$loop3 = new WP_Query( array( 
    'posts_per_page' => 10000, 
    'post_type' => 'volunteers',  
    'meta_key' => 'state',
    'meta_value' => $stateselect,
    'meta_compare' => '=',
    'meta_key' => 'volunteer_type',
    'meta_value' => 'painter',
    'meta_compare' => '=',
    ) ); 
 
       

Hello. I'm new to PHP and WordPress. I'm having trouble understanding how WP_Query works. I'm trying to get a dataset that looks like this pseudocode:

state=$stateselect AND volunteer_type=painter

The code above seems to be rewriting 'meta_key' and returning results from all 'states', since 'volunteer_type' appears to be overwriting. How do I ...

• Retrieve the results of two different criteria,
• do equivalent of AND between the two different meta_key criterias?

Also, I want to sort the results by a meta_key that is not in the arguments. e.g. There's a field called 'Section' which is alpanumerical. How is sort ASC or DESC done on a field that is not part of the arguments?

Thanks

$loop3 = new WP_Query( array( 
    'posts_per_page' => 10000, 
    'post_type' => 'volunteers',  
    'meta_key' => 'state',
    'meta_value' => $stateselect,
    'meta_compare' => '=',
    'meta_key' => 'volunteer_type',
    'meta_value' => 'painter',
    'meta_compare' => '=',
    ) ); 
 
       

Hello. I'm new to PHP and WordPress. I'm having trouble understanding how WP_Query works. I'm trying to get a dataset that looks like this pseudocode:

state=$stateselect AND volunteer_type=painter

The code above seems to be rewriting 'meta_key' and returning results from all 'states', since 'volunteer_type' appears to be overwriting. How do I ...

• Retrieve the results of two different criteria,
• do equivalent of AND between the two different meta_key criterias?

Also, I want to sort the results by a meta_key that is not in the arguments. e.g. There's a field called 'Section' which is alpanumerical. How is sort ASC or DESC done on a field that is not part of the arguments?

Thanks

• php
• wp-query

2 Answers 2

You want to use the newer meta_query methodology...

You establish a meta_query and then use arrays for the different conditions you want met, preface them with the relationship relation => 'AND' or relation => 'OR'

$loop3 = new WP_Query( array( 
    'posts_per_page' => 10000, 
    'post_type' => 'volunteers',  
    'meta_query' => array(
        'relation' = 'AND',
        array(
            'key' => 'state',
            'value' => $stateselect,
            'compare' => '=',
        ),
        array(
            'key' => 'volunteer_type',
            'value' => 'painter',
            'compare' => '=',
        ),
    ),
) );

Codex has a write-up here: https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/classes/wp_query/#custom-field-post-meta-parameters

Note That's a lot, like A LOT, of posts_per_page.

You should use meta_query:

$loop3 = new WP_Query( array( 
    'posts_per_page' => 10000, 
    'post_type' => 'volunteers',  
    'meta_query' => array(
        'relation' => 'AND',
        array(
            'key'     => 'state',
            'value'   => $stateselect,
        ),
        array(
            'key'     => 'volunteer_type',
            'value'   => 'painter',
        ),
));