Storing data in wordpress

by Nikolaenko Maxim · Published November 10, 2012 · Updated August 27, 2020

Content hide

1 Consider how to properly store options.

2 Consider the code of the written plugin in order

The task of saving data is worth it every time you need to program something., and when developing plugins, this is one of the first tasks after creating the interface part. But data in WordPress can be stored in different ways. I offer two options.

Saving data with the add_option function for options.
Adding data to a new database table to store large amounts of data and those that can change all the time.

Consider how to properly store options.

Place the code in the plugins folder in a new file named add-my-options.php.

<?php

/**
 * @package Package name
 * @version 1.0
 */
/*
Plugin Name: My plugin add-my-options
Plugin URI: https://wp-admin.com.ua
Description: спасибо сайту wp-admin.com.ua, он научит меня делать плагины )
Armstrong: My Plugin.
Author: Name Author
Version: 1.0
Author URI: https://wp-admin.com.ua
*/

add_action('admin_menu', 'create_custom_panel');
function create_custom_panel() {
    add_menu_page('menu page', 'Add data', 'manage_options', 'custom-panel', 'custom_panel');
}
function custom_panel(){
	echo '<div class="wrap">
	<h2>Сохраняем опции плагина</h2>

	<form method="post" action="options.php">
	'.wp_nonce_field('update-options').'

	<table class="form-table">

	<tr valign="top">
	<th scope="row">Опция 1</th>
	<td><input type="text" name="my_option_first" value="'.get_option('my_option_first').'" /></td>
	</tr>
	 
	<tr valign="top">
	<th scope="row">Опция 2</th>
	<td><input type="text" name="my_option_second" value="'.get_option('my_option_second').'" /></td>
	</tr>

	<tr valign="top">
	<th scope="row">Опция 3</th>
	<td><input type="text" name="my_option_third" value="'.get_option('my_option_third').'" /></td>
	</tr>

	</table>

	<input type="hidden" name="action" value="update" />
	<input type="hidden" name="page_options" value="my_option_first,my_option_second,my_option_third" />

	<p class="submit">
	<input type="submit" class="button-primary" value="Сохранить" />
	</p>

	</form>
	</div>';
}
?>

<?php

/**

* @package Package name

* @version 1.0

Plugin Name: My plugin add-my-options

Plugin URI: https://wp-admin.com.ua

Description: спасибо сайту wp-admin.com.ua, он научит меня делать плагины )

Armstrong: My Plugin.

Author: Name Author

Version: 1.0

Author URI: https://wp-admin.com.ua

add_action('admin_menu', 'create_custom_panel');

function create_custom_panel() {

add_menu_page('menu page', 'Add data', 'manage_options', 'custom-panel', 'custom_panel');

}

function custom_panel(){

echo '<div class="wrap">

<h2>Сохраняем опции плагина</h2>

'.wp_nonce_field('update-options').'

<th scope="row">Опция 1</th>

</tr>

<th scope="row">Опция 2</th>

</tr>

<th scope="row">Опция 3</th>

</tr>

</table>

</p>

</form>

</div>';

}

After placing the code, activate the plugin in the admin panel and if everything is done correctly, you will see the item Add data in the admin menu on the left.

Consider the code of the written plugin in order

Function wp_nonce_field(‘update-options’) adds two hidden fields that allow you to automatically check the user's rights to change settings and redirect him back.

Function get_option() displays the saved data in the input field. Another piece of code located at the end of the form is responsible for writing options from the input fields.

<input type="hidden" name="action" value="update" />
<input type="hidden" name="page_options" value="my_option_first,my_option_second,my_option_third" />

1 2	<input type="hidden" name="action" value="update" /> <input type="hidden" name="page_options" value="my_option_first,my_option_second,my_option_third" />

«page_options» contains a comma-separated list of all settings, to be recorded when saving.

On the official site WordPress found another example of data storage. It seems to me, it will be more correct as there is an explicit separation of form template and code. Code looks much cleaner. I won't describe everything, everything is clear from the code, if you don't understand write in the comments, I will try to explain.

<?php
// create custom plugin settings menu
add_action('admin_menu', 'baw_create_menu');

function baw_create_menu() {

	//create new top-level menu
	add_menu_page('BAW Plugin Settings', 'BAW Settings', 'administrator', __FILE__, 'baw_settings_page',plugins_url('/images/icon.png', __FILE__));

	//call register settings function
	add_action( 'admin_init', 'register_mysettings' );
}


function register_mysettings() {
	//register our settings
	register_setting( 'baw-settings-group', 'new_option_name' );
	register_setting( 'baw-settings-group', 'some_other_option' );
	register_setting( 'baw-settings-group', 'option_etc' );
}

function baw_settings_page() {
?>
<div class="wrap">
<h2>Your Plugin Name</h2>

<form method="post" action="options.php">
    <?php settings_fields( 'baw-settings-group' ); ?>
    <table class="form-table">
        <tr valign="top">
        <th scope="row">New Option Name</th>
        <td><input type="text" name="new_option_name" value="<?php echo get_option('new_option_name'); ?>" /></td>
        </tr>
         
        <tr valign="top">
        <th scope="row">Some Other Option</th>
        <td><input type="text" name="some_other_option" value="<?php echo get_option('some_other_option'); ?>" /></td>
        </tr>
        
        <tr valign="top">
        <th scope="row">Options, Etc.</th>
        <td><input type="text" name="option_etc" value="<?php echo get_option('option_etc'); ?>" /></td>
        </tr>
    </table>
    
    <p class="submit">
    <input type="submit" class="button-primary" value="<?php _e('Save Changes') ?>" />
    </p>

</form>
</div>
<?php } ?>

<?php

// create custom plugin settings menu

add_action('admin_menu', 'baw_create_menu');

function baw_create_menu() {

//create new top-level menu

add_menu_page('BAW Plugin Settings', 'BAW Settings', 'administrator', __FILE__, 'baw_settings_page',plugins_url('/images/icon.png', __FILE__));

//call register settings function

add_action( 'admin_init', 'register_mysettings' );

}

function register_mysettings() {

//register our settings

register_setting( 'baw-settings-group', 'new_option_name' );

register_setting( 'baw-settings-group', 'some_other_option' );

register_setting( 'baw-settings-group', 'option_etc' );

}

function baw_settings_page() {

<h2>Your Plugin Name</h2>

<?php settings_fields( 'baw-settings-group' ); ?>

<th scope="row">New Option Name</th>

</tr>

<th scope="row">Some Other Option</th>

</tr>

<th scope="row">Options, Etc.</th>

</tr>

</table>

</p>

</form>

</div>

<?php } ?>

I did not have time to check the last example, but the first one works stably. I will try to describe working with databases in the next issues..

Good luck with plugin development!

Online tutoring services. List of courses I teach

Basic web design course;
Site layout;
General course on CMS WordPress and continuation of the course on template development;
Website development in PHP.

Data storage in WordPress

by Nikolaenko Maxim · Published November 10, 2012 · Updated June 5, 2022

The task of saving data is worth it every time, when you need to program something, and when developing plugins, this is one of the first tasks after creating the interface part. But data in WordPress can be stored in different ways. I offer two options.

Saving data using the add_option function for options.
Adding data to a new database table to store large amounts of data and those, which can constantly change.

Let's consider how to properly store options.

Let's place the code in the folder with plugins in a new file with the name add-my-options.php.

<?php

/**
 * @package Package name
 * @version 1.0
 */
/*
Plugin Name: My plugin add-my-options
Plugin URI: https://wp-admin.com.ua
Description: спасибо сайту wp-admin.com.ua, он научит меня делать плагины )
Armstrong: My Plugin.
Author: Name Author
Version: 1.0
Author URI: https://wp-admin.com.ua
*/

add_action('admin_menu', 'create_custom_panel');
function create_custom_panel() {
    add_menu_page('menu page', 'Add data', 'manage_options', 'custom-panel', 'custom_panel');
}
function custom_panel(){
	echo '<div class="wrap">
	<h2>Зберігаємо опції плагіна</h2>

	<form method="post" action="options.php">
	'.wp_nonce_field('update-options').'

	<table class="form-table">

	<tr valign="top">
	<th scope="row">Опція 1</th>
	<td><input type="text" name="my_option_first" value="'.get_option('my_option_first').'" /></td>
	</tr>
	 
	<tr valign="top">
	<th scope="row">Опція 2</th>
	<td><input type="text" name="my_option_second" value="'.get_option('my_option_second').'" /></td>
	</tr>

	<tr valign="top">
	<th scope="row">Опція 3</th>
	<td><input type="text" name="my_option_third" value="'.get_option('my_option_third').'" /></td>
	</tr>

	</table>

	<input type="hidden" name="action" value="update" />
	<input type="hidden" name="page_options" value="my_option_first,my_option_second,my_option_third" />

	<p class="submit">
	<input type="submit" class="button-primary" value="Зберегти" />
	</p>

	</form>
	</div>';
}
?>

<?php

/**

* @package Package name

* @version 1.0

Plugin Name: My plugin add-my-options

Plugin URI: https://wp-admin.com.ua

Description: спасибо сайту wp-admin.com.ua, он научит меня делать плагины )

Armstrong: My Plugin.

Author: Name Author

Version: 1.0

Author URI: https://wp-admin.com.ua

add_action('admin_menu', 'create_custom_panel');

function create_custom_panel() {

add_menu_page('menu page', 'Add data', 'manage_options', 'custom-panel', 'custom_panel');

}

function custom_panel(){

echo '<div class="wrap">

<h2>Зберігаємо опції плагіна</h2>

'.wp_nonce_field('update-options').'

<th scope="row">Опція 1</th>

</tr>

<th scope="row">Опція 2</th>

</tr>

<th scope="row">Опція 3</th>

</tr>

</table>

</p>

</form>

</div>';

}

After placing the code, activate the plugin in the admin panel and if everything is done correctly, you will see an item Add data in the admin menu on the left.

Let's look at the code of the written plugin in order

Function wp_nonce_field(‘update-options’) adds two hidden fields, which allow you to automatically check the user's rights to change settings and redirect him back.

Function get_option() displays the saved data in the input field. Another piece of code, which is at the end of the form, is responsible for recording options from input fields.

<input type="hidden" name="action" value="update" />
<input type="hidden" name="page_options" value="my_option_first,my_option_second,my_option_third" />

1 2	<input type="hidden" name="action" value="update" /> <input type="hidden" name="page_options" value="my_option_first,my_option_second,my_option_third" />

«page_options» contains a comma-separated list of all settings, which must be recorded when saving.

On the official website WordPress discovered another example of data storage. In my opinion, it will be more correct as there is a clear separation of form template and code. The code looks much cleaner. Describe not as if everything is clear from the code, if it is not clear, write in the comments, I will try to explain.

<?php
// create custom plugin settings menu
add_action('admin_menu', 'baw_create_menu');

function baw_create_menu() {

	//create new top-level menu
	add_menu_page('BAW Plugin Settings', 'BAW Settings', 'administrator', __FILE__, 'baw_settings_page',plugins_url('/images/icon.png', __FILE__));

	//call register settings function
	add_action( 'admin_init', 'register_mysettings' );
}


function register_mysettings() {
	//register our settings
	register_setting( 'baw-settings-group', 'new_option_name' );
	register_setting( 'baw-settings-group', 'some_other_option' );
	register_setting( 'baw-settings-group', 'option_etc' );
}

function baw_settings_page() {
?>
<div class="wrap">
<h2>Your Plugin Name</h2>

<form method="post" action="options.php">
    <?php settings_fields( 'baw-settings-group' ); ?>
    <table class="form-table">
        <tr valign="top">
        <th scope="row">New Option Name</th>
        <td><input type="text" name="new_option_name" value="<?php echo get_option('new_option_name'); ?>" /></td>
        </tr>
         
        <tr valign="top">
        <th scope="row">Some Other Option</th>
        <td><input type="text" name="some_other_option" value="<?php echo get_option('some_other_option'); ?>" /></td>
        </tr>
        
        <tr valign="top">
        <th scope="row">Options, Etc.</th>
        <td><input type="text" name="option_etc" value="<?php echo get_option('option_etc'); ?>" /></td>
        </tr>
    </table>
    
    <p class="submit">
    <input type="submit" class="button-primary" value="<?php _e('Save Changes') ?>" />
    </p>

</form>
</div>
<?php } ?>

<?php

// create custom plugin settings menu

add_action('admin_menu', 'baw_create_menu');

function baw_create_menu() {

//create new top-level menu

add_menu_page('BAW Plugin Settings', 'BAW Settings', 'administrator', __FILE__, 'baw_settings_page',plugins_url('/images/icon.png', __FILE__));

//call register settings function

add_action( 'admin_init', 'register_mysettings' );

}

function register_mysettings() {

//register our settings

register_setting( 'baw-settings-group', 'new_option_name' );

register_setting( 'baw-settings-group', 'some_other_option' );

register_setting( 'baw-settings-group', 'option_etc' );

}

function baw_settings_page() {

<h2>Your Plugin Name</h2>

<?php settings_fields( 'baw-settings-group' ); ?>

<th scope="row">New Option Name</th>

</tr>

<th scope="row">Some Other Option</th>

</tr>

<th scope="row">Options, Etc.</th>

</tr>

</table>

</p>

</form>

</div>

<?php } ?>

I did not have time to check the last example, but the first works stably. I will try to describe working with databases in the next issues.

Good luck with your plugin development!

Online tutoring services. List of courses I teach

Basic web design course;
Site layout;
General course on CMS WordPress and continuation of the course on template development;
Website development in PHP.