Adding new terms to a WordPress taxonomy with wp_insert_term

The wp_insert_term function in WordPress is used to insert a new term into a specified taxonomy. This function can be useful for adding new categories, tags, or custom taxonomy terms programmatically. It allows developers to add terms to taxonomies without having to manually add them through the WordPress admin interface.

Using the wp_insert_term function, developers can automate the process of adding terms to taxonomies, which can be particularly useful when creating custom post types or when integrating external data sources with WordPress.

Parameters Accepted by wp_insert_term Function

The wp_insert_term function accepts the following parameters:

  • $term (string, required): The term name to add.
  • $taxonomy (string, required): The taxonomy to which to add the term.
  • $args (array|string, optional, default: array()): Array or query string of arguments for inserting a term.

Value Returned by wp_insert_term Function

The wp_insert_term function returns either an array of the new term data or a WP_Error object.

The array includes:

  • term_id (int): The new term ID.
  • term_taxonomy_id (int|string): The new term taxonomy ID. Can be a numeric string.

Examples

How to insert a new term with default arguments

<?php wp_insert_term( 'New Term', 'category' ); ?>

The code snippet uses the wp_insert_term function to insert a new term with the name ‘New Term’ into the ‘category’ taxonomy using the default arguments.

How to insert a new term with custom arguments

<?php
$term = wp_insert_term( 'New Term', 'category', array(
 'description' => 'This is a new term',
 'slug' => 'new-term-slug'
) );
?>

The code snippet uses the wp_insert_term function to insert a new term with the name ‘New Term’ into the ‘category’ taxonomy using custom arguments for description and slug. The function returns the inserted term data, which is stored in the $term variable.

How to check if term insertion was successful

<?php
$result = wp_insert_term( 'New Term', 'category' );

if ( !is_wp_error( $result ) ) {
 echo 'Term inserted successfully!';
} else {
 echo 'Term insertion failed: ' . $result->get_error_message();
}
?>

The code snippet uses the wp_insert_term function to insert a new term with the name ‘New Term’ into the ‘category’ taxonomy. It then uses an if statement to check if the insertion was successful, and displays a success message or an error message accordingly.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the wp_insert_term function is a powerful tool for adding new terms to taxonomies in WordPress. With its flexible parameters and ability to handle custom taxonomies, this function provides developers with the capability to efficiently manage and organize their content. By understanding the various parameters and options available, developers can leverage the wp_insert_term function to enhance the functionality and organization of their WordPress websites.

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in WordPress Functions