How to retrieve author details using post ID in WordPress

[liamj]

I need help getting author information when I only have the post ID. My goal is to display author details like profile link and profile picture in the sidebar on single post pages, but I’m working outside the main post loop.

I already have a helper function that gets the current post ID:

function get_current_post_id() {
  global $wp_query;
  $current_post_id = $wp_query->post->ID;
  return $current_post_id;
}

Now I’m stuck on the next step. What WordPress functions should I use to get the author ID first, and then fetch the author metadata? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[byteBard_007]

WordPress functions work fine for basic author retrieval, but what if you need this data across multiple sites or want to sync with external systems?

I’ve hit this exact problem. We needed author info from WordPress posts for user dashboards and personalized emails. The native WordPress approach falls apart when you scale beyond one site.

Here’s what I built instead: automated workflow that watches WordPress posts and grabs author data when posts get created or updated. It pulls the post ID, gets author details via WordPress REST API, and dumps everything into a centralized database.

Now you can access author info from anywhere without being stuck with WordPress functions. You can trigger actions based on author activity, sync with CRM systems, or feed multiple frontends with the same data.

The automation runs in the background and handles all the WordPress API calls. No more messing with post loops or function dependencies.

You can set up this kind of WordPress integration easily: https://latenode.com

[Alex_Thunder]

Use wp_get_post_author_id($post_id) instead - way cleaner than manually digging through post fields. Then just call get_user_by('ID', $author_id) to grab all the user data at once. Works perfectly outside loops and you won’t have global variables screwing things up.

[Gizmo_Funny]

The get_post function works great here too. Just grab your post ID and use get_post($post_id) to get the whole post object, then pull the author ID with $post->post_author. This is super handy when you need multiple post fields - you get everything in one database call instead of hitting it multiple times. From there, get_userdata($author_id) gets you all the author info: email, registration date, custom user meta, whatever you need. I like this approach better for custom author displays since you’re not stuck with basic author functions and can access the full user object.

[lucasg]

The Problem:

You need to retrieve author information (profile picture and profile link) from a WordPress post using only its ID, outside the main WordPress loop. Your existing code successfully retrieves the current post ID, but you require assistance fetching and displaying the author’s details.

Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Retrieve the Author ID: Use the get_post_field() function to efficiently fetch the author ID associated with your post. This is more efficient than retrieving the entire post object if you only need the author ID.

   $post_id = get_current_post_id(); // Your existing function
   $author_id = get_post_field( 'post_author', $post_id );
   

2. Retrieve the Author’s Profile Picture (Avatar): Use the get_avatar() function to obtain the author’s profile picture. You can customize the size parameter as needed.

   $avatar = get_avatar( $author_id, 96 ); // 96px is a common size
   echo $avatar;
   

3. Retrieve the Author’s Profile Link: Use get_author_posts_url() to generate a link to the author’s archive page.

   $author_url = get_author_posts_url( $author_id );
   echo '<a href="' . esc_url( $author_url ) . '">' . __( 'View Author Profile' ) . '</a>';
   

4. Retrieve Additional Author Metadata (Optional): If you need more author details beyond the avatar and profile link (e.g., display name, bio), use get_the_author_meta().

   $author_display_name = get_the_author_meta( 'display_name', $author_id );
   $author_bio = get_the_author_meta( 'description', $author_id );
   
   //Example usage within a more complex output:
   echo '<div class="author-info">';
   echo '<h3>' . esc_html( $author_display_name ) . '</h3>';
   echo $avatar;
   echo '<p>' . esc_html( $author_bio ) . '</p>';
   echo '<a href="' . esc_url( $author_url ) . '">' . __( 'View Author Profile' ) . '</a>';
   echo '</div>';
   

Common Pitfalls & What to Check Next:

• Error Handling: Always check if get_post_field() returns a valid author ID. A missing or invalid post ID will result in errors. Consider adding error handling to gracefully manage such cases. For example:

  $author_id = get_post_field( 'post_author', $post_id );
  if ( ! $author_id ) {
      echo '<p>Author information not found for this post.</p>';
      return;
  }
  

• User Data Privacy: Ensure your theme or plugin respects user privacy settings. Some users might have privacy settings that limit the visibility of their profile information. Always sanitize and escape output before displaying user data.

• Caching: If you are not seeing updates immediately, your theme or server might be caching the author information. Consider clearing the cache, and/or using appropriate caching strategies that expire frequently for dynamic content.

• Theme Compatibility: The way author information is displayed will depend on your theme’s structure. You might need to adjust your HTML or CSS to integrate the author information into your sidebar seamlessly.

Still running into issues? Share your (sanitized) config files, the exact command you ran, and any other relevant details. The community is here to help!