Exploring WordPress Date Queries for Post Filtering

By . in WordPress. Updated on .

We can display posts published on specific dates with the date parameters in WP_Query. The functionality, however, is basic. We can query posts by day, year, and month, but we were not able to query posts within a certain timeframe. Having been a victim once, I used a hack.

However, thanks to Alex Millis who contributed the code, in version 3.7, released recently, WordPress included Advanced Date Query which allows us to display more complex date-based post queries natively with WP_Query. This enhancement enables displaying posts published before or after specific hours. Let’s dive deeper into this feature.

Utilizing Advanced Date Queries

With version 3.7, a new parameter called date_query was introduced. How do we utilize this new feature?

Imagine you’re managing a news site and aim to feature articles from the previous week. By leveraging date_query, you can easily achieve this as shown below:

$last_week_news = new WP_Query( array(
    'date_query' => array(
        array(
            'after' => '1 week ago',
        ),
    ),
    'posts_per_page' => 5,
));
$query = new WP_Query( $last_week_news );

Featuring Posts Within Specific Timeframes. Below is how you can showcase posts from 15 December 2012 to 15 January 2013, perfect for highlighting end-of-year and New Year narratives.

$new_year_stories = new WP_Query( array(
    'date_query' => array(
        array(
            'after' => 'December 15th, 2012',
            'before' => 'January 15th, 2013',
        ),
    ),
    'posts_per_page' => 5,
));
$query = new WP_Query( $new_year_stories );

This feature is not limited to dates; it also allows for the display of posts published at specific hours.

For instance, to highlight morning news on your site, you can configure date_query as follows:

$morning_news = array(
    'date_query' => array(
        array(
            'hour' => 6,
            'compare' => '>=',
        ),
        array(
            'hour' => 9,
            'compare' => '<=',
        ),
    ),
    'posts_per_page' => 10,
);
$query = new WP_Query( $morning_news );

This approach is simple, direct, and enhances code readability.

Concluding Remarks

With the introduction of advanced date query capabilities, WP_Query has expanded its utility. This feature is invaluable for sites where date tracking is crucial, such as for event organizers or conference hosts. It offers a powerful tool for managing content visibility based on time parameters.

For additional information, please visit the WordPress Codex page on Date Parameters.

Note: This post was first published on the Oct 31, 2013.

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