WordPress get_term() Function [Tutorial]

Within the expansive WordPress functions ecosystem, numerous potent tools are available for use. Among these tools is the get_term() function. Mastering the utilization of this function can significantly improve your capacity to manage and showcase taxonomy data on your WordPress website. This article will thoroughly examine the get_term() function, delving into its syntax, parameters, and real-world uses.

The get_term() Function

The syntax of the get_term() function is straightforward:

<?php

get_term( int|WP_Term|object $term, string $taxonomy = '', string $output = OBJECT, string $filter = 'raw' )

Parameters:

1. $term (int|string|WP_Term): The term to retrieve. By default, the term will be retrieved by ID. You can also pass the term slug or name.
2. $taxonomy (string): The taxonomy name that $term belongs to. If left empty, WordPress will try to determine it from the context in which the function is called.
3. $output (string|object): The type of output to return. Possible values are OBJECT, ARRAY_A, or ARRAY_N.
4. $filter (string): The type of filtering to apply. By default, it’s set to ‘raw’, meaning no filtering will be applied. Other possible values include ‘edit’, ‘db’, ‘display’, and ‘attribute’.

Return

WP_Term|Array|WP_Error|null. WP_Term instance (or array) on success, depending on the $output value. WP_Error if $taxonomy does not exist. Null for miscellaneous failure.

Practical Applications

You can use get_term() to retrieve information about a specific term. Then you can display information about a term like the term’s name or slug. For example:

<?php

$term = get_term(10, 'category'); 

// Display term information
echo 'Term Name: ' . $term->name;
echo 'Term Slug: ' . $term->slug;

/* Will withdraw:
WP_Term Object
(
[term_id] => 10
[name] => Genres
[slug] => genres
[term_group] => 0
[term_taxonomy_id] => 2
[taxonomy] => my_taxonomy_name
[description] =>
[parent] => 0
[count] => 1
[filter] => raw
)
*/

Functions Similar To get_term Function

• get_terms(array|string $args = array(), array|string $deprecated = ”) – the get_terms function retrieves a meta value for a given post.
• get_term_by($field, $value, $taxonomy, $output, $filter) – gets all term data from database by term field and data
• has_term($term, $taxonomy, $post) – checks if the current post has any of the given terms

Conclusion

Understanding how to use get_term() will allow you to work with WordPress terms in your own code.