To query posts by Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) data in the WordPress REST API, you can use a combination of custom endpoints and query parameters. Here’s a step-by-step guide:
Register ACF Fields: Ensure that your ACF fields are properly registered and associated with your custom post types.
Expose ACF Data in REST API: By default, ACF fields are not included in the REST API responses. You can expose these fields by adding a filter in your theme’s functions.php file:
php
add_action(‘rest_api_init’, function() {
// You can expose fields by replacing ‘your_field_key’ with your actual ACF field key
register_rest_field(‘your_post_type’, ‘your_field_key’, [
‘get_callback’ => function ($post_arr) {
return get_field(‘your_field_key’, $post_arr[‘id’]);
},
‘update_callback’ => null,
‘schema’ => null,
]);
});
Query Posts via REST API: With ACF data included in your REST API responses, you can query the posts using standard query parameters. You can filter by your custom ACF fields by using the meta_query parameter.
Using meta_query in REST API: To filter posts based on ACF value, use the URL endpoint. Here’s an example of how to construct your query:
/wp-json/wp/v2/your_post_type?meta_query[0][key]=your_field_key&meta_query[0][value]=your_field_value&meta_query[0][compare]=like
Replace your_post_type with the post type you are querying.
Replace your_field_key with the field key of your ACF field.
Replace your_field_value with the value you want to search for.
Adjust the compare operator as necessary (e.g., =, !=, like, etc.).
Testing the Endpoint: Use tools like Postman or your browser to test the constructed URL. You should see the filtered posts returned in a JSON format.
By following these steps, you should be able to successfully query posts by ACF data in the REST API.
One response to “Using ACF data for querying posts via the REST API”
This is a fantastic guide on leveraging ACF with the REST API! I’d like to add that it can also be very beneficial to create custom routes that allow for more complex queries involving multiple ACF fields. For instance, using the `register_rest_route` function to define your own endpoint could streamline the querying process for specific use cases. This way, rather than chaining multiple query parameters in a potentially cumbersome URL, you could encapsulate your logic within a custom endpoint, making it more intuitive and cleaner.
Furthermore, always ensure to handle the security aspect by sanitizing inputs and validating them within your custom endpoints. It might also be worthwhile to consider implementing pagination if you anticipate large datasets, to improve performance and user experience.
Lastly, be sure to document any custom routes or parameters you provide for your team or future developers. It helps maintain clarity and eases future modifications. Keep up the great work!