'fee',
                'type' => 'number',
                'instructions' => 'Please enter a fee for this range.',
                'wrapper' => [ 'width' => '20' ],
                'parent_repeater' => 'pricing_user_monthly_fees',
            ],
            [
                'key' => 'pricing_user_shortcode',
                'label' => 'Shortcode',
                'name' => 'shortcode',
                'type' => 'text',
                'readonly' => 1,
                'instructions' => 'When you save this range, a shortcode is generated as a read-only field. You can use this shortcode to display the range\'s fee.',
                'wrapper' => [ 'width' => '40' ],
                'parent_repeater' => 'pricing_user_monthly_fees',
            ],
        ],
    ],
    'location' => [
        [
            [
                'param' => 'options_page',
                'operator' => '==',
                'value' => 'acf-options-pricing',
            ],
        ],
    ],
);

This is the function that generates a shortcode with an unique id:

    
public function store_unique_shortcode(string $post_id)
    {
        $screen = get_current_screen();

        if ($post_id !== 'options'
            && !isset($screen->id)
            && !strpos($screen->id, 'acf-options-pricing')) { return; }

        $field = get_field('pricing_user_monthly_fees', $post_id);

        if (!$field) { return; }

        $user_monthly_fees = array_map(function($user_monthly_fee) {
            return array_merge($user_monthly_fee, [
                'shortcode' => $user_monthly_fee['shortcode'] ?:
                    sprintf('[pricing_user_monthly_fee id="%s"]', uniqid()),
                ]);
        }, $field);

        update_field('pricing_user_monthly_fees', $user_monthly_fees, $post_id);
    }

The problem is that when I use get_field() it shows an empty shortcode value while I expect it to contain the shortcode string with a unique id.

If I dump $field I get the following:

array(1) {
  [0]=>
  array(4) {
    ["minimum"]=>
    string(1) "0"
    ["maximum"]=>
    string(1) "3"
    ["fee"]=>
    string(4) "18.5"
    ["shortcode"]=>
    string(0) ""
  }
}

If I dump $user_monthly_fees I get the array with the shortcode and the generated unique id.

array(1) {
  [0]=>
  array(4) {
    ["minimum"]=>
    string(1) "0"
    ["maximum"]=>
    string(1) "3"
    ["fee"]=>
    string(4) "18.5"
    ["shortcode"]=>
    string(50) "[pricing_user_monthly_fee id="646c94d8b29f2"]"
  }
}

If I dump right after update_field() I get an array with an empty shortcode value.

array(1) {
  [0]=>
  array(4) {
    ["minimum"]=>
    string(1) "0"
    ["maximum"]=>
    string(1) "3"
    ["fee"]=>
    string(4) "18.5"
    ["shortcode"]=>
    string(0) ""
  }
}

Why doesn’t get_field() return the shortcode with the generated unique id?

• John Huebner

• May 24, 2023 at 11:37 am

I’m surprised you get anything at all using what you have posted.

All group keys must start with “group_”
All field keys must start with “field_”

if your keys are actually like what you have posted then you will get unexpected results.

• Baardbaard

• May 26, 2023 at 4:59 am

I’ve renamed my keys to group_ and field_, but that didn’t make a difference.

• Baardbaard

• May 26, 2023 at 7:18 am

It’s interestingly enough related to the square brackets in the shortcode that I’m trying to store.

The following works fine:

'shortcode' => $user_monthly_fee['shortcode'] ?:
    sprintf('pricing_user_monthly_fee id="%s"', uniqid()),
);

While the following doesn’t store the shortcode:

'shortcode' => $user_monthly_fee['shortcode'] ?:
    sprintf('[pricing_user_monthly_fee id="%s"]', uniqid()),
);

• John Huebner

• May 26, 2023 at 8:19 am

I honestly don’t have any idea why.