Access with wordpress query to meta_key is in other meta_key (with cmb2 plugin)

Question

First i tried to create a filter with ( pre_get_posts ) but finally i decided to create a page archive for my custom post (date);

I take the classic loop of archive page Wordpress and had $args

$args = array(
    'post_type'  => 'date',
    'orderby'  => array('meta_value_num' => 'DESC'),
    'meta_key' => 'my_metakey_from_CMB2',
    'meta_compare' => 'EXISTS',
);
$archive_date_query = new WP_Query($args);

My meta_key is call with the plugin CMB2 like this ( 'ID' are meta_key for $args) :

add_action('cmb2_admin_init', 'agenda_for_cpt_date');
function agenda_for_cpt_date()
{
    $prefix = '_cp_agenda_';
    $cmb_cpd = new_cmb2_box(array(
        'id'            => $prefix . 'properties',
        'title'         => esc_html__('Propriétés de l\'agenda', 'cmb2'),
        'object_types'  => array('date'),
        'context'       => 'after_title',
        'priority'      => 'high',
    ));

    // Groupes pour les dates si plusieurs dates //

    $group_field_id = $cmb_cpd->add_field(array(
        'id'          => $prefix . 'group',
        'type'        => 'group',
        'repeatable'  => true,
        'description' => esc_html__('', 'cmb2'),
        'options'     => array(
            'group_title'   => esc_html__('Agenda {#}', 'cmb2'), // {#} gets replaced by row number
            'add_button'    => esc_html__('Ajouter un nouvel agenda', 'cmb2'),
            'remove_button' => esc_html__('Supprimer agenda', 'cmb2'),
            'sortable'      => true, // beta
            'closed'        => true, // true to have the groups closed by default
        ),
    ));
    $cmb_cpd->add_group_field($group_field_id, array(
        'name'  => 'Date et heure de début',
        'id'    =>  $prefix . 'debut',
        'type'  => 'text_datetime_timestamp',
    ));
    $cmb_cpd->add_group_field($group_field_id, array(
        'name' => 'Date et heure de fin',
        'id'   =>  $prefix . 'fin',
        'type' => 'text_datetime_timestamp',
    ));
}

if i call directly the field (debut) in my $arg like this :

$args = array(
    'post_type'  => 'date',
    'orderby'  => array('meta_value_num' => 'DESC'),
    'meta_key' => '_cp_agenda_debut',
    'meta_compare' => 'EXISTS',
);
$archive_date_query = new WP_Query($args);

My query give me 0 custom posts : date

But if i call the meta key : 'meta_key' => '_cp_agenda_group',

My query give me all the custom posts : date but i've no control on 'meta_key' => '_cp_agenda_debut',

This is a var dump of the key ('_cp_agenda_groupenter code here' for '_cp_agenda_debut')

array(1) { [0]=> array(2)
     { ["_cp_agenda_debut"]=> int(1655875800)         
       ["_cp_agenda_fin"]=> int(1654542000)
     } }

If i resume... is it possible to access a meta_key that is in an array ??? with a wordpress query ?

I've search a lot... but no result.

I think my query is correct. I've test it with simple meta_key.

I always tried to make this without success :

$ga = '_cp_agenda_group';

'meta_key' => $ga[0]['_cp_agenda_debut'],

score 0 · Answer 1 · answered Jun 04 '22 at 14:42

It looks to me like you want to search your postmeta keys named _cp_agenda_group for the name of something stored in them, specifically _cp_agenda_debut.

Some meta value in WordPress contain simple strings or integers, but other contain more elaborate data structures. It looks to me like your _cp_agenda_group values work that way. (But, I'm not completely confident about that from your question.)

It looks to me like that data structure is this:

array(
  array(
    "_cp_agenda_debut" => 1655875800,
    "_cp_agenda_fin"   => 1654542000,
  ),
);

To store that as meta value in a table WordPress serializes it into a messy text string like this.

a:1:{i:0;a:2:{s:16:"_cp_agenda_debut";i:1655875800;s:14:"_cp_agenda_fin";i:1654542000;}}

Therefore, when you search your metadata table for _cp_agent_debut you must search the meta value for substrings. So use this to retrieve your _cp_agenda_group metadata items containing that value.

    'meta_key' => '_cp_agenda_group',
    'meta_compare' => 'LIKE',
    'meta_value'   => '"_cp_agent_debut"'

Then you'll have to examine the data structure stored in the meta value to get that timestamp.

Notice that this generates astonishingly slow queries that can burden your MariaDB / MySQL database if you have lots of metadata rows with that meta key.

Thank your answer. You have well resum the problem. Im' not used to array in php :-) and i basically think that it was simple to get data with ID or meta_key. I will try your solution... and tell you later if it's work for me. — Bertrand Kaernel, Jun 04 '22 at 15:44

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Jun 05 '22 at 09:25

I set my $args like this and it works well ! :

$args = array(
    'post_type' => 'date',
    'order' => 'ASC',
    'orderby' => 'meta_value_num',
    'meta_query' => array(
        array(
            'key' => '_cp_agenda_group_agenda',
            'value' => '"_cp_agenda_debut"',
            'compare' => 'LIKE',
        ),
    ),
);

All my custom posts (date) are presents. But in the wrong order.

How in the serialize meta_value can i have access to the integer of the string : "_cp_agenda_debut" ?

a:1:{i:0;a:2:{s:16:"_cp_agenda_debut";i:1655875800;s:14:"_cp_agenda_fin";i:1654542000;}}

Because, i think Wordpress give me the string of serialize datas as value but i want the integer of this string, it's better to order the post

Access with wordpress query to meta_key is in other meta_key (with cmb2 plugin)

2 Answers2