Php error when trying to output array

Question

I have a repeatable field in a wordpress custom post type that is linked to another wordpress custom post type. I want to loop through the repeatable field and then for each field access the data from the linked post type. The first result is returned, but on the second I get the following error:

Fatal error : [] operator not supported for strings.

I tried removing the brackets from my variables like $staff = $coach['team_staff'] but that did not work.

I also tried setting $staff = array(); before the loop and that did not work.

Not sure what I have wrong here:

global $post;

// Get The Staff Members
$coaches = get_post_meta($post->ID, 'repeatable_fields', true);
if ( $coaches ) :
    foreach ( $coaches as $coach ) :
        $staff[] = $coach['team_staff']; 
        $role[] = $coach['team_role'];

        // Loop through each staff member
        foreach( $staff as $index => $staff ) :
            $args = array (
                'post_type' => 'staff', 
                'title' => $staff
            );

            $posts = get_posts( $args );
            foreach ( $posts as $post ) : setup_postdata ( $post );

                // get post meta here

            endforeach;
        endforeach;

    endforeach;
endif;

Possible duplicate of: stackoverflow.com/questions/5879675/… — RToyo
– RToyo, Commented Aug 25, 2017 at 15:30
Possible duplicate of Problem with: Fatal error: [] operator not supported for strings in — aynber
– aynber, Commented Aug 25, 2017 at 15:32
I commented out $role[] = $coach['team_role']; and still get an error. I tried the answer from the above mentioned article and removed the [] from $staff = $coach['team_staff']; and get an error as well. — RiotAct
– RiotAct, Commented Aug 25, 2017 at 15:33

Guillermo Phillips · Accepted Answer · 2017-08-25 15:39:38Z

1

You need to be careful with your loop variable names. For example change $staff to $staff_member:

global $post;

// Get The Staff Members
$coaches = get_post_meta($post->ID, 'repeatable_fields', true);
if ( $coaches ) :
    foreach ( $coaches as $coach ) :
        $staff[] = $coach['team_staff']; 
        $role[] = $coach['team_role'];

        // Loop through each staff member
        foreach( $staff as $index => $staff_member ) :
            $args = array (
                'post_type' => 'staff', 
                'title' => $staff_member
            );

            $posts = get_posts( $args );
            foreach ( $posts as $post ) : setup_postdata ( $post );

                // get post meta here

            endforeach;
        endforeach;

    endforeach;
endif;

Also ideally you should initialise your arrays, $staff and $role outside the loops:

$staff = [];
$role = [];

Also, it's unclear why you would repeatedly add to the $staff array and loop over it with each iteration of the $coaches array. Consider separating the two foreach loops and run them one after the other:

global $post;

// Get The Staff Members
$coaches = get_post_meta($post->ID, 'repeatable_fields', true);
if ( $coaches ) :
    $staff = [];
    $role = [];

    foreach ( $coaches as $coach ) :
        $staff[] = $coach['team_staff']; 
        $role[] = $coach['team_role'];
    endforeach;

    // Loop through each staff member
    foreach( $staff as $index => $staff_member ) :
        $args = array (
            'post_type' => 'staff', 
            'title' => $staff_member
        );

        $posts = get_posts( $args );
        foreach ( $posts as $post ) : setup_postdata ( $post );

            // get post meta here

        endforeach;
    endforeach;

endif;

answered Aug 25, 2017 at 15:39

Guillermo Phillips

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2 Comments

RiotAct Over a year ago

Thank you. I thought I needed my foreach loops to be nested in order to access the data from the previous loop. Now I know.

Guillermo Phillips Over a year ago

Of course. The arrays/variables are not scoped to loop constructs, but only to functions, or globally.

Sarkouille · Accepted Answer · 2017-08-25 15:42:25Z

0

Your code design is wrong :

Your second foreach is nested in the first one and iterates through the array $staff which is filled in the first foreach. I don't know if it's on purpose, what that means that on the first foreach's first loop, the second foreach will iterate through one entry, the one that was put in it two lines before, through two entries on the second loop, etc...
Your second foreach iterates through $staff while naming the value it's currently using $staff. Once the second foreach is executed, your array formerly known as $staff is gone, overwritten by it's first entry's value, which happens to be a string.

When the first foreach is doing its second loop, your code is therefore trying to use the index operator - [] - to a string, as the error says.

Try this :

global $post;

// Get The Staff Members
$coaches = get_post_meta($post->ID, 'repeatable_fields', true);
if ( $coaches ) :
    $staffs = $roles = array();
    foreach ( $coaches as $coach ) :
        $staffs[] = $coach['team_staff']; 
        $roles[] = $coach['team_role'];
    }
    // Loop through each staff member
    foreach( $staffs as $index => $staff ) :
        $args = array (
            'post_type' => 'staff', 
            'title' => $staff
        );

        $posts = get_posts( $args );
        foreach ( $posts as $post ) : setup_postdata ( $post );
            // get post meta here
        }
    }
}

I added a plural to the arrays so that it's more obvious that they contain several roles/staffs, since you applied the same rule naming your other array $coaches and having its values named $coach in the foreach.

answered Aug 25, 2017 at 15:42

Sarkouille

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3 Comments

RiotAct Over a year ago

You were just a couple of minutes behind the other answer, but this was helpful also. Thank you!

Sarkouille Over a year ago

@RiotAct The main point is that you got yourself out of trouble.

RiotAct Over a year ago

One more quick question: I was accessing $role later as $role[$index], how will I access that now? Nevermind: I figured it out: $roles[$index];

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