Introduction to the formats_dropdown() method in the WP_Posts_List_Table class

In WordPress, managing website content is very important and this is accomplished using various tools and classes. One of these tools is the WP_Posts_List_Table class that helps us easily manage the list of posts. One of the key methods of this class is formats_dropdown(), which we want to examine in this article.

The formats_dropdown() method gives us the ability to create a dropdown menu for selecting different post formats. Post formats in WordPress represent different types of content that can be defined; for example, a post can be identified as a video, image, or question. This method allows us to select from these formats and filter the results based on our preferences.

Using this method facilitates content management and content searching. As a developer, if you want to filter a list of posts based on their formats, you can easily accomplish this by utilizing this method. In this way, your site's users can better find content and engage with it.

Now that we are familiar with the general concept of formats_dropdown(), let's take a look at how to use it in coding. In the following example, we will create a dropdown menu for selecting post formats and display it on the WordPress management page.

public function formats_dropdown() {
    $post_formats = get_post_format_strings();
    $current_format = isset( $_GET['post_format'] ) ? $_GET['post_format'] : ''; 

    echo '<select name="post_format">';
    foreach ( $post_formats as $format_value => $format_label ) {
        $selected = selected( $current_format, $format_value, false );
        echo '<option value="' . esc_attr( $format_value ) . '" ' . $selected . '>' . esc_html( $format_label ) . '</option>';
    }
    echo '</select>';
}

Now let's examine the code line by line:

Line 1: Define the Method

In this line, we define the formats_dropdown() method that can be used without any input.

Line 2: Get Post Formats

By using the get_post_format_strings() function, we can retrieve the existing post formats and store them in a variable called $post_formats.

Line 3: Get Current Format

In this line, we check which format the user selected and store it in the variable $current_format. If no format is chosen, it will remain empty.

Line 5: Start Creating Dropdown Menu

Here, we use the echo function to create the opening <select> tag for the dropdown and assign the name post_format.

Lines 6 to 8: Add Options

In this part, using a foreach loop, we create an option for each existing post format. For each option, we check if the current format matches the format being processed, and if so, we set it as selected.

Line 9: Close the Dropdown Menu

Finally, we add the closing tag </select> to end the dropdown menu.