Delete meta values for all posts - WordPress

To delete post meta, the WordPress have delete_post_meta() function. We have to specify the meta key and post id as an argument for this function.

In some situations, we have to delete meta values of all posts.

Consider that we are going to create a plugin that will store some values as meta values for WordPress posts. In such situation, when user deactivate that plugin, it is better to remove this meta values for all posts.

$to_del = array('meta_key_1', 'meta_key_2', 'meta_key_3');

$args = array(
  'post_type' => 'page',
  'posts_per_page' => -1,
  'ignore_sticky_posts' => true,
  'fields' => 'ids',
  'no_found_rows' => true
);
$q = new WP_Query($args);

if (!empty($q->posts)) {
  foreach ($q->posts as $pid) {
	foreach ($to_del as $d) {
	  delete_post_meta($pid,$d);
	}
  }
}

Recent Posts

1. Automating Code Linting with GitHub Actions for WordPress Plugins
2. Comprehensive Guide to Linting PHP, JavaScript, and CSS in WordPress Plugins Using Composer
3. The Ultimate Guide to Indexing in Database Design
4. Understanding 'update_meta_cache' in WordPress - When to Use It, When Not to, and Its Impact on Database Queries
5. A Guide to Configuring JavaScript and SCSS Paths in WordPress Plugins with @wordpress/scripts

This article was published on February 23, 2017

Your Questions / Comments

If you found this article interesting, found errors, or just want to discuss about it, please get in touch.