How to use delete_postmeta action in WordPress

delete_postmeta action

Fires immediately before deleting metadata for a post.

To use delete_postmeta action, first you have to register it using add_action. You can write this code into functions.php of your activated theme or in a custom WordPress Plugin.

We at WePlugins always prefer to create a custom WordPress Plugin while using hooks so nothing breaks when you update your WordPress Theme in the future.

In the below live example, we have defined a function weplugins_execute_on_delete_postmeta_event which takes 1 parameters and we registered using add_action. The first parameter delete_postmeta is name of the hook, The second parameter weplugins_execute_on_delete_postmeta_event is name of the function which need to be called, third parameter is the priority of calling the hook if same hook is used multiple times and the last parameter is the number of arguments (if any) to be passed in the registered function.

Sometime, you have to remove a registered hook so you can use remove_action to remove delete_postmeta action.

Parameters

Below the 1 parameter is required to use this hook.

• $meta_ids : (string[]) An array of metadata entry IDs to delete.

Live Example 1

Below is an example how you can use this hook.

    function weplugins_execute_on_delete_postmeta_event($meta_ids){
       // You can write code here to be executed when this action occurs in WordPress.
       // Use the parameters received in the function arguments & implement the required additional custom functionality according to your website requirements.
    }
    // add the action
    add_action( "delete_postmeta", "weplugins_execute_on_delete_postmeta_event" , 10, 1);
    

Live Example 2

To remove a hook callback, use the example below.

    remove_action( "delete_postmeta", "weplugins_execute_on_delete_postmeta_event", 10, 1 );
    

Please make sure to provide the same callback function name, priority, and number of arguments while removing the hook callback.

Live Example 3

Another example showcasing the usage of the hook:

    function weplugins_log_deleted_postmeta_ids($meta_ids){
        error_log('Deleted postmeta IDs: ' . implode(', ', $meta_ids));
    }
    add_action( "delete_postmeta", "weplugins_log_deleted_postmeta_ids", 10, 1);
    

Contact Us

If you need customization or have any trouble using this hook, please Contact Us. We’d be happy to assist you.