How to Save Options to Database in WordPress

One of the simplest ways to store data in WP is to use the database table called “wp_options”. Typically, this table is used to store plugin or theme data that is not related to meta values (such as for posts, users, or taxonomies).

WordPress provides a set of built-in functions and filters to interact with this table.

Let’s take a look at a small working example:

$option_key = 'my_option_var';

echo "<b>get_option</b>";
$result = get_option($option_key);
var_dump($result);
echo "<hr>";

echo "<b>get_option + default value</b>";
$result = get_option($option_key, 'default_value');
var_dump($result);
echo "<hr>";

echo "<b>add_option with string</b>";
$result = add_option($option_key, 'option_value', '', false);
var_dump($result);
echo "<hr>";

echo "<b>get_option</b>";
$result = get_option($option_key);
var_dump($result);
echo "<hr>";

echo "<b>update_option with array</b>";
$result = update_option($option_key, array(
	1 => 'One',
	'Two' => 3,
	'Three' => 'Three',
));
var_dump($result);
echo "<hr>";

echo "<b>get_option</b>";
$result = get_option($option_key);
var_dump($result);
echo "<hr>";

echo "<b>delete_option</b>
";
$result = delete_option($option_key);
var_dump($result);
echo "<hr>";
die;

In this part of the code:

$option_key = 'my_option_var';

echo "<b>get_option</b>";
$result = get_option($option_key);
var_dump($result);
echo "<hr>";

we try to retrieve an option named “my_option_var”. If the value was previously set, we will get it. Otherwise, the function will return false.

We can also set a default value:

echo "<b>get_option + default value</b>";
$result = get_option($option_key, 'default_value');
var_dump($result);
echo "<hr>";

and it will be returned by the function if no matching entry is found in the DB.

To set a value, we can use the following:

echo "<b>add_option with string</b>";
$result = add_option($option_key, 'option_value', '', 'yes');
var_dump($result);
echo "<hr>";

where:
$option_key — the name of the option
option_value — the content of the option
the third empty parameter — is no longer used
'yes' — defines whether the option will be autoloaded on site load, or only when manually requested. The alternative is “no”. You can also use true/false.

WordPress also allows storing arrays in this variable:

echo "<b>update_option with array</b>";
$result = update_option($option_key, array(
	1 => 'One',
	'Two' => 3,
	'Three' => 'Three',
));

These are automatically serialized before storage. When retrieved, the string is automatically unserialized into an array.

To delete an option, use the “delete_option” function:

echo "<b>delete_option</b>";
$result = delete_option($option_key);
var_dump($result);
echo "<hr>";

If the deletion is successful, true will be returned.
That’s it.