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

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

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

Parameters

$field

(string) (Optional) The user field to retrieve.

Default value: ''

$user_id

(int|false) (Optional) User ID.

Default value: false

Return

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

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.

Source

File: wp-includes/author-template.php 

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 );
}

Uses

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

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

Calls the callback functions that have been added to a filter hook.
wp-includes/author-template.php: get_the_author_{$field}

Filters the value of the requested user metadata.

Used By

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Retrieve either author’s link or author’s name.

Changelog

Version Description
2.8.0 Introduced.

© 2003–2021 WordPress Foundation
Licensed under the GNU GPLv2+ License.
https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/get_the_author_meta