WP_Query with meta_query on a subfield within a group field

• juliusbangert

• November 25, 2017 at 3:15 am

I’m trying to call WP_Query to query posts of a custom post type on an archive page with using meta_query of a subfield within aa ACF group field.

The setup is as follows:
• Custom post type ‘images’
• Custom post type ‘people’

On the image edit page I have:
• ACF group field ‘authors’
• ACF post_object multiselect ‘people’ inside ‘authors’ group

I want to be able to query images authored by a specific person by the person id, I do not want to change the field structure because this has been design for other pages and archives and needs to remain the same.

… in functions.php

function my_posts_where( $where ) {
    global $wpdb;
    $where = str_replace(
        "meta_key = 'authors_",
        "meta_key LIKE 'authors_",
        $wpdb->remove_placeholder_escape( $where )
    );
    return $where;
}
add_filter( 'posts_where', 'my_posts_where' );

… in archive-images.php

$author = 85; // This will eventuall be pulled from get_query_var('author')
$images_query = new WP_Query([
    'suppress_filters' => FALSE,
    'posts_per_page' => -1,
    'post_type' => 'images',
    'meta_query' => [
        //'relation' => 'OR',
        //'relation' => 'AND',
        [
            'key' => 'authors_%_people',
            'compare' => 'LIKE',
            //'value' => '"'.$author.'"',
            'value' => array( '"'.$author.'"' ),
        ],
    ],
]);

I have pieced this together from various sources and I’m assuming the group field can be treated like a single repeater… but it simply is not working. I’ve done tests where the people post_object select is outside the group field and it works ( allbeit with a warning error due to wrapping value in array ).

So my issue lies with querying a subfield inside a group field. Please help if you can, I’m going mad with it.

• meandhim

• November 25, 2017 at 4:20 am

Hey Julius,

I’ve read a bit more about group fields and the key doesn’t act the same as a repeater.

$author = 85; // This will eventuall be pulled from get_query_var('author')
$images_query = new WP_Query([
    'suppress_filters' => FALSE,
    'posts_per_page' => -1,
    'post_type' => 'images',
    'meta_query' => [
        //'relation' => 'OR',
        //'relation' => 'AND',
        [
            'key' => 'authors_people',
            'compare' => 'LIKE',
            'value' => '"'.$author.'"'
        ],
    ],
]);

In the second paragraph of the overview for group it says the database saves the result as group_field so in your case it is authors_people. As the people field is a multi select and holding an array of people IDs (I would have thought) then the LIKE comparator should be fine.

Try the above and let me know what you get.

• juliusbangert

• November 25, 2017 at 4:32 am

Yes! I just looked that up a few minutes ago after re-reading your last post on the other thread.. and tried exactly this. This was it! Thanks!

Any idea why I get a warning error if I have the value in an array?
'value' => array( '"'.$author.'"' ),

I seem to need this if the post_object is not in a group.
( I know mine is but for future use I’d like to crack it all round )

• meandhim

• November 25, 2017 at 4:37 am

If didn’t have your people post_object in a group then you’d just change the key to become ‘people’, is your comparator still LIKE?

• juliusbangert

• November 26, 2017 at 1:45 am

Sorry for delay, so I was trying two things at once..

• Meta_query without post_object field in a group
• Meta_query on a post_object field that is not multi-select

The first is obvious as you pointed out but is dependant on the second
Am I correct in thinking that for the second I would need to omit the double quotes?
'value' => $instrument,
..Instead of..
'value' => '"'.$instrument.'"',

What about compare? Should I use LIKE or IN for single post_object?