Syntax

get_post_types($args, $output, $operator) filters registered post types according to the value of $args, $output, and $operator; and returns the result in an associative array.

• $args —array of attributes to filter the registered post types
• $output —type of output to return, either 'names' or 'objects'
• $operator —operator to use during the filtering, either 'AND', 'OR', or 'NOT'

By default, $args is an empty array so all post types are returned, and $output is 'names'. Possible values for $operator are below, being 'AND' the default value.

• 'AND' —select post types that satisfy all attributes in $args
• 'OR' —select post types that satisfy at least one attribute in $args
• 'NOT' —select post types that satisfy none of the attributes in $args

Examples

The set of possible attributes to use in $args is large. Each one is documented in detail in the class WP_Post_Type.

// Get the identifier of each registered post type
$example1 = get_post_types();

// Get the object of each registered post type
$example2 = get_post_types(array(), 'objects');

// Get the identifier of the post types that are public
$example3 = get_post_types(array('public' => true));

// Get the object of the post types that are public and hierarchical
$args4 = array('public' => true, 'hierarchical' => true);
$example4 = get_post_types($args4, 'objects');

// Get the identifier of the post types that are public or hierarchical
$args5 = array('public' => true, 'hierarchical' => true);
$example5 = get_post_types($args5, 'names', 'OR');

Common use

This function is frequently used in the administration side of plugins. Suppose that you are developing a plugin that should list all archive-enabled post types to let the user make a choice. Just a line of code is necessary to get these post types.

// Get all post types that have archive
$archive_enabled_types = get_post_types(array('has_archive' => true));

Exercise

Get the object of the custom post types that are not hierarchical.

Source code

The source code developed in this tutorial, including a possible answer to the exercise, is available here.