Title: Custom meta boxes array not saving data
Last modified: August 30, 2016

---

# Custom meta boxes array not saving data

 *  [suparna chowdhury](https://wordpress.org/support/users/suparna-chowdhury/)
 * (@suparna-chowdhury)
 * [10 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/custom-meta-boxes-array-not-saving-data/)
 * Hi, I am working on a demo project and have been stuck in this stage for past
   few hours. I intend to create a custom post with custom meta fields which will
   save my contact details. I followed an tutorial on how to create multiple fields
   at once using array. Everything is nicely done and showing all the fields, however
   I can not get to show data entered in the custom fields. I am posting my code
   to show where am I doing wrong? I really need this to work so any help would 
   be super welcome.
    Thanks in advance. The code
 *     ```
       <?php
       function contact_details(){
         $labels = array(
           'name' => _x('Contact', 'post type general name'),
           'singular_name' => _x('Contact Details', 'post type singular_name'),
           'add_new' => _x('Add New', 'item'),
           'add_new_item' => __('Add New Item'),
           'edit_item' => __('Edit Item'),
           'new_item' => __('New Item'),
           'view_item' => __('View Item'),
           'search_items' => __('Search'),
           'not_found' => __('Nothing found'),
           'not_found_in_trash' => __('Nothing found in trash'),
           'parent_item_colon' => ''
           );
   
         $args = array(
           'labels' => $labels,
           'public' => true,
           'publicly_queryable' => true,
           'show_ui' => true,
           'query_var' => true,
           'rewrite' => true,
           'capability_type' => 'post',
           'hierarchical' => false,
           'menu_position' => 6,
           'taxonomies' => array('category'),
           'supports' => array('title', 'thumbnail')
   
           );
   
         register_post_type('contacts', $args);
         flush_rewrite_rules();
   
       }
       add_action('init', 'contact_details');
   
       function contact_meta_box(){
         add_meta_box(
           'contact_details_meta_box',
           'Add Contact Deatils',
           'show_contact_meta_box',
           'contacts',
           'normal',
           'high'
           );
       }
   
       add_action('add_meta_boxes', 'contact_meta_box');
   
       // field array
       $prefix = 'custom';
       $custom_meta_fields = array(
         array(
           'label' => 'Mail',
           'desc' => 'enter email address',
           'id' => $prefix.'mail',
           'type' => 'email'
           ),
         array(
           'label' => 'Contact Number',
           'desc' => 'enter contact number',
           'id' => $prefix.'text',
           'type' => 'text'
           ),
         array(
           'label' => 'Address',
           'desc' => 'enter address',
           'id' => $prefix.'text',
           'type' => 'textarea'
           ),
         array(
           'label' => 'Skype name',
           'desc' => 'enter skype name',
           'id' => $prefix.'text',
           'type' => 'text'
           ),
         );
   
       function show_contact_meta_box(){
         global $custom_meta_fields, $contacts;
   
         echo '
       <ul>';
         foreach ($custom_meta_fields as $field){
           $meta = get_post_meta($post->ID, $field['id'], true);
   
           echo ' <label for="'.$field['id'].'">'. $field['label']. '</label>
       <li>';
           switch($field['type']){
   
             case'email':
             echo '<input type="email" name="'.$field['id'].'" id="'.$field['id'].'" value="'.$meta.'">
   
               <span class="desc">'.$field['desc'].'</span>';
               break;
   
               case'text':
               echo '<input type="text" name="'.$field['id'].'" id="'.$field['id'].'" value="'.$meta.'">
   
               <span class="desc">'.$field['desc'].'</span>';
               break;
   
               case'textarea':
               echo '<textarea name="'.$field['id'].'" id="'.$field['id'].'">'.$meta.'</textarea>
   
               <span class="desc">'.$field['desc'].'</span>';
               break;
           }
           echo '</li>
       ';
         }
       echo '</ul>
       ';
       }
   
       function save_custom_meta($post_id){
         global $custom_meta_fields;
   
         if('contacts' == $_POST['post_type']){
   
           if ( !current_user_can( 'edit_post', $post_id ) )
               return $post_id;
         }
         else
         {
           if ( !current_user_can( 'edit_post', $post_id ) )
               return $post_id;
         }
   
         foreach($custom_meta_fields as $field){
           $old = get_post_meta($post_id, $field['id'], true);
           $new = $_POST[$field['id']];
   
           if($new && $new != $old){
             update_post_meta($post_id, $field['id'], $new);
           } elseif ('' == $new && $old) {
                   delete_post_meta($post_id, $field['id'], $old);
               }
         }
       }
   
       add_action('save_post', 'save_custom_meta');
       ?>
       ```
   

The topic ‘Custom meta boxes array not saving data’ is closed to new replies.

## Tags

 * [array](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/array/)
 * [custom fields](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/custom-fields/)
 * [custom post](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/custom-post/)
 * [foreach](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/foreach/)
 * [worpdress](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/worpdress/)

 * In: [Fixing WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/how-to-and-troubleshooting/)
 * 0 replies
 * 1 participant
 * Last reply from: [suparna chowdhury](https://wordpress.org/support/users/suparna-chowdhury/)
 * Last activity: [10 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/custom-meta-boxes-array-not-saving-data/)
 * Status: not resolved

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