get_the_author_meta( string $field = '', int|false $user_id = false ): string

Retrieves the requested data of the author of the current post.

Contents

Description

Valid values for the $field parameter include:

  • admin_color
  • aim
  • comment_shortcuts
  • description
  • display_name
  • first_name
  • ID
  • jabber
  • last_name
  • nickname
  • plugins_last_view
  • plugins_per_page
  • rich_editing
  • syntax_highlighting
  • user_activation_key
  • user_description
  • user_email
  • user_firstname
  • user_lastname
  • user_level
  • user_login
  • user_nicename
  • user_pass
  • user_registered
  • user_status
  • user_url
  • yim

Top ↑

Parameters

$field string Optional
The user field to retrieve.

Default: ''

$user_id int|false Optional
User ID. Defaults to the current post author.

Default: false

Top ↑

Return

string The author's field from the current author's DB object, otherwise an empty string.

Top ↑

More Information

If used within The Loop, the user ID need not be specified, it defaults to current post author. A user ID must be specified if used outside The Loop.

get_the_author_meta() returns the data for use programmatically in PHP. To just display it instead, use the_author_meta()

If the specified meta field does not exist for this user, an empty string is returned.

Plugins may add additional fields to the user profile, which in turn adds new key/value pairs to the wp_usermeta database table. This additional data can be retrieved by passing the field’s key to the function as the $field parameter.

Top ↑

Source

File: wp-includes/author-template.php. View all references 

function get_the_author_meta( $field = '', $user_id = false ) {
	$original_user_id = $user_id;

	if ( ! $user_id ) {
		global $authordata;
		$user_id = isset( $authordata->ID ) ? $authordata->ID : 0;
	} else {
		$authordata = get_userdata( $user_id );
	}

	if ( in_array( $field, array( 'login', 'pass', 'nicename', 'email', 'url', 'registered', 'activation_key', 'status' ), true ) ) {
		$field = 'user_' . $field;
	}

	$value = isset( $authordata->$field ) ? $authordata->$field : '';

	/**
	 * Filters the value of the requested user metadata.
	 *
	 * The filter name is dynamic and depends on the $field parameter of the function.
	 *
	 * @since 2.8.0
	 * @since 4.3.0 The `$original_user_id` parameter was added.
	 *
	 * @param string    $value            The value of the metadata.
	 * @param int       $user_id          The user ID for the value.
	 * @param int|false $original_user_id The original user ID, as passed to the function.
	 */
	return apply_filters( "get_the_author_{$field}", $value, $user_id, $original_user_id );
}

View on Trac View on GitHub

Top ↑

Hooks

Top ↑

Top ↑

Uses

Uses
Uses Description
get_userdata() wp-includes/pluggable.php

Retrieves user info by user ID.
apply_filters() wp-includes/plugin.php

Calls the callback functions that have been added to a filter hook.

Top ↑

Used By

Used By
Used By Description
WP_Posts_List_Table::column_author() wp-admin/includes/class-wp-posts-list-table.php

Handles the post author column output.
WP_Media_List_Table::column_author() wp-admin/includes/class-wp-media-list-table.php

Handles the author column output.
get_the_archive_description() wp-includes/general-template.php

Retrieves the description for an author, post type, or term archive.
export_wp() wp-admin/includes/export.php

Generates the WXR export file for download.
wp_prepare_revisions_for_js() wp-admin/includes/revision.php

Prepare revisions for JavaScript.
feed_links_extra() wp-includes/general-template.php

Displays the links to the extra feeds such as category feeds.
get_profile() wp-includes/deprecated.php

Retrieve user data based on field.
get_the_author_icq() wp-includes/deprecated.php

Retrieve the ICQ number of the author of the current post.
get_the_author_yim() wp-includes/deprecated.php

Retrieve the Yahoo! IM name of the author of the current post.
get_the_author_msn() wp-includes/deprecated.php

Retrieve the MSN address of the author of the current post.
get_the_author_aim() wp-includes/deprecated.php

Retrieve the AIM address of the author of the current post.
get_author_name() wp-includes/deprecated.php

Retrieve the specified author’s preferred display name.
get_the_author_url() wp-includes/deprecated.php

Retrieve the URL to the home page of the author of the current post.
get_the_author_ID() wp-includes/deprecated.php

Retrieve the ID of the author of the current post.
get_the_author_description() wp-includes/deprecated.php

Retrieve the description of the author of the current post.
get_the_author_login() wp-includes/deprecated.php

Retrieve the login name of the author of the current post.
get_the_author_firstname() wp-includes/deprecated.php

Retrieve the first name of the author of the current post.
get_the_author_lastname() wp-includes/deprecated.php

Retrieve the last name of the author of the current post.
get_the_author_nickname() wp-includes/deprecated.php

Retrieve the nickname of the author of the current post.
get_the_author_email() wp-includes/deprecated.php

Retrieve the email of the author of the current post.
wp_post_revision_title_expanded() wp-includes/post-template.php

Retrieves formatted date timestamp of a revision (linked to that revisions’s page).
the_author_meta() wp-includes/author-template.php

Outputs the field from the user’s DB object. Defaults to current post’s author.
get_the_author_link() wp-includes/author-template.php

Retrieves either author’s link or author’s name.
Show 18 more used by Hide more used by

Top ↑

Changelog

Changelog
Version Description
2.8.0 Introduced.

Top ↑

User Contributed Notes

  2. Skip to note 2 content
    You must log in to vote on the helpfulness of this noteVote results for this note: 7You must log in to vote on the helpfulness of this note
    Contributed by aThemeArt —

    Get the author ID Outside loop: 

    global $post;
$author_id = $post->post_author;

    Get the author ID inside a loop : 

     $author_id = get_the_author_meta( 'ID' );

    bellow is a few examples of author value :

    // to get  nicename
get_the_author_meta( 'nicename', $author_id );

// to get  email
get_the_author_meta( 'email', $author_id );

// to get  url
get_the_author_meta( 'url', $author_id );

// to get  status
get_the_author_meta( 'status', $author_id );
  3. Skip to note 3 content
    You must log in to vote on the helpfulness of this noteVote results for this note: 4You must log in to vote on the helpfulness of this note
    Contributed by Milana Cap —

    Using the wpautop() for description will also keep the line break (like in studio-jt’ comment) but will output cleaner html:

    /**
 * Display Author's description 
 * with keeping line breaks and wrapping its paragraphs
 * into <p> tag
 *
 * @link https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/wpautop/
 */
echo wpautop( get_the_author_meta( 'description' ) );
  5. Skip to note 5 content
    You must log in to vote on the helpfulness of this noteVote results for this note: 1You must log in to vote on the helpfulness of this note
    Contributed by Codex —

    Show a User’s Display Name With Email Address Linked
    Get the email address for user ID 25, and echo it using their display name as the anchor text.

    <p>Email the author: 
    <a href="mailto:<?php echo get_the_author_meta( 'user_email', 25 ); ?>">
        <?php the_author_meta( 'display_name', 25 ); ?>
    </a>
</p>
  7. Skip to note 7 content
    You must log in to vote on the helpfulness of this noteVote results for this note: 0You must log in to vote on the helpfulness of this note
    Contributed by karlazz —

    What are the author meta that I can use in “field”?

    Could they be added to this page? Or a link to another page that lists them could be added perhaps?

You must log in before being able to contribute a note or feedback.