Issue is that the validation callback function for my plugin has NULL as the $input value.
It's my understanding that the validation callback will use the $input parameter, which contains the POST fields. But when I test the validation callback, the $input parameter is NULL, even though settings are checked.
Note that the settings page has just checkboxes; no other input field types.
My register_settings is as follows; it is tied to the admin_init hook.
register_setting(
'pluginPage', // option group name
'Settings Name', // option name (used to store into wp-options
array('sanitize_callback' => 'sanitize_callback' // sanitize the data function')
);
And the sanitize_data callback:
function sanitize_callback($input)
{ $new_input = array();
// ... some checking here, setting $new_input array values if $input array value exists
return $new_input;}
Because $input is NULL, which I have verified with a print_r($input);exit; at the beginning of the sanitize_callback() function, the options are not saved in wp-options.
The only way I can get options saved is to use $_POST variables in the sanitize_callback function. That will properly store the options.
So, why is the sanitize_callback function not receiving the $_POST variables when the form is submitted?
Note that I have followed the instructions in the Settings API; I have verified all code is correct according to those instructions. The form is displayed with this code, so the nonce is in the form.
<form action='options.php' method='post'>
<?php
settings_fields( 'pluginPage' ); // initializes all of the settings fields
do_settings_sections( 'pluginPage' ); // does the settings section
submit_button(); // creats the submit button
?>
</form>
Issue is that the validation callback function for my plugin has NULL as the $input value.
It's my understanding that the validation callback will use the $input parameter, which contains the POST fields. But when I test the validation callback, the $input parameter is NULL, even though settings are checked.
Note that the settings page has just checkboxes; no other input field types.
My register_settings is as follows; it is tied to the admin_init hook.
register_setting(
'pluginPage', // option group name
'Settings Name', // option name (used to store into wp-options
array('sanitize_callback' => 'sanitize_callback' // sanitize the data function')
);
And the sanitize_data callback:
function sanitize_callback($input)
{ $new_input = array();
// ... some checking here, setting $new_input array values if $input array value exists
return $new_input;}
Because $input is NULL, which I have verified with a print_r($input);exit; at the beginning of the sanitize_callback() function, the options are not saved in wp-options.
The only way I can get options saved is to use $_POST variables in the sanitize_callback function. That will properly store the options.
So, why is the sanitize_callback function not receiving the $_POST variables when the form is submitted?
Note that I have followed the instructions in the Settings API; I have verified all code is correct according to those instructions. The form is displayed with this code, so the nonce is in the form.
<form action='options.php' method='post'>
<?php
settings_fields( 'pluginPage' ); // initializes all of the settings fields
do_settings_sections( 'pluginPage' ); // does the settings section
submit_button(); // creats the submit button
?>
</form>
I guess in the meantime you figured in out already. Though I want to share my experience since I faced the same problem and it might be useful for others.
In my case I just got the reference to the options wrong when creating the HTML code for the input-elements.
So since Wordpress suggests to have one option saving an array of values that are the actual settings of your plugin/theme/whatever, you'll problaby have something like this somewhere:
(Note: I will use plugin_config where you you have Settings Name, Rick.)
add_option('plugin_config', array(
'val1' => 1,
'val2' => 2'
));
Then in addition to registering the settings somwhere you will have registered the corresponding fields to enter values for the section, like this:
add_settings_field('val1_field', 'Field Label:', 'creat_html_callback', 'settings_page_slug_name');
Now the intresting part; when defining the html code, you have to set the name of the field in a way that wordpress can associate the corresponding post value of the request to the correct array position of the option plugin_config (your Settings Name!). So here is the callback referenced in add_settings_field before
public function creat_html_callback() {
$option = get_option('plugin_config');
echo '<input type="text" id="val1Field" name="plugin_config[val1]" size="10" value="'.$option['val1'].'"/>';
}
The essentiell part for me was name="plugin_config[val1]". The name of the html-input-element must be the same as the registered (register_setting!) option/setting or the name of the option together with the array index of the value corresponding to the input field.
Of course this seems clear and easy to see. Bit I think whith all those slug-names and references you can get easily confused especially when following a tutorial like this.