Tutorial for WordPress: Get the Title

Methods to Retrieve the Title in WordPress

1. Using the get_the_title() Function

Basic Usage of get_the_title()

The get_the_title(). function retrieves the title of a post or page in the loop. Here’s a simple example:

$post_title = get_the_title( $post_id );
echo $post_title;

Retrieving Titles for Different Post Types

If you’re working with custom post types, you can retrieve their titles by passing the post ID:

$post_id = 42;
$title = get_the_title( $post_id );
echo “The title is: ” . $title;

Handling Empty Titles Gracefully

If a post has no title, you can provide a fallback:

$title = get_the_title( $post_id );
if (empty($title)) {
$title = “Untitled Post”;
}
echo $title;

2. Using the_title() vs. get_the_title()

Key Differences Between the Functions

• get_the_title() returns the title as a string.

• the_title() echoes the title directly to the page.

When to Use Each Function

• Use get_the_title() when you need to manipulate the title before output.

• Use the_title() when you simply want to display the title in your theme.

3. Retrieving Titles Outside the Loop

Using Global $post Object

If you’re working outside The Loop, use the global $post object:

global $post;
echo get_the_title($post->ID);

Fetching Titles with WP_Query

To get titles from a custom query:

$args = array(‘post_type’ => ‘post’, ‘posts_per_page’ => 5);
$query = new WP_Query($args);
if ($query->have_posts()) {
while ($query->have_posts()) {
$query->the_post();
echo get_the_title();
}
}
wp_reset_postdata();