Title: WP_Customize_Panel
Published: September 4, 2014
Last modified: August 20, 2026
---
# class WP_Customize_Panel {}
## In this article
* [Description](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/classes/wp_customize_panel/?output_format=md#description)
- [See also](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/classes/wp_customize_panel/?output_format=md#see-also)
* [Methods](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/classes/wp_customize_panel/?output_format=md#methods)
* [Source](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/classes/wp_customize_panel/?output_format=md#source)
* [Related](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/classes/wp_customize_panel/?output_format=md#related)
* [Changelog](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/classes/wp_customize_panel/?output_format=md#changelog)
[ Back to top](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/classes/wp_customize_panel/?output_format=md#wp--skip-link--target)
Customize Panel class.
## [Description](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/classes/wp_customize_panel/?output_format=md#description)
A UI container for sections, managed by the [WP_Customize_Manager](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/classes/wp_customize_manager/).
### [See also](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/classes/wp_customize_panel/?output_format=md#see-also)
* [WP_Customize_Manager](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/classes/wp_customize_manager/)
## [Methods](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/classes/wp_customize_panel/?output_format=md#methods)
| Name | Description |
| [WP_Customize_Panel::__construct](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/classes/wp_customize_panel/__construct/) | Constructor. |
| [WP_Customize_Panel::active](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/classes/wp_customize_panel/active/) | Check whether panel is active to current Customizer preview. |
| [WP_Customize_Panel::active_callback](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/classes/wp_customize_panel/active_callback/) | Default callback used when invoking [WP_Customize_Panel::active()](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/classes/wp_customize_panel/active/). |
| [WP_Customize_Panel::check_capabilities](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/classes/wp_customize_panel/check_capabilities/) | Checks required user capabilities and whether the theme has the feature support required by the panel. |
| [WP_Customize_Panel::content_template](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/classes/wp_customize_panel/content_template/) | An Underscore (JS) template for this panel’s content (but not its container). |
| [WP_Customize_Panel::get_content](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/classes/wp_customize_panel/get_content/) | Get the panel’s content template for insertion into the Customizer pane. |
| [WP_Customize_Panel::json](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/classes/wp_customize_panel/json/) | Gather the parameters passed to client JavaScript via JSON. |
| [WP_Customize_Panel::maybe_render](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/classes/wp_customize_panel/maybe_render/) | Check capabilities and render the panel. |
| [WP_Customize_Panel::print_template](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/classes/wp_customize_panel/print_template/) | Render the panel’s JS templates. |
| [WP_Customize_Panel::render](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/classes/wp_customize_panel/render/) | Render the panel container, and then its contents (via `this->render_content()`) in a subclass. |
| [WP_Customize_Panel::render_content](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/classes/wp_customize_panel/render_content/) | Render the panel UI in a subclass. |
| [WP_Customize_Panel::render_template](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/classes/wp_customize_panel/render_template/) | An Underscore (JS) template for rendering this panel’s container. |
## [Source](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/classes/wp_customize_panel/?output_format=md#source)
```php
#[AllowDynamicProperties]
class WP_Customize_Panel {
/**
* Incremented with each new class instantiation, then stored in $instance_number.
*
* Used when sorting two instances whose priorities are equal.
*
* @since 4.1.0
* @var int
*/
protected static $instance_count = 0;
/**
* Order in which this instance was created in relation to other instances.
*
* @since 4.1.0
* @var int
*/
public $instance_number;
/**
* WP_Customize_Manager instance.
*
* @since 4.0.0
* @var WP_Customize_Manager
*/
public $manager;
/**
* Unique identifier.
*
* @since 4.0.0
* @var string
*/
public $id;
/**
* Priority of the panel, defining the display order of panels and sections.
*
* @since 4.0.0
* @var int
*/
public $priority = 160;
/**
* Capability required for the panel.
*
* @since 4.0.0
* @var string
*/
public $capability = 'edit_theme_options';
/**
* Theme features required to support the panel.
*
* @since 4.0.0
* @var mixed[]
*/
public $theme_supports = '';
/**
* Title of the panel to show in UI.
*
* @since 4.0.0
* @var string
*/
public $title = '';
/**
* Description to show in the UI.
*
* @since 4.0.0
* @var string
*/
public $description = '';
/**
* Auto-expand a section in a panel when the panel is expanded when the panel only has the one section.
*
* @since 4.7.4
* @var bool
*/
public $auto_expand_sole_section = false;
/**
* Customizer sections for this panel.
*
* @since 4.0.0
* @var array
*/
public $sections;
/**
* Type of this panel.
*
* @since 4.1.0
* @var string
*/
public $type = 'default';
/**
* Active callback.
*
* @since 4.1.0
*
* @see WP_Customize_Section::active()
*
* @var callable Callback is called with one argument, the instance of
* WP_Customize_Section, and returns bool to indicate whether
* the section is active (such as it relates to the URL currently
* being previewed).
*/
public $active_callback = '';
/**
* Constructor.
*
* Any supplied $args override class property defaults.
*
* @since 4.0.0
*
* @param WP_Customize_Manager $manager Customizer bootstrap instance.
* @param string $id A specific ID for the panel.
* @param array $args {
* Optional. Array of properties for the new Panel object. Default empty array.
*
* @type int $priority Priority of the panel, defining the display order
* of panels and sections. Default 160.
* @type string $capability Capability required for the panel.
* Default `edit_theme_options`.
* @type mixed[] $theme_supports Theme features required to support the panel.
* @type string $title Title of the panel to show in UI.
* @type string $description Description to show in the UI.
* @type string $type Type of the panel.
* @type callable $active_callback Active callback.
* }
*/
public function __construct( $manager, $id, $args = array() ) {
$keys = array_keys( get_object_vars( $this ) );
foreach ( $keys as $key ) {
if ( isset( $args[ $key ] ) ) {
$this->$key = $args[ $key ];
}
}
$this->manager = $manager;
$this->id = $id;
if ( empty( $this->active_callback ) ) {
$this->active_callback = array( $this, 'active_callback' );
}
self::$instance_count += 1;
$this->instance_number = self::$instance_count;
$this->sections = array(); // Users cannot customize the $sections array.
}
/**
* Check whether panel is active to current Customizer preview.
*
* @since 4.1.0
*
* @return bool Whether the panel is active to the current preview.
*/
final public function active() {
$panel = $this;
$active = call_user_func( $this->active_callback, $this );
/**
* Filters response of WP_Customize_Panel::active().
*
* @since 4.1.0
*
* @param bool $active Whether the Customizer panel is active.
* @param WP_Customize_Panel $panel WP_Customize_Panel instance.
*/
$active = apply_filters( 'customize_panel_active', $active, $panel );
return $active;
}
/**
* Default callback used when invoking WP_Customize_Panel::active().
*
* Subclasses can override this with their specific logic, or they may
* provide an 'active_callback' argument to the constructor.
*
* @since 4.1.0
*
* @return bool Always true.
*/
public function active_callback() {
return true;
}
/**
* Gather the parameters passed to client JavaScript via JSON.
*
* @since 4.1.0
*
* @return array The array to be exported to the client as JSON.
*/
public function json() {
$array = wp_array_slice_assoc( (array) $this, array( 'id', 'description', 'priority', 'type' ) );
$array['title'] = html_entity_decode( $this->title, ENT_QUOTES, get_bloginfo( 'charset' ) );
$array['content'] = $this->get_content();
$array['active'] = $this->active();
$array['instanceNumber'] = $this->instance_number;
$array['autoExpandSoleSection'] = $this->auto_expand_sole_section;
return $array;
}
/**
* Checks required user capabilities and whether the theme has the
* feature support required by the panel.
*
* @since 4.0.0
* @since 5.9.0 Method was marked non-final.
*
* @return bool False if theme doesn't support the panel or the user doesn't have the capability.
*/
public function check_capabilities() {
if ( $this->capability && ! current_user_can( $this->capability ) ) {
return false;
}
if ( $this->theme_supports && ! current_theme_supports( ...(array) $this->theme_supports ) ) {
return false;
}
return true;
}
/**
* Get the panel's content template for insertion into the Customizer pane.
*
* @since 4.1.0
*
* @return string Content for the panel.
*/
final public function get_content() {
ob_start();
$this->maybe_render();
return trim( ob_get_clean() );
}
/**
* Check capabilities and render the panel.
*
* @since 4.0.0
*/
final public function maybe_render() {
if ( ! $this->check_capabilities() ) {
return;
}
/**
* Fires before rendering a Customizer panel.
*
* @since 4.0.0
*
* @param WP_Customize_Panel $panel WP_Customize_Panel instance.
*/
do_action( 'customize_render_panel', $this );
/**
* Fires before rendering a specific Customizer panel.
*
* The dynamic portion of the hook name, `$this->id`, refers to
* the ID of the specific Customizer panel to be rendered.
*
* @since 4.0.0
*/
do_action( "customize_render_panel_{$this->id}" );
$this->render();
}
/**
* Render the panel container, and then its contents (via `this->render_content()`) in a subclass.
*
* Panel containers are now rendered in JS by default, see WP_Customize_Panel::print_template().
*
* @since 4.0.0
*/
protected function render() {}
/**
* Render the panel UI in a subclass.
*
* Panel contents are now rendered in JS by default, see WP_Customize_Panel::print_template().
*
* @since 4.1.0
*/
protected function render_content() {}
/**
* Render the panel's JS templates.
*
* This function is only run for panel types that have been registered with
* WP_Customize_Manager::register_panel_type().
*
* @since 4.3.0
*
* @see WP_Customize_Manager::register_panel_type()
*/
public function print_template() {
?>