Plugin settings page checkbox not saving - one options array with sub array

Question

Plugin settings page checkbox not saving - one options array with sub array

user41091

2022年3月7日 09:07

I'm driving myself crazy here trying to get a checkbox to save on a plugin settings page.

Right now, as a template, I'm working through the excellent example given here: Settings API with arrays example

I'm also referring to a very useful tutorial at https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2016/04/three-approaches-to-adding-configurable-fields-to-your-plugin/ with a detailed git at https://github.com/rayman813/smashing-custom-fields/blob/master/smashing-fields-approach-1/smashing-fields.php

I've also read about a half dozen posts with similar questions but none have my answer, at least that I can find and understand.

I think I'm stumbling on the syntax of a checked() function.

--- Updated code ---

Here are the key pieces of code:

The overall data in the function that calls register_setting(), add_settings_section() and add_settings_fields

   $option_name   = 'rpq_plugin_option_name'; // free to choose this name

// Fetch existing options.
$option_values = get_option( $option_name );

$default_values = array (
    'number' = 500,
    'color'  = 'blue',
    'long'   = '',
    'activity' = array(
        'baseball' = '',
        'golf'     = '',
        'hockey'   = '')
);
$data = shortcode_atts( $default_values, $option_values );

The add_settings_field() for the checkboxes:

    add_settings_field(
    'section_2_field_2',
    'Checkboxes',
    'rpq_plugin_render_section_2_field_2', // callback to render html
    'rpq-default-settings',  // menu slug
    'section_2',
    array (
        'label_for'   = 'label4', // makes the field name clickable,
        'name'        = 'activity', // value for 'name' attribute
        'value'       = array_map( 'esc_attr', $data['activity'] ) ,
        'options'     = array (
            'baseball'  = 'Baseball',
            'golf'      = 'Golf',
            'hockey'    = 'Hockey'
        ),
        'option_name' = $option_name
    )
);

The callback to render the html:

   function rpq_plugin_render_section_2_field_2( $args )
{
$options_markup = '';
$iterator = 0;
$values = $args['value'];
$options = $args['options'];
rpq_plugin_debug_var( $options, 'Options: ' );
rpq_plugin_debug_var( $values, 'Values: ' );

foreach ( $args['options'] as $key = $title ) {
    rpq_plugin_debug_var( $key, 'Key: ' );
    rpq_plugin_debug_var( $title, 'Title: ' );
    $checked = checked((in_array($title, $values)), true, false);

    rpq_plugin_debug_var($checked, 'Checked: ');

    $iterator ++;
    $options_markup .= sprintf(
        'label for="%1$s_%6$s"input id="%1$s_%6$s" name="%1$s[%2$s]" type="checkbox" value="%3$s" %4$s / %5$s/labelbr/', 

        $args['option_name'],
        $args['name'],
        $key,
        $checked,
        $title,
        $iterator
    );


}
        printf( 'fieldset%s/fieldset', $options_markup );

//print '/select';

rpq_plugin_debug_var( $values, 'Values: ');
}

The output from the debug dump of the initial variables is as I'd expect:

Options:  = array (
  'baseball' = 'Baseball',
  'golf' = 'Golf',
  'hockey' = 'Hockey',
)

Values:  = array (
  'baseball' = '',
  'golf' = '',
  'hockey' = '',
)

Key:  = 'baseball'

Title:  = 'Baseball'

Checked:  = ''

Key:  = 'golf'

Title:  = 'Golf'

Checked:  = ''

Key:  = 'hockey'

Title:  = 'Hockey'

Checked:  = ''

After trying to save, i get:

Values: = NULL

I've tried a host of variations on ways to get cjhecked set but I can't get the checkboxes to save.

Topic settings-api input array Wordpress

Category Web

user41091 · Accepted Answer · 2017年7月6日 17:51

I finally got this one. I'll write out the solution for any other inexperienced person, like me, who is trying to handle a checkbox array when using just one options array.

First, the two articles I linked two at the top of the question are good for learning the basic about the topic.

Solution - part one:

I am using an options array, with all the possible options, and a values array to hold just the items that are checked. I was creating the values array incorrectly. Rather than being an associative array, it needs to be just a "regular array" holding just the keys from the options array.

So, in my setup, instead of setting 'activities' in the default settings to

 array (
            'baseball'  => '',
            'golf'      => '',
            'hockey'    => ''
        ),

I want just

   array ()

Solution - part two

If no checkboxes are chosen, when the settings are saved the $values array becomes NULL. But I need to use functions that require an array to make my tests for validation and for evaluating the checkboxes. So I need to make sure $values is always an array. So I need

    if (is_null($data['activity'])) {
    $data['activity'] = array();
}

Solution - part 3

My checked() function was wrong. Once I had fixed my array as discussed above, I am searching if the current $key from the $options array is a value from the $values array.

$checked = checked((in_array($key, $values)), true, false);

Solution - part 4

Since 'activities' is a sub array of the option values, I need to set the name variable in the checkbox statements to reflect that.

So I use

name="%1$s[%2$s][]"

which generates

name="rpq_plugin_option_name[activity][]"

Now my checkboxes update and save.

Plugin settings page checkbox not saving - one options array with sub array

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