Title: setup_postdata problem
Last modified: August 19, 2016

---

# setup_postdata problem

 *  [andrewpeacock](https://wordpress.org/support/users/andrewpeacock/)
 * (@andrewpeacock)
 * [18 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/setup_postdata-problem/)
 * Hi,
    I’m trying to get a custom loop written using setup_postdata but the functions
   like the_title() are returning nothing.
 * I’ve set up a fresh install of wp 2.3.2 to ensure that no other plugins or theme
   issues are causing it.
 * And I’ve paired the code down to the minimum to confirm the issue
 * Here is the resultant code:
 *     ```
       add_management_page("LIST POSTS", "LIST POSTS", 9, basename(__FILE__), MYPLUGIN_show_management_page); 
   
       function MYPLUGIN_show_management_page() {
       	global $wpdb;
   
       	$sql = "SELECT $wpdb->posts.* FROM $wpdb->posts LIMIT 0,10";
       	$pageposts = $wpdb->get_results($sql);
        	?>
        	<div class="wrap">
       	<?php
       	if ($pageposts) {
       		$bgcolor = '';
       		foreach ($pageposts as $pagepost) {
       			setup_postdata($pagepost);
   
       			echo "<hr>";
       			echo "<br>ID: " . the_ID();
       			echo "<br>Title: " . the_title();
       			echo "<br>Date: " . the_time(__('Y-m-d \<\b\r \/\> g:i:s a'));
       			echo "<br>Categories: " . the_category(',');
       			echo "<br>Author: " . the_author();
   
       		}
       	}
       	?>
       	</div>
       	<?
       }
       ```
   
 * What I end up with is:
 *     ```
       1
       ID:
       Title:
       Date: Uncategorized
       Categories: admin
       Author: admin2
   
       ID:
       Title:
       Date: Uncategorized
       Categories: admin
       Author: admin
       ```
   
 * Any help in getting these functions to work properly would be greatly, greatly
   appreciated.
 * Regards,
    Andy

Viewing 6 replies - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)

 *  [almostdaniel](https://wordpress.org/support/users/almostdaniel/)
 * (@almostdaniel)
 * [18 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/setup_postdata-problem/#post-679067)
 * I am attempting to use setup_postdata as well. It looks like it’s not quite rock
   solid. I took a more hamhanded approach, and it seems to work ok.
 *     ```
       // My new post is stored in $pagepost
   
       $stored_post = clone $GLOBALS['post'];
       $GLOBALS['post'] = $pagepost;
       setup_postdata($pagepost);
   
       // Now I can use all my functions, including the_title(), etc.
       // When I'm done...
   
       $GLOBALS['post'] = clone $stored_post;
       ```
   
 * No idea why this works, but it just seems that either setup_postdata doesn’t 
   get all the elements in the right place or the other template functions (e.g.,
   the_title(), etc.) seem to ignore what setup_postdata does.
 *  Moderator [Samuel Wood (Otto)](https://wordpress.org/support/users/otto42/)
 * (@otto42)
 * WordPress.org Admin
 * [18 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/setup_postdata-problem/#post-679068)
 * `setup_postdata()` doesn’t set the global $post variable, which some of the template
   functions use directly.
 * This is why you should use `the_post()` instead. `setup_postdata()` was never
   really meant to be called directly.
 *  [davestewart](https://wordpress.org/support/users/davestewart/)
 * (@davestewart)
 * [18 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/setup_postdata-problem/#post-679069)
 * Of course if WordPress was properly documented, everyone would know this.
 *  [Adam Brown](https://wordpress.org/support/users/adamrbrown/)
 * (@adamrbrown)
 * [18 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/setup_postdata-problem/#post-679070)
 * Very true. The documentation is a wiki, meaning that you can help write it. Why
   not click on “docs” at the top of this page and add this information?
 *  [jamiefehr](https://wordpress.org/support/users/jamiefehr/)
 * (@jamiefehr)
 * [18 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/setup_postdata-problem/#post-679111)
 *     ```
       <?php $issue_articles = $wpdb->get_results("
       	SELECT * FROM $wpdb->posts
       	LEFT JOIN $wpdb->postmeta ON($wpdb->posts.ID = $wpdb->postmeta.post_id)
       	WHERE $wpdb->posts.post_status = 'publish'
       	AND $wpdb->postmeta.meta_key = 'magazine'
       	AND $wpdb->postmeta.meta_value = $display_issue
       	ORDER BY $wpdb->posts.post_date DESC
       	", OBJECT); ?>
       <?php foreach($issue_articles as $issue_article) : the_post($issue_article); ?>
       <li><a href="<?php the_permalink(); ?>"><?php the_ID(); ?></a></li>
       <?php endforeach; ?>
       </ul>
       ```
   
 * This code returns the ID’s of the posts that would regularly be displayed, not
   the ones from the custom query. However when I add that suspicious, heavy handed
   code all of a sudden the posts from the custom query are getting displayed.
 * I don’t want to complain, but I just wish I knew what was going on.
 *  [magnetome](https://wordpress.org/support/users/magnetome/)
 * (@magnetome)
 * [17 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/setup_postdata-problem/#post-679140)
 * Hi andrewpeacock,
 * You need to declare :
 * `global $post;`
 * after `global $wpdb;` in your code.

Viewing 6 replies - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)

The topic ‘setup_postdata problem’ is closed to new replies.

 * 6 replies
 * 7 participants
 * Last reply from: [magnetome](https://wordpress.org/support/users/magnetome/)
 * Last activity: [17 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/setup_postdata-problem/#post-679140)
 * Status: not resolved

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