Core class used to implement the WP_Term object. Represents a single taxonomy term.

Source: wp-includes/class-wp-term.php
Since: 4.4.0

Class Declaration

#[AllowDynamicProperties]
final class WP_Term

Properties

Virtual Properties

Methods

get_instance()

Retrieve WP_Term instance.

public static function get_instance( int $term_id, string $taxonomy = null ): WP_Term|WP_Error|false

Returns:

• WP_Term — Term object if found
• WP_Error — If term is shared between taxonomies and insufficient data to distinguish
• false — For other failures

Behavior:

1. Converts $term_id to integer
2. Returns false if $term_id is empty/zero
3. Checks term cache first
4. If not cached or taxonomy mismatch, queries database
5. Handles shared terms between taxonomies:
   • If taxonomy specified, finds matching term
   • If only one term found, uses it
   • If multiple valid taxonomies, returns WP_Error
6. Returns WP_Error if taxonomy doesn’t exist
7. Sanitizes term and caches if single result
8. Creates WP_Term object and applies filter

Error Codes:

• If taxonomy specified, finds matching term
• If only one term found, uses it
• If multiple valid taxonomies, returns WP_Error

Example:

$term = WP_Term::get_instance( 5, 'category' );

if ( $term instanceof WP_Term ) {
    echo $term->name;
}

__construct()

Constructor.

public function __construct( WP_Term|object $term )

Behavior:

Iterates over $term‘s public properties and assigns them to $this.

filter()

Sanitizes term fields, according to the filter type provided.

public function filter( string $filter ): void

Filter Contexts:

Behavior:

Calls sanitize_term( $this, $this->taxonomy, $filter ) which modifies the object in place.

to_array()

Converts an object to array.

public function to_array(): array

Returns: Array of all public object properties.

Example:

$term = get_term( 5 );
$array = $term->to_array();
// array( 'term_id' => 5, 'name' => '...', 'slug' => '...', ... )

__get()

Getter for virtual properties.

public function __get( string $key ): mixed

Supported Keys:

Behavior for 'data':

1. Creates new stdClass
2. Copies columns: term_id, name, slug, term_group, term_taxonomy_id, taxonomy, description, parent, count
3. Returns sanitized via sanitize_term( $data, $data->taxonomy, 'raw' )

Database Columns

Usage Examples

Getting a Term

// By ID
$term = get_term( 5 );

// By slug
$term = get_term_by( 'slug', 'uncategorized', 'category' );

// From cache
$term = WP_Term::get_instance( 5, 'category' );

Working with Term Data

$term = get_term( 5, 'category' );

// Access properties
echo $term->name;           // 'Uncategorized'
echo $term->slug;           // 'uncategorized'
echo $term->term_id;        // 5
echo $term->taxonomy;       // 'category'
echo $term->count;          // 10
echo $term->parent;         // 0

// Check hierarchy
if ( $term->parent > 0 ) {
    $parent = get_term( $term->parent, $term->taxonomy );
}

Converting to Array

$term = get_term( 5 );
$array = $term->to_array();

// Use with functions expecting arrays
$term = get_term( 5, 'category', ARRAY_A );
// Returns associative array directly

Sanitization Contexts

$term = get_term( 5 );

// For display (default)
echo esc_html( $term->name );

// Get for editing
$term_for_edit = get_term_to_edit( 5, 'category' );

// Apply specific filter
$term->filter( 'display' );
echo $term->description;  // Now display-sanitized

Checking Term Type

$term = get_term( 5 );

if ( $term instanceof WP_Term ) {
    // Valid term object
    echo $term->name;
} elseif ( is_wp_error( $term ) ) {
    // Error occurred
    echo $term->get_error_message();
} else {
    // Term not found (null)
    echo 'Term does not exist';
}

Important Notes

1. Do not instantiate directly — Use get_term(), get_term_by(), or WP_Term::get_instance()

2. Filter property — The $filter property tracks the current sanitization state. Calling filter() updates both the property values and this flag

3. Shared terms — Prior to WordPress 4.2, terms could be shared across taxonomies. Use wp_get_split_term() if dealing with legacy data

4. Dynamic properties — The #[AllowDynamicProperties] attribute permits additional properties. The object_id property is added when using 'all_with_object_id' fields in queries

5. Caching — Terms are cached in the 'terms' cache group. Only single-taxonomy terms are cached to avoid ambiguity