ACF load_value action not working as expected

The ACF (Advanced Custom Fields) plugin provides a powerful way to add custom fields to your WordPress website. Sometimes, you may encounter issues with the load_value action not working as expected. This action allows you to modify the value of a custom field before it is loaded into the field’s input or displayed on the front end.

To troubleshoot and fix this issue, you can follow these steps:

1. Make sure you have the ACF plugin installed and activated on your WordPress site.

2. Check if the load_value action is properly registered in your code. You can use the acf/load_value hook to add your custom function. Here’s an example:

function wpsnippets_custom_load_value($value, $post_id, $field) {
    // Modify the $value as needed
    return $value;
}
add_filter('acf/load_value', 'wpsnippets_custom_load_value', 10, 3);

In the above example, the wpsnippets_custom_load_value function is hooked into the acf/load_value action using the add_filter function. It accepts three parameters: $value (the current value of the field), $post_id (the ID of the post being edited), and $field (the ACF field object).

3. Inside the wpsnippets_custom_load_value function, you can modify the $value variable as needed. For example, you can perform calculations, retrieve additional data, or manipulate the value based on certain conditions.

4. Finally, make sure to return the modified $value variable from your function. This updated value will be used by ACF when loading the field’s input or displaying it on the front end.

By implementing the above code snippet and customizing the wpsnippets_custom_load_value function, you can fix any issues with the ACF load_value action not working as expected.

Examples

Example #1: Customizing the ACF Load Value Action

This example demonstrates how to customize the behavior of the ACF load_value action by adding a custom callback function. The load_value action is triggered when ACF loads a field’s value from the database.

function wpsnippets_custom_load_value( $value, $post_id, $field ) {
    // Custom logic to modify the loaded value
    return $value;
}
add_filter( 'acf/load_value', 'wpsnippets_custom_load_value', 10, 3 );

In this code example, we define a custom function wpsnippets_custom_load_value that accepts three parameters: $value (the loaded value), $post_id (the ID of the post being edited), and $field (the ACF field object). Inside the function, you can add your own logic to modify the loaded value as needed. Finally, we use the add_filter function to hook our custom function into the acf/load_value action.

Example #2: Manipulating the Loaded Value

This example demonstrates how to manipulate the loaded value using the ACF load_value action. We’ll modify the loaded value by appending a prefix to it.

function wpsnippets_add_prefix_to_value( $value, $post_id, $field ) {
    $prefix = 'Custom Prefix: ';
    return $prefix . $value;
}
add_filter( 'acf/load_value', 'wpsnippets_add_prefix_to_value', 10, 3 );

In this code example, we define a custom function wpsnippets_add_prefix_to_value that adds a prefix to the loaded value. We concatenate the prefix string with the original value and return the modified value. By hooking this function into the acf/load_value action, the loaded value will be automatically modified with the added prefix.

Example #3: Conditionally Modifying the Loaded Value

This example demonstrates how to conditionally modify the loaded value using the ACF load_value action. We’ll check if the post is in a specific category and modify the loaded value accordingly.

function wpsnippets_modify_value_based_on_category( $value, $post_id, $field ) {
    $category = 'example-category';
    $post_categories = wp_get_post_categories( $post_id );

    if ( in_array( $category, $post_categories ) ) {
        // Modify the loaded value based on the category
        $value = 'Modified Value';
    }

    return $value;
}
add_filter( 'acf/load_value', 'wpsnippets_modify_value_based_on_category', 10, 3 );

In this code example, we define a custom function wpsnippets_modify_value_based_on_category that checks if the post belongs to a specific category (example-category in this case). If the post is in that category, we modify the loaded value by assigning it a new value (Modified Value). Otherwise, the original value remains unchanged. By hooking this function into the acf/load_value action, the loaded value will be conditionally modified based on the post’s category.