Using get_post_meta as Fallback on Repeaters

• neilgee

• March 24, 2015 at 12:16 pm

Looking at implementing a fall back using get_post_meta, I recently did a home page which was all ACF get_field so I redid it with the fallbacks which work great, issue is I am also using a repeater field which extracts the last row of another page and displays it on the home page – I tried the fallback with get_post_meta but nothing is displaying, I think my issue is with the subfields – any pointers –

<?php

if( function_exists('get_field') ){

//Display Latest Testimonial Row with ACF;
echo '<div class="info">';
$rows = get_field( 'testimonials', 348 ); // get all the rows
$end_row = end($rows); // get the end row
$end_testimonial_content = $end_row['testimonial' ]; // get the sub field value 
$end_testimonial_header = $end_row['testimonial_header' ]; // get the sub field value 
$last =  '<blockquote>' . $end_testimonial_content . '</blockquote><p>' . $end_testimonial_header . '</p>';
echo $last;
echo '</div>';
}

else {

//Fallback without ACF;
echo '<div class="info">';
$rows =  get_post_meta( get_the_ID(348), 'testimonials', false ); // get all the rows
$end_row = end($rows); // get the end row
$end_testimonial_content = $end_row['testimonial' ]; // get the sub field value 
$end_testimonial_header = $end_row['testimonial_header' ]; // get the sub field value 
$last =  '<blockquote>' . $end_testimonial_content . '</blockquote><p>' . $end_testimonial_header . '</p>';
echo $last; 
echo '</div>';
}

• mediawerk

• March 24, 2015 at 7:40 pm

One thing i could say is, both the repeater and flexible content fields save their data in this format:
$ParentName_$RowNumber_$ChildName

the values of testimonial for the first and second row are saved into this 2 DB-Fields.

'testimonials_0_testimonial' //for first row
'testimonials_1_testimonial' //for second row

maybe that help.

else: debug $rows => that means: look what inside $rows is.

echo '<pre>';
print_r( $rows);
echo '</pre>';

probably it is not array like you expect (because each subfield has it own db-row)

• neilgee

• March 25, 2015 at 10:12 am

ok thanks – so I can get a specific row output like so…

<?php 	
	$rows =  get_post_meta( 348, 'testimonials', false ); // get all the rows
	$end_testimonial_content = get_post_meta( 348, 'testimonials_4_testimonial', true );// get the sub field value 
	$end_testimonial_header = get_post_meta( 348, 'testimonials_4_testimonial_header', true ); // get the sub field value 
	$last =  '<blockquote>' . $end_testimonial_content . '</blockquote><p>' . $end_testimonial_header . '</p>';
	echo $last; 

	?>

I also tried with end function but couldn’t get it to work, but as a fallback at least I have something on the page.

• mediawerk

• March 25, 2015 at 6:19 pm

probably your end function return 5 (5 rows)
but row 5 use _4_(beause rows start with _0_)

you dont need this line to get subfields:
$rows = get_post_meta( 348, 'testimonials', false ); // get all the rows
but what is inside $rows?
if it is the row-count, or you could get it from it.
than use $rows--; after and you have the number you can use for the last row

• neilgee

• March 25, 2015 at 6:44 pm

okay result i get from

echo '<pre>';
print_r( $rows);
echo '</pre>';

is

Array
(
    [0] => 8
)

Which is the 8 repeater rows current in the array.

how do i use $rows--; ?
and/or how would i always echo the last row after more rows where added?

• mediawerk

• March 25, 2015 at 9:54 pm

because $rows always have the count of rows you could use:

$rows = get_post_meta( 348, 'testimonials', false ); // get number of rows (8 but in a array)
$row_count = $rows[0]; //get row number out of array (8)
$row_count--; // because first row start with 0 not 1 subtract one from row number (8-1 =7)
//now you could use $row_count to get last row (7)
echo 'testimonials_'.$row_count.'_testimonial'; //you need to replace echo by a variable and use that

Hint:
$rows--; is short form of $rows = $rows-1;
because $rows and better $row_count always have the correct row number you can add/remove rows without problems

• neilgee

• March 26, 2015 at 9:59 am

tried to this using

$rows = get_post_meta( 348, 'testimonials', false ); // get number of rows (8 but in a array)
$row_count = $rows[0]; //get row number out of array (8)
echo $row_count--; // because first row start with 0 not 1 subtract one from row number (8-1 =7)
//now you could use $row_count to get last row (7)
$lastrow =  'testimonials_'.$row_count.'_testimonial'; //you need to replace echo by a variable and use that

echo $lastrow;

What i get front end is
8testimonials_7_testimonial

• mediawerk

• March 26, 2015 at 9:42 pm

that is good. you see that it works 😉
the 8 is because you echo $row_count--;
and testimonials_7_testimonial is the field name for the last row.

now use something like that:

$rows = get_post_meta( 348, 'testimonials', false ); // get number of rows, is inside a array
$row_count = $rows[0]; //get row number out of array
$row_count--; // because first row start with 0 not 1 subtract one from row number
$lastrow_content =  'testimonials_'.$row_count.'_testimonial'; //get last row field
$lastrow_head = 'testimonials_'.$row_count.'_testimonial_header'; //get last row field
$end_testimonial_content = get_post_meta( 348, $lastrow_content, true );// get the last row value
$end_testimonial_header = get_post_meta( 348, $lastrow_head, true ); // get the last row value 
$last =  '<blockquote>' . $end_testimonial_content . '</blockquote><p>' . $end_testimonial_header . '</p>';
echo $last;

• neilgee

• March 27, 2015 at 4:47 pm

Wow you do know your stuff! – Many thanks that works perfectly, the only thing that i don’t grasp 100% is
$row_count--;

I do understand by its use we are moving from zero based index to get the last proper row.

You said earlier that:
$rows--; is short form of $rows = $rows-1;

So in the code that works, instead of using $row_count--; i tried $row_count-1;
but that outputs nothing, I was wondering for my own curiousity how to use arithmetic operator on the row count so for instance I could output the 2nd last one.

• mediawerk

• March 27, 2015 at 6:32 pm

$row_count-1; would not work because you dont save result back to a variable.
$row_count_last = $row_count-1; should work 😉
(you can use same variable like previous post, or a new one like this post)

for second last you could use different ways.
it depends on things like: do you use last row anyway.

$row_count--; // because first row start with 0 not 1 subtract one from row number
$lastrow_content =  'testimonials_'.$row_count.'_testimonial'; //get last row field
$lastrow_head = 'testimonials_'.$row_count.'_testimonial_header'; //get last row field
$row_count--; // because we already subtract 1, this is like subtract 2 from start value
$2lastrow_content =  'testimonials_'.$row_count.'_testimonial'; //get 2last row field
$2lastrow_head = 'testimonials_'.$row_count.'_testimonial_header'; //get 2last row field

above only works when variable for last row is filled before.
(it use $row_count--;)
below works independent of ordering, last could be before or after 2last
(this dont use $row_count--; !)

$row_count_2last = $row_count-2;
$2lastrow_content =  'testimonials_'.$row_count_2last.'_testimonial'; //get 2last row field
$2lastrow_head = 'testimonials_'.$row_count_2last.'_testimonial_header'; //get 2last row field
$row_count_last = $row_count-1; // because first row start with 0 not 1 subtract one from row number
$lastrow_content =  'testimonials_'.$row_count_last.'_testimonial'; //get last row field
$lastrow_head = 'testimonials_'.$row_count_last.'_testimonial_header'; //get last row field

or you could do it a other way 😉 (fill your own array and echo that for example)